You do love me, Noah. You know it.
My laser base is primed, pumped and ready to shoot some aliens.
Tell me you love me.
With tenderness, like you never told me.
Dammit, Noah! We've known each other for years.
I'm the one who understands you. Who makes you laugh.
We belong together.
I easily dodge the slow, straight missiles.
Tell me that I am your happiness.
That you will take care of me, pamper me.
That you will always be by my side, ever loyal and faithful.
That everything will be fine.
Tell me, Noah. Say it to me, out loud.
That we are going to live near the sea and bathe naked in salty water every morning.
That you will teach me to whistle and swim well.
The wiggly missiles are the most powerful, I know it, but I am a pro at evading those.
That you will be my dead mother and my absent father.
That you will stand tall, slender, handsome and smiling in our dining room every single day.
With the food you have prepared for me.
With the cutlery you have washed for me.
You do love me, Noah. Tell me!
You will mop the floor for me.
Give me a son.
Kill for me.
Well fuck. The fast straight missiles.
"Oona?" Noah's voice startles me out of my stupor.
It's just what I needed: an umbrella that protects me from the deluge of my own stupid thoughts.
I can feel the blush joyfully trotting down the race track of my cheeks, disappearing somewhere behind the finish line of my neck.
"Yeah?" I mutter.
"Space Invaders player death" sound effect reverberates all over the arcade bar.
"The invader got to the bottom of your screen. You're dead, sister." He spits on the floor.
"I know, genius." I roll my eyes at him.
I swallow several times and then laugh out loud, awkwardly.
I lost without even realizing it.
"What's with you today, man?" Noah fist-bumps my shoulder, removing the stray lock of hair from his forehead.
"Nothing, dude," I say in what I believe to be my loudest, manliest tone of voice like, ever.
"So, wanna play another round?"
I shrug, thoughts too blurry to carry on.
"Let me, then." He pushes me aside eagerly, his hands already on the joystick.
"Sure thing, bro," I whisper back but Noah doesn't even hear me say it.
The greenery in his eyes now reflects the base shelter shields on the game screen.
***
A/N: Music theme song: "10cc: I'm Not in Love."