Page 34 of Love Is Ale You Need

A wide grin covers my face. My nose scrunches as I eenie meenie miny moe my choice. I tap the envelope on the right. Trey pulls out the card, reads it, and shoves it back inside. Again, he doesn’t tell me what it says, and I know if I ask, he’ll only tell me it’s a surprise. All he does is rise to his feet and holds out his hand to help me up. Once standing, he wraps his coat around my shoulders before leaving cash and a generous tip on the table for our bill. As he leads me out, I feel the warmth of his hand on the small of my back.

When we reach Trey’s SUV, he opens the passenger door for me and I climb in, doing my best to not flash everyone my underwear. A dress this short makes it a challenge. Trey rounds the hood and climbs in.

“So, this requires a location change?”

“It does." As he reverses out of the parking spot, he glances at me. The streetlight causes his eyes to twinkle while his lips tip up into a half smirk. Streaks of light flash past us as we drive down the street. After a left turn and then a right, he’s parking his vehicle again.

I peer out the window and a neon sign flashes above us like an old movie theater. “Arcade Palace? Are you going to play Skee Ball to win me a stuffed teddy bear?”

“No. This is even better.” He spares a glance my way, a twinkle in his eye.

I’m both nervous and excited for what he has planned. Spontaneity isn’t my normal behavior, but with Trey, I’m learning to enjoy it. Before I can ask any more questions, he’s slamming his door shut and meeting me at mine. He holds out his hand and helps me out as a breeze from the lake whisps around us. We stroll hand in hand through the wide double doors.

“But seriously, what are we doing here?” I glance up at him with pinched eyebrows.

Trey comes to a stop in front of a long counter, and I stand next to him. “Have you ever played laser tag?”

“Laser tag?”

A boyish grin covers his face as he nods.

I peer down at my dress, landing on the heels. The last time I wore heels was at my wedding and those only lasted an hour. I’ve already broken my heel wearing record. Now he expects me to run and jump in them. Peering up, I meet Trey’s gaze. “I might be at a bit of a disadvantage here.”

“The dress? Feel free to take it off.” He smirks.

I playfully smack his arm. “The shoes. I can’t run around in these.”

“Then we need a little wager. If I win, I get to pick the last activity of our date and if you win, you pick.”

Unable to turn down a challenge, I hold out my hand. “You’re on.” His long fingers wrap around mine and we shake. “Also, I failed to mention, I used to be a Duck Hunt champion.”

“I guess I’ll get to see your moves in action.”

The counter attendant greets us and gets us hooked up with all the laser tag equipment. Trey bought out the entire room so it would only be us in a five round elimination battle royale. The teenage attendant gives us the rundown on the rules.

The fluorescent overhead lights dim as yellow, red, blue, and green halogen lights fill the arena. Above us, the countdown flashes on the LCD screen.

Three.

Two.

One.

Go.

The buzzer echoes off the walls. Trey races to the left. My heels clatter on the cement as I scamper to the right and duck behind an obstacle. With my back pressed against the wall, my heart hammers in my chest. It’s been years since I’ve played any type of game like this. It’s actually exhilarating. I raise my laser gun into position with my finger on the trigger. Rising to my feet, I peer over the top, thankful that the heels at least give me a couple extra inches. Movement from my left catches my attention and I duck down and inch my way around the corner, careful not to make any noise. I peer over the edge again and I don’t see Trey, so I race across the pathway and take cover behind another large block obstacle.

From the other side of the small arena, Trey whistles “Pop! Goes the Weasel”.

“I won’t lie! That’s kind of creepy!” I yell into the air.

Trey’s laugh echoes off the walls.

“That’s creepy too.”

Shit. He probably knows where I am now.

With my back smashed against the wall, I peek around the corner and take off once I see the coast is clear. I hold my breath and keep my gaze trained to my right, hoping to hear any noise Trey might be making.

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