After Solitude

Chapter 60

Nik is wearing his signature black button up shirt, leaving the first few buttons opened and blue jeans, Jett is wearing his leather jacket, and Wyatt is wearing his brown jacket that almost matches mine. Brina is wearing the usual jeans and a blue crop top that convinces me that her stomach will freeze.

"Although I don't like the idea of taking you out yet, you sure do look stunning, love." Nik compliments.

The heat of a blush spreads across my cheeks after his comment makes everyone look at me.

"Just perfection." Jett adds, throwing him arm around my shoulder and kissing the top of my head.

"Alright love birds, lets go." Brina laughs as she walks out of the door.

We all get inside of Nik's spacious white Rolls-Royce with Nik in the drivers seat, Brina in the passenger seat, and me in the back in the middle of two big guys smushing me. It feels like it's on purpose, a personal attack.

Once we get there, I almost cry happy tears. I'm out of that stupid fancy house and back in the real world!

I run inside the arcade bar and the first thing I see is a large sign asking us to not set drinks on the machines. I wonder how many machines people have ruined by drunkenly spilling their alcohol.

The light is darkened but the light objects, including my shoes, shine brightly. A black light! I've always thought those were so cool!

Behind the sign sits a long bar with a black countertop and bottles of alcohol displayed behind the bartender. A line of people sit on the bar stools in front of the bar as the two men working behind it take their orders and prepare them.

In front of the bar is a whole slew of games making all kinds of noises. The goofy sounding guns pewing, coins dropping against a metal bottom along with a fun jingle, whooshing, zipping, the sound of plastic hitting a plastic puck on the air hockey machine. It can all sound every overwhelming, but right now, I'm living for it.

I grab Brina's arm and pull her towards a fun looking game.

"Wait, we need coins to play." Brina says just above a normal speaking voice so I can hear her.

Her teeth look so white in this lighting. Do mine look white?

We hastily get the coins, a whole butt ton of coins thank you kindly to the man who marked me.

Brina and I go back to the same machine I wanted to try. It stands taller than most of them and has rainbow lights lighting up consecutively shooting around the oval shape.

"I guess this is like jump rope," Brina states as she looks at the pictures on the side of the game.

"You first!" I happily push her into the oval and pop two coins into the machine, making it come to life with music of it's own.

The rainbow colors start at her head then slowly drops to her right shoulder, then her right knee, then finally just at her right heel. She jumps over it and on top the number one is displayed on the screen in bright red lighting.

Brina wins getting thirty-two to my thirty. To be fair, she's in better shape than I am. I've basically been resting for at least a month because of her trying to get this stupid thing in me, out of me.

All of us play the arcade games except Nik. He stands close by with a glass in his hand, taking small sips every now and then. He seems paranoid. A permanent scowl and tight shoulders give off the vibe for strangers to not just come up and talk to him.

Brina and Wyatt take turns at the claw machine. They made a bet on who could win something first.

Instead of joining in on the bet, since I suck at the claw machine, I see Jett at the Pac-Man machine. A line is settled between his eyebrows as he deeply focus' on catching all the dots before the little ghosts catch him.