Chapter 6

I am nearly bouncing in my seat when we park. I haven't been to an arcade in years. I hop out of the car. When I don't hear the passenger side door open and close, I stand in front of the headlights and place my hands on my hips. When Nate still doesn't move, I sigh and throw my hands in the air. 

"Nate, come on!" I whine. 

When he still remains in the car, I march over to his door and fling it open. "If you don't get your little butt up and out of this car, I will drag you into this building."

Nate scoffs and shifts his glasses on his face. When I grabbed his elbow he quickly shakes me off.

"Fine." He sounds like a kid who was told no to getting candy at the grocery store. It is kind of adorable. 

I smile triumphantly and latch onto his arm to guide us into the arcade. 

The second we walk into the building the smell of popcorn and pizza knocks me off my feet as well as the sound of the pinball machine dinging. That's my game. 

It didn't take long for a voice to say hello to Nate. Once we were seated at a high table, two boys came over to greet him. But they stop dead in their tracks when they see me. 

"Nathaniel, are you aware that Kelly Henderson is next to you," a boy with puffy curly hair stage whispers. I hold back rolling my eyes and instead side eye Nate whom is fidgeting again.

"Yes, Trent, I am aware she is next me." The words sound as if Nate is gritting them out. I am not sure if it was meant in annoyance towards me or his friend. 

"Okay, but why and how?"

I try not to scare off Trent anymore than my presence is apparently shocking the taller and skinner boy standing next to him. The guy's mouth is practically hitting the floor and quite frankly it is making me uncomfortable. 

"Actually, we came together," I say bumping Nate's arm with mine. He shuffles, caught off guard. "Nate here wanted to kick my butt at the claw game but I told him to put his money where his mouth is." 

It then dawns on me that I have no clue who these boys are. Clearly they go to our school because they were friends with Nate but I didn't know their names.

"I'm sorry, um, I'm Kelly, which ya'll seem to know already." I even have the audacity to look embarrassed. I extend my hand out to the boy Trent. He hesitates but eventually shakes it. 

"I'm Trent and this is Gavin." We all turn to Gavin, the tall, gangly boy, and wait for him to say something. When his mouth still doesn't close nor did he look like he is breathing, Nate clears his throat and bends down to me.

"Gavin doesn't really talk to girls," he whispers into my ear. Shivers tingle down my ear to my neck at the feel of his breath so close to me. 

"Hi," I say kind of breathy. "It's nice to meet you both." 

I feel dumb for saying this because let's face it, we probably have been in the same grade growing up figuring our little North Carolina town is rather small. But it is true, I am just now actually meeting them. 

Before any of the boys can say something, I stand back up. "I'm going to go buy some pizza? Would you two like to join us?"

Both of Nate's friends look at me oddly. Even Nate turned in my direction with a strange look on his face. 

Trent is, of course, the one to answer. "Uh, yeah, sure, thanks."

I walk away before I can make a bigger fool out of myself. Wow am I out of my elemant. Before I can make my way to the counter to order the pizza, Nate calls my name. I walk back to him and know exactly what he is doing when his hand starts fumbling around in his back pocket. 

"Don't worry, Nate, it's on me."

"No, I said we should come here. I'll pay."

I bite my tongue because I know how boys are when it comes to paying. Danny was the worst. You would think I threatened to blow up the restaurant whenever I offered to pay. I mean, this is the twenty-first century, folks. 

"Thank you," I say sweetly. "I'll get next time."

The blush returns on my lab partner's face which put a little more pep in my step as I headed back to the counter.  

I watch Nate interact with his friends from afar. The guy behind the counter tries a couple of lines on me but I wave him away because Nate has my full attention. He is taller than the other boys, Trent being short and stocky while Gavin is long and lean. But Nate is the tallest. He nods when Trent says something and laughs when Gavin adds something else. But then stops as if he could feel me watching him. 

I kind of like how he can sense that.

I walk back over, two Cokes in hand, and set them down in front of him. I wrap my hands around Nate's forearm and usher him out of the chair. "Let's play." 

Though there wasn't much weight on him, his height makes it hard to maneuver him. Nate practically shuffles his feet as I drag him to the pinball machine. 

When we reach the machine, Nate surprisingly nudges me out of the way. A small grin graces his face and it is enough to make my bones soften and allow me to move. 

"Oh, okay," I laugh lounging against the side of the pinball machine. "I see how this is going to go. Show me how it's done, then."

Nate dramatically stretches his neck from side to side and cracks his knuckles before he places his fingers on the little levers. The ball flings up and circles the plastic maze before hanging in suspense and falling. 

Within the last second, Nate flips the lever and the ball goes back up. He does this continuously until the game pings, signally a new high score. I stand beside the machine dumbfounded. I watch Nate as he leans his back against the machine, a smug look on his face. 

"Okay, how did you do that?" 

Nate doesn't seem to find this question rude or if he does, he is used to the questions. "It's all in the timing, grasshopper."

I am impressed. Both with the game and with his sudden confidence. 

"Alright, my turn." The pressure was on now. Even to my own ears I sound unsure. 

I don't even hit the ball before the silver pellet falls through the center. Nate claps which leaves me slightly annoyed and embarrassed. It had to be his presence that is messing me up because I have the high score of this game on Johnny's pinball machine in his basement. 

"Fine," I grumble crossing my arms. "If you're so great why don't you pass some of your wisdom onto me?" Even though I am a little annoyed that I failed so soon, I can barely contain the stretch of my lips across my teeth. 

I take Nate's hands and gingerly place my own underneath his on the side of the game. I now have him caging me in which leaves my chest rising faster than normal. I can feel Nate's breath beating quickly against the side of my neck. Goosebumps spread across the bare skin there. The sound of him swallowing harshly echoes in my right ear. I look up to the side of his face to see a muscle tick in his jaw. 

Is it strange that I like the fact that I make him nervous? It makes me feel giddy and immature.

The game starts without me paying much attention. Nate is talking but his words are muffled to my ears. I can't take my eyes away from his strong jaw line. The yearning to lean up and skim my lips across his jaw rattles my bones. 

"Now!" Nate's hands presses down on mine, sending the reaction to my own hands. I jump out of my own state of mind and turn my attention back to game. The ball pings back up to the top. 

"Okay, now wait for it again..."

I hold my breath until the ball is close enough to the levers. Nate lets me choose when to fling the lever and when I do, the ball ricoshaes back up. 

I shriek and spin around to wrap my arms around his neck in a hug forgetting the game. This shocks both of us but I can't get myself to let go right away. Nate's arms cage around me slowly but eventually we are innocently cocooned around each other in the corner of an arcade.

Someone clears their throat behind us and we spring apart as if someone lit a match under us. 

"Oh hey, guys," I say shakily. Trent and Gavin look between the two of us like we shared a head. 

Nate clears his throat and fixes his glasses that have been knocked a little off center in our haste embrace. 

"The pizza has arrived," Trent slowly answers, still looking oddly between Nate and me. 

"Great." No one missed the way Nate's voice cracks. 

That leaves me grinning more. 

After laughing too long about something Gavin had said--or lack of--Nate decides to tell his friends that he has his paper to turn in before midnight. The hours passed fast and I feel sad as we make our way back out to my car. 

The rain has stopped.

Nate is quiet on the ride home which leaves me feeling uneasy. We just spent hours laughing and talking and joking around with his friends and now there is nothing but silence as we drive down our street. 

I have known that we lived a few houses down from each other but never once have I noticed how close. When the car came to a stop, I turn to Nate as he sat there looking down at his lap. He fiddles with his walking stick which makes me feel more antsy. 

"Today was fun," I mention as we sat there. 

Nate just awkwardly nods, the tapping sound magnifying.

"Do you want me to look at your paper now?" I ask. Why won't he acknowledge me?

"No, that's fine." He unbuckles his seat belt.

"I don't mind..." I persist while shifting in the driver's seat and I narrow my eyes at him.

"It's okay."

Well, then.

"I'll see you tomorrow at class, then." I suddenly feel too tired to try and make Nate talk to me. It is okay that he is a little shy around me. For now. 

"Kelly," he says suddenly. I focus my full attention on him now.

"Yes, Nate?"

"Thank you." 

That is all he says before he gets out of my car and walks into his home. I watch as he makes his way up the four steps of his front porch and fumble with the key to get into his door. He doesn't turn to wave goodbye before closing the door but his face turns towards me as if he is wanting me to read his mind. 

Oh, how I wish I could read his mind. 

There is one thing that I am certain of after tonight.

I am majorly crushing on Nathaniel Haynes.