All Chapters of Catch Me, Maybe: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Once the movie started, the grassy field gradually became quieter.It wasn’t completely silent. There were still children talking, the rustle of snack bags, and occasional laughter from somewhere farther away. But as everyone’s attention shifted toward the giant screen, the park somehow felt calm despite the hundreds of people gathered there.The five of them sat together on the same blanket.Jax and Benji had the popcorn between them, with Tasha beside them. Riley and Elliot had ended up sitting next to each other just as naturally.The movie was an older comedy.The pacing felt a little unusual at first, but after about ten minutes, all five of them had settled into it.◇There was a scene where the main character kept passing the same person in a hotel hallway, with the situation somehow getting worse every single time.Laughter broke out across the field.Elliot was about to laugh too—but first, he looked bes

Tuesday afternoon, Riley was lining up glasses behind the diner counter when she remembered the last message Elliot had sent her the day before.Good.That had been his entire reply when she told him her legs didn’t hurt anymore.Sometimes he would keep a conversation going a little longer, but there were plenty of days when they only exchanged a message or two. Riley figured he was probably busy with university work and didn’t think much of it.“Table three needs more coffee.”“Got it.”At Nora’s call, Riley grabbed the pot and headed into the dining room.Once work got busy, there was barely any time to look at her phone anyway. Between taking orders, carrying plates, and clearing tables, Elliot’s short reply disappeared from her mind completely.◇A little after three, the diner finally slowed down.Riley was drinking some water at the end of the counter when her phone buzzed in her pocket.Elli

Sunday afternoon, the five of them met at an arcade near the station.Riley had picked the place this time. It wasn’t the same arcade she had gone to a few times as a kid, but there was no admission fee, and she liked that they could just play whatever caught their attention without committing to anything.“No plan today,” Riley announced at the entrance.“We came all the way here and you decided nothing?”Elliot looked at her.“Do you make plans for an arcade?”“Maybe which game to start with.”“Whatever we see first.”“The Riley method.”“You can do that now too.”“To some extent.”It was a completely normal conversation.At least so far.◇The first thing to trap Benji was an enormous claw machine.Inside the clear case was a pile of strangely long stuffed dogs.“

Friday night, Elliot was sitting at his desk working on a university assignment.Maple was asleep at his feet. Lately, she had expanded beyond shoes and started claiming bags and chair legs as her territory too. Tonight, she had settled for resting her chin on one of the sneakers beside his desk.“You really won’t give those up, will you?”Maple didn’t even open her eyes.Elliot turned back to his laptop just as his phone buzzed.It was Riley.◇Can I ask you something?That was an unusual way for her to start a message.

Just before noon on Saturday, the five of them arrived at the food festival Jax had found.About twenty stalls and food trucks were spread across a plaza a short walk from the station. Admission was free, and people could simply buy whatever caught their attention.“First, we do one full lap,” Jax announced at the entrance.“That’s surprisingly sensible,” Tasha said.“If I spend everything at the first stand, I lose.”“Lose to what?”“Myself.”“You already sound like you’re losing.”Riley laughed, and Elliot laughed with her.He had decided on one thing for today. He wasn’t going to keep track of whether he happened to be standing beside Riley, whether he was talking to her more than everyone else, or anything else like that.Ever since Daniel had put the idea in his head, Elliot had been examining every tiny thing he did until it became awkward. So today, he was simply going to act normally and see what happened.