Eastern Lights (Compass 2)

At least temporarily.

“No way,” she said breathlessly as we stood in front of a gaming arcade. She raised an eyebrow. “How did you know I love arcades?”

“I didn’t until you just said so, but that’s not exactly what I was going to show you, so that makes this a double win. Come on, let’s go inside.”

UpDown was a bar arcade where people were able to drink and nerd out all at once. The place was packed that night, not surprisingly. Even on a non-holiday night, UpDown always had a line to get inside.

We hopped in line, and her puzzle piece stayed connected to mine as we talked about our favorite video games growing up. Small talk with her came so effortlessly yet it felt so big. I took in every word she gave me and listened closely. I also took in her small mannerisms. The way she wrinkled her nose when displeased, how she shimmied her shoulders when excited. The way her two dimples deepened when she smiled, how she unconsciously swayed her hips whenever music began to play.

Once we finally made it inside the arcade, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Red’s eyes widen and she did her little shimmy. Then those brown eyes turned to me, still gleaming.

“Can we play anything?”

“Anything you want, darlin’. Let me get some tokens.”

We played games for an hour, all types of games, from pinball machines to old-school Simpsons. She laughed and cussed when she messed up. She’d jump up and down with excitement and twirl and curtsey every time she kicked my ass at a game—which was often. I’d like to say I let her win, but that would be a lie. She was just that damn good.

What amazed me most about that girl was that she somehow managed to be sexy and cute all at once. There was something so damn attractive about her and the way she moved, yet it was adorable, too.

What’s the word to describe someone who is sexy and cute—sute? Cexy? Hell, I didn’t know what to call it, but she encompassed it completely.

I glanced down at my watch then leaned in behind her as she stood at the pinball machine. “It’s almost three thirty in the morning,” I told her, feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I had this plan to spend the night doing all these different activities, but with the subway travel time and the city being busier than ever, time wasn’t on our side. The closer it grew to morning, the more I wanted to freeze time. I wanted more of her, more of us, whatever it was that we were.

“I wanted to show you the other part of this location before we head out,” I explained. As I leaned in, my body pressed against her back, and for a second, I thought she leaned into me, allowing her body to mold into mine. As the night went on, our bodies found ways of being closer to one another, as if a magnetic pull was forcing us together.

I didn’t mind. I liked it when she was close to me.

“It’s already three-thirty?” she asked, turning my way and frowning. It was good to know we were both displeased with that reality.

“Yeah. Come on, let me take you to the best part of this.” I took her hand and began leading us through the space. There was a door with a large glowing C over it.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“This is the part that reminds me of you.” I grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open. At that moment, I felt as if I were Santa Claus nnand I’d just unlocked Red’s wildest dreams. Behind said door was a huge room with shelves and tables filled with comics. Special collector’s editions were even set behind glass at the cashier’s table.

“Oh my gosh.” She was stunned by what she was seeing. “Are those…?”

“Yes.”

“Can I…?”

I smiled. “Yes.”

She pushed past me and dived into the room, bum-rushing the Marvel section. The room glowed from the vintage club lighting, and it felt tacky in a cool way, if that made any sense. Carpet covered one of the walls and against it were giant posters of superheroes from all different universes.

I crossed my arms in pleasure with how it seemed I’d tapped into something she loved. I liked how she smiled as she paged through the stacks of comics. I walked across the aisle she stood in front of and began thumbing through them, too. The only thing separating us was the bin with the comics, and honestly, that was more space than I liked.

“Truth or truth?” she asked me.

I arched a brow. “Truth.”

“What was the happiest day of your life?”

“The second time I learned my mom’s cancer was gone for good.”

“That’s the best pick.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.