He catches me looking, darting me a sideways glance and flashing a cheesy grin. I smile back, and it’s the easiest thing in the world. I justlikebeing with him.
A revolutionary concept, I know.
The neon lights of Level Up flicker ahead, casting a warm glow against the cool night. The place hums with the promise of fun, of games and laughter, and the closer we get to the doors, the more my excitement mounts.
“Almost done with the assignment,” I remark, making casual conversation.
Matty glances over at me, his eyes reflecting the glow of the arcade lights as we walk. “Feels weird, doesn’t it? Like we’ve been doing this forever, but we’re also just getting started.”
“No kidding,” I chuckle, picking up on the double meaning behind his comment. About how far we’ve come; from me not trusting him to the two of us building something real. Something solid. “We’ve done a good job of balancing things lately, though. Work and life, I mean. We both used to be workaholics, but now it’s like we’re almost normal, huh?”
Matty snorts a laugh. “Normal? I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve seen how you play Pac-Man, and nonormalperson can clear level 3 without dying.”
I give him a playful shove, my lips curving into a smirk. “You’re just jealous. You’ll catch up, eventually.”
Matty rolls his eyes, but that playful grin remains stretched across his lips. I don’t think either of us expected things to feel this peaceful after what we’ve been through– him with the Guild, me with Dylan. The grief, the bouts of insomnia, the shower meltdowns…okay, that last one might just be me. But lately, it’s been different. We’ve started to put the past behind us, to start looking to the future and actually making an effort at moving forward. It feels like we’re living, instead of just surviving.
“So, what’s next for you?” I ask, the question slipping out before I can overthink it. “When this whole taskforce thing is done, I mean.”
Matty doesn’t immediately answer, his gaze shifting to the asphalt in front of us as if the ground holds some kind of answer. He kicks a pebble with his foot, sending it skittering away into the darkness. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about going to college, but it’s not... it’s not really what I want anymore.”
“Yeah?” I ask, my pulse kicking up a notch. “What made you change your mind?”
“I guess I started thinking about what I actually want to do. Not what Ishoulddo, but what’s gonna make me happy.” He pauses, glancing at me. “There’s you, of course. But also… I’ve always been good with tech, right? So, I’m thinking about taking some online courses to build on that. Maybe Lo will hire me full-time to work in the IT hub. I don’t know. It just feels right.”
I feel a quiet relief settle over me as I nod along with his response. I never really considered that Matty might leave until Cam said something about it the other day, and since then, it’s all I’ve been thinking about. But hearing him talk about sticking around, about building a future here with something that makes him happy...
“I’m glad,” I say.
Matty looks over at me, lips curving into a slow smile. “Yeah? I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”
“Shut up,” I laugh, giving him a playful shove.
He stops walking for a second, his hand brushing my arm in this small, quiet gesture. He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the weight of his gaze on me as if he’s measuring my sincerity. I meet his eyes and there’s this moment– this quiet understanding between us that says everything we need to say without uttering a word.
Finally, he nods. “Then I’ll stay.”
The words feel like a promise, and I hold onto them as we continue walking, approaching the entrance. Matty ducks in front of me to grab the door handle before I reach for it, pulling it wide like a perfect gentleman and gesturing for me to go in ahead of him.
When we step inside Level Up, and the noise hits us immediately– people laughing, the whir of arcade machines, and the occasional clink of tokens being dropped into slots. It’s this odd little sanctuary, a place where time seems to slow down and the weight of everything else doesn’t matter. I love it here.
It also holds a special place in my heart because it’sours, mine and Matty’s. This is where we had our first date. We’ve had so many here since that we’re practically regulars.
We grab drinks and tokens from the bar, then start our usual routine– wandering around looking for something to play, suggesting different games to each other before winding up at the Pac-Man table anyways. He’s been trying to get better, but I’m still the reigning champ.
I slide the tokens in the slot, and the second the game starts, I’m in my element, eyes glued to the screen as I dodge ghosts and eat pellets. Matty curses under his breath as he tries to beat me to a piece of fruit, but he never quite makes it.
I lean back with a satisfied grin on my face as he fumes. “Told you. One of these days, you’ll catch up.”
“Yeah, well, you better watch out,” he mutters, swiping at his hair in frustration. “Next round’s mine.”
I laugh, shaking my head as he plugs in another token. I kick his butt in the next two rounds, then we step away from the Pac-Man machine to move onto something else, wandering aimlessly around the barcade in search of our next place to land.
“We need to pick something I can beat you at,” Matty grumbles, though the corners of his mouth twitch like he’s trying not to smile.
“Maybe I’m just naturally better at everything than you,” I tease, winking at him.
He snorts a laugh. “Wow, modestanddeadly. What a combo.”
