Page 65 of Enemy Games

“Did you get to travel a lot?”

His subject change was much appreciated. Neither of us wanted to dwell on our hometowns.

“A bit. It was harder as I got older. Being on a traveling team and a school team.”

He nodded. “Same. I went to Disneyworld with my mom a few years after the divorce, but that was it. I just remember being uncomfortably hot and sweaty.”

I giggled. “So you don’t like the snow, but you also don’t like the sun?”

“Not when it’s with three hundred percent humidity.” He scoffed. “So, once you have the chance to finally travel, where do you want to go?”

“That’s so hard!” I ate a few chips while I thought about it. “I want to go somewhere tropical so I can go to the beach and snorkel, but I also really want to go pretty much everywhere in Europe. I love history, and I can’t imagine walking streets that are centuries older than our country.”

He swallowed and nodded. “Those are both good choices. I don’t think I can pick one over the other either.”

We continued asking each other questions until he checked his phone and jumped up. “We’re going to be late.”

I laughed and took the hand he offered. How had an hour passed so easily with him? It was effortless, once we got past the normal first date jitters.

The movie was a predictable action flick that barely held my attention, and I spent the first twenty minutes of the movie with my hand on my leg, staring at where his hand rested on his knee. We were so close, but there might as well have been a mile between us.

Then it happened.

Hunter closed the space and reached for my hand. The second his skin connected with mine, a sense of relief washed over me. Like taking a deep breath after holding it for too long underwater. There was no more anxiety. No more stream of what-ifs and self-doubt.

It was peace.

It felt right.

His fingers tightened around mine, and for the first time in so long I felt present. Like only that moment mattered.

I squeezed back and shifted until I was leaning against his arm.

The best part was that he didn’t pull away when the movie ended. The lights turned back on, and we were forced to come back to reality.

I expected him to drop my hand as we made our way back to my house, especially since there were more people walking through campus than I expected. He didn’t.

Even as a group of rowdy boys passed us.

A few of them started shouting for Hunter, and he paused and waved before trying to keep going, but they stopped him.

“Hey man, what’s up?” one of them called as they approached.

Another leaned in much too close and eyed me. “And who's this?”

Hunter released his grip, and I had a second to accept that he didn’t want to be seen holding hands with me, but in the next breath, his arm slipped around my waist pulling me slightly back from them.

“This is Presley.” His voice had zero warmth.

“Well, nice to meet you, Presley. I'm Peter. I’m on the basketball team,” he said as if that should impress me while he looked me up and down. I shifted more toward Hunter. I didn't like the way Peter was looking at me.

“I didn't know you were back to doing flavor of the week,” another guy called out. “And this time, you even remembered her name.”

Hunter shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

“It was nice meeting you guys.” I tried to get us out of there by pulling on Hunter’s sleeve. He caught on and started to turn away, but another guy caught him.

“Dude, when you're done with her give her my number.”