Page 28 of The Way Home
My cheeks warmed with the memory. I leaned against the window trying to cool down. “Gone? Really? What happened?”
“I blame Fortnite and Pokemon Go. Not that there’s anything wrong with those—I’ve played them plenty—but it’s easier to have the gaming connection at home or on the go, without having to pay a ton. That, and the people that grew up playing them and miss the nostalgia prefer to play when they can drink, too. The pub adopted some of the games when the arcade closed. Sadly, no velociraptors, I checked, but they were bought out.”
“What is it now?” It was strange how much had changed—I flicked my gaze to the man beside me—and how much had stayed the same.
“I’m not sure. The last time I came out for one of the alumni games, it was still under construction. We should cruise by and snoop around.”
“Sounds good.” I was slightly relieved I wouldn’t have to walk into the arcade and have the beeping sounds and flashing lights fling me back to the past, searching for dark games to disappear into. Especially since I now knew I had no control when it came to rooms with curtains and Jeremy.
“Oh! There’s the drug store we used to get ice cream at. And there’s the fountain we used to sit by when we were eating our ice cream.” Jeremy pointed out as if I didn’t have a vivid memory of everywhere we’d been together. Still, it was pretty cute to see his excitement, so I just let him guide me around the town that used to be ours.
We pulled up to a long building that used to hold the arcade. Instead of neon signs in the windows, it now had atoms, microscopes, and beakers. I sat up straight in my seat as my eyes grew wide. “Oh my God! Is that what I think it is?”
“Professor Photon’s Science Emporium,” Jeremy read.
“It’s a science museum! Jem! Did you know?” I couldn’t contain my excitement. If this had been here when we were teenagers, I probably would have never left.
“No. I never thought to look it up.”
Feeling giddy, I turned toward him. “Can we go in?”
Jeremy grinned widely. “Sure thing, darling.”
He pulled into the parking lot, and I was already leaping out before he turned off the car. Jeremy chuckled but quickly came around to my side and walked with me to the front door. When we went inside, there was a cute gift shop with all kinds of science toys. I could have spent an hour playing with everything in the store alone, but I was desperately curious to see the rest of the museum.
“Welcome to Professor Photon’s, where we believe in discovering science through play. Have you visited our science emporium before?” A woman wearing a lab coat greeted us. It was likely merely a costume, but it made me feel happily sentimental anyway. I had one that had been a gift when I graduated, but it had been a while since I’d been able to don it.
“No, it’s our first time. I had no idea this was even here. This is so cool.”
The woman smiled warmly at me and then nodded at my hoodie. “I love that. Pluto didn’t deserve getting kicked out of the planet club.”
“Right?!” I exclaimed.
Jeremy chuckled at my side, before stepping forward. “How does it work? Do we need to buy tickets?”
“Yes, your ticket will get you into the entire emporium. We have hands-on exhibits in every room. Feel free to touch anything you see—except for our scientists, of course, that requires consent.” She gave me a wink, and I laughed despite the possible flirting. I never knew. Most of the time, it neededto be spelled out, like Jeremy kissing me in the bathroom of the church.
“Two tickets, please.” Jeremy linked his arm through mine and grinned wide when understanding seemed to flash in her eyes. She let out a quick huff of disappointment but smiled genuinely.
“You got it. Please keep in mind, most of our exhibits are designed for younger patrons, so you may need to watch your heads. Especially you.” She leaned back to look at me, and I shrugged. I was used to ducking. “If you have any questions, we have scientists throughout the emporium, so feel free to ask any of them.”
“I think we can manage, but thank you,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. As soon as we got our tickets, I practically pulled Jeremy forward by our linked arms. He chuckled and allowed me to take him along. When we passed through the saloon doors, it opened into a hallway with signs pointing in every direction. Light, energy, water, ecosystems.
“This is so cool.” The place had been completely transformed from what it once was. It was impossible to tell it had ever been an arcade.
“Where to first?” Jeremy asked quietly, letting me take it all in.
“I don’t even know. I want to see everything.”
Jeremy chuckled. “We’ve got nothing but time.”
With so many options, it was hard to know where to start, so I decided we could just work counter-clockwise. Jeremy stood by my side as I lifted every flap, slid every sliding block, and pressed every button. Every now and then, Jeremy would repeat a fact to me that he found interesting as if it were new information to me, which I found incredibly sweet. I was grateful he was indulging me. It might not be his thing, but that didn’t mean he was rushing to get out of there or giving me a hard time for enjoying myself in a children’s museum, as some might have. He let metake as much time as I wanted in every room. They weren’t huge rooms, but there were plenty of tactile things to explore, and it just made my science nerd heart ridiculously happy.
The light room was the final room, and after walking through and playing with models that showed how eclipses worked, we came to a door at the back. “Black light maze.” I looked at Jeremy. It was a maze designed for kids, probably. “What do you think? We don’t have to do it. We could just go.”
“Uh, we’re doing it. We didn’t get this far only to miss out on the coolest part.”
We walked through the door into a completely dark space. It took a moment to orient ourselves, but there were neon signs and walls that helped direct you through the black-lit space. I turned around to make sure Jeremy was still with me.
