"Morning, sunshine."
And in that moment, Amaya's brain short-circuited. She stared at him for a second before finally catching herself.
"A-a-Adrian, I d-didn't know you'd be coming too," Amaya stuttered.
"Neither did I. Natalie forced me to tag along because apparently, I'm your designated driver for the day," Adrian replied.
"Good thing you know your place. Now go start the engine already, servant!" Natalie ordered with a shout.
Adrian turned around, grumbling under his breath.
"Keep talking like that, and I'll make you pay for the ride instead. Gas is NOT cheap."
"How's Grandma doing, Amaya?" Adrian asked.
"S-she's fine. She'll be out for most of the day, though," she replied.
"You guys just love to stand around or what? Come on already!"
Natalie dragged them forward, and soon they were all seated on the motorcycle in the same arrangement as the day before.
Natalie pointed a finger forward and shouted, "First stop, the arcade! Let's gooooo!"
Adrian revved the engine in response, and soon they were off.
Twenty Minutes Later
Neon lights illuminated the arcade, casting colourful reflections across the dozens of games available. From classics like Whack-A-Mole to more modern attractions like VR Racing, there was something for everyone.
The place was relatively quiet due to the early hour, but adults, teenagers, and children still filled the arcade, all laughing and having fun.
Suddenly, the front doors swung open with considerable force, and the chatter died down slightly as several people turned to see who was apparently having a fight with the doors.
Natalie stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a huge smile plastered across her face.
"We're finally here!"
She glanced beside her, only to find the space empty. Turning back towards the entrance, she shouted, "Come on, you guys! Get in here already!"
Amaya walked into view, trying her best to ignore the people who were now staring at her.
"C-can we j-just go in, please?" she pleaded, gently tugging Natalie's arm away from the doorway.
Adrian appeared next, walking in with one hand tucked into his pocket. He gave Natalie a light tap on the head, causing her to rub the spot with a groan.
"Are you trying to rip the door off its damn hinges? You're gonna get us kicked out before we even get in.
Adrian let out a light sigh before speaking again.
"Let's just go in already."
They walked into the building, and everyone returned to what they had been doing, much to Amaya's relief.
"Anything specific you're looking to play?" Adrian asked, his gaze sweeping across the arcade for anything that might catch his interest.
"Well, I kinda didn't really think that far." Natalie avoided Adrian's gaze, putting on an innocent expression
.
"I'll go get the tokens while you guys look around for something interesting, okay?"
Natalie agreed, while Amaya stood quietly beside her, fidgeting with her sleeves.
"What about you?" Adrian asked, turning towards her.
She quickly shook her head.
"I'll just follow Natalie and see what she wants to play."
Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly, looking as though he wanted to say something, but eventually decided against it.
"Okay, then. I'll see you later."
He turned towards the token booth while Natalie and Amaya wandered off in search of something to play.
A few minutes later, he returned with a handful of tokens, scanning the arcade for the two girls.
I'm curious to see what they picked, though.
He turned a corner and finally spotted the two he'd been looking for, along with their chosen game.
Since this was Natalie's idea, I shouldn't be surprised.
The two stood on opposite sides of a long table, its surface illuminated by blue and red lights. Each side had a matching plastic disc, while a single black disc sat motionless in the centre.
It was air hockey.
Amaya stood there, showing little interest in the game, while Natalie had already set her sights on Adrian.
The moment she spotted him, she pointed a finger in his direction and declared, as though the challenge had been rehearsed beforehand.
"Adrian, I challenge you to a game of air hockey!"
Her voice carried the intensity of someone challenging him to a duel to the death.
"Are you sure?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of my victory? Absolutely!" She puffed out her chest, wearing a wide grin.
"Alright then. Just don't cry when I beat you. In fact, I'll even let you make the first move."
Adrian inserted a token into the slot. The table hummed to life as air rushed through its tiny holes, lifting the black puck slightly above the surface.
"You're going to regret that." Natalie grinned.
Both of them took their positions, Adrian on the blue side and Natalie on the red. The lights from the table illuminated their faces as Natalie stared him down, while Adrian simply returned her gaze with a relaxed smile.
Amaya looked between the two of them, the tension in the air slowly rising.
And soon, the game began.
Natalie struck first.
She thrust her striker forward, sending the puck gliding across the table and straight towards Adrian's goal.
Adrian reacted immediately, moving his striker to deflect the puck to the side before sending it back with a light push.
Natalie responded with another powerful strike, sending the puck straight towards his goal once again. Adrian moved to block it, but his reaction came just a second too late.
The puck flew into his goal, and the entire table lit up bright red as the scoreboard flashed 1–0.
Amaya jumped slightly in surprise, not expecting Adrian to lose so quickly.
Natalie pumped a fist into the air.
"EZZZZZZZZZ! Two-hit win, baby!"
"You got one point. Congratulations on your 'crushing victory'," Adrian replied sarcastically.
"Then I hope you're ready, because I'm not done yet."
She took hold of her striker as another puck was placed on the table.
Amaya leaned in a little closer as she became more focused on the game.
Adrian leaned forward, tightening his grip on his striker. "Your move."
Natalie didn't bother responding. She simply sent the puck flying towards his goal again.
Adrian grinned and returned it with equal force.
The game continued, with both of them sending the puck back and forth, Natalie's powerful shots clashing against Adrian's quick reflexes.
Eventually, the puck slid onto Adrian's side. He calmly pushed it back with another measured shot.
Natalie prepared to strike again, but just as the puck approached the centre line, Adrian swiftly moved his striker forward, redirecting it off the side wall and straight into her goal.
She barely had time to react.
The table lit up blue.
Adrian simply flashed a peace sign.
"GGS."
"You're cheating!" Natalie pointed her striker at him from across the table.
"How the hell did I cheat? It's not like I picked up the puck and threw it into your goal." Adrian shrugged.
"It hit the wall! That means I get a throw-in!" Natalie stomped towards him.
"Are we playing air hockey or football?" Adrian replied.
"It doesn't matter! You should give me a free point in exchange. Two, in fact!" Natalie grabbed his shirt, rising onto her toes to bring herself closer to his eye level.
"Why are you whining so much? Our scores are literally even." Adrian tried pushing her away, but that only made her cling to him even tighter.
"Because dirty cheaters don't deserve to win!"
They were about to continue their argument when a sudden burst of laughter came from the side.
Both turned their heads and found Amaya practically doubled over with laughter. She was crouched beside the table, one hand resting against its edge for support as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"S-sorry!" Amaya managed between laughs. "You two just look so funny!"
"What's so funny?" Natalie asked, finally releasing Adrian's shirt.
"Nothing!" Amaya quickly shook her head, though her smile betrayed her.
Natalie huffed and turned her back on them.
"Either way, I want to go play something else."
"But we literally just started this one," Adrian retorted.
"Well, now I want to play something else."
She was already walking away before he could respond.
"Got the attention span of a literal goldfish," Adrian sighed.
"What was that?!" Natalie turned her head towards him.
"Nothing."
He wasn't particularly interested in triggering another one of her temper tantrums. Dropping his striker onto the table, he followed after her.
Amaya giggled softly before following behind them.