LINGERING MOMENTS

Two months had went by since I returned to Riverwood, and in that time my relationship with Luca had only grown stronger, our conversations started having deeper meanings over time. It wasn't just me that noticed it, In fact the whole school saw the bond between us, though they never said anything outright. We were just...closer. I felt everytime we snuck glances, laughs or found ourselves standing a little too close to each other without realizing it.

The arcade had become our day to day spot, a place where we'd just be in our own bubble without the world distracting us. Tonight was no different. We planned to meet up there afterschool—that was our little tradition that had somehow turned into a routine.

As I approached the entrance if the arcade, I spotted Luca leaning against the neon led wall, his eyes scanning the crowd. His tensed up face relaxed when he saw me, and he signaled me over, that familiar smirk tugging at his lips.

"You're late," he teased me as I approached him.

"I'm not late your just ridiculously early," I shot back with a slight grin.

"Mmk, fair enough." He pushed himself off the wall and fell into step beside me as we headed inside.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, glancing around.

"They're running late too. Ryan said something about getting stuck in traffic," Luca replied, his hands deep in his pockets as we strolled around the arcade.

"Typical," I laughed, shaking my head. "So, what's the plan? Wait for them?"

"Or," Luca said, his tone sounding a bit mischievous, "we could start without them."

"I think I like the sound of that," I said agreeing with him, feeling a thrill of having him all to myself for bit longer.

We made our way to a two player racing game, we always found ourselves competing on. I couldn't help bust notice how comfortable we are around each other now. The awkwardness from before had melted away, and replaced by something....deeper.

"You ready to lose?" I challenged, sliding a token in the machine.

"In your dreams Sofia," Luca said back, his eyes twinkling.

The game started, and we fell into a comfortable rhythm of banter. It felt like an extension of our day to day convos—easy, natural, and somehow more intimate when it's just us two.

"Stop jumping me off the track!" I complain, holding back the laughter wanting to burst out.

"Can't help it if you can't drive," Luca chuckled as he nudged my care off course.

"You're insufferable," shaking my head but smiling at the same time.

"And yet, here you are," he replied with a wink.

I rolled my eyes, but inside, my heart was doing little back flips. Being with Luca like this, away from the watchful eyes of our friends, felt different. More real. More...us.

As the race ended—Luca winning the race—we stepped out of the game, both of us laughing it off.

"You'll get me next time," he said, not even trying to hide the satisfaction in his voice.

"Next time, you're literally going down," I promised, jabbing him slightly on his chest.

"Looking forward to it," he replied, his voice softening as he looked at me. There was something about his gaze that made my breath catch, but before I could dwell on it, the crew burst through the entrance doors, loud as they usually are.

"There you guys are!" Ryan called out, walking over with Chad and the rest of our friends. "We thought you ditched us."

"Never," Luca replied with his deep voice, though his eyes flicked back at me for a second. It was enough for the butterflies in my stomach to flutter again.

The rest of the evening continued in a blur of games and laughter, but my core memories being the moments I had with Luca. Every glance, every brush of our hands as we reached for the same token, every joke we shared.

At one point, we found ourselves separated from the group, standing near those claw machines. I was trying to win one of those stuffed bears for Jasmine, but my attempts were pointless.

"Here, let me," Luca offered, stepping me aside. He guided the claw like an expert, snatching the bear on his first try.

"Show-off much?" I muttered.

"For Jas," he said handing me the bear, but his eyes lingered on me as he spoke.

"Thanks," I said softly, my fingers brushing against his as I took the bear from him.

"No problem," he replied, his voice just as soft as mine.

We stood there for a moment, the noise of the arcade fading out. It was just us, the flashing lights casting shadows across his face, making him almost vulnerable. Or maybe it was just me, seeing him differently now that I was starting to know what my feelings for him meant.

Before we could say anything else, Jasmine called out to us. We joined the group again, but the effect of that moment stayed with me for the rest of the night.

As the evening wound down, Luca and I walked out of the arcade together, our friends having scattered to their cars. The night air was somewhat warm, a relief after the slight cold of the arcade AC.

"So," Luca said, breaking the comfortable silence, "what's next?"

I looked up at him, not understanding what he meant by that. Was he talking about our plans for tonight? Or something else?

"Dunno," I replied, opting to keep things light. "You tell me".

"Maybe...we just keep doing this," he said, his voice taking on that soft, serious tone that always made me pay attention more. "Hanging out, you know? Just...us."

I swallowed, my heart racing at his words. "Yeah," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'd love that."

He smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Good," he said.

We stood there for a little longer, neither if us wanting to end the night. But we eventually had to go our separate ways. Walking to my car, I couldn't stop thinking of how tonight had changed something between us. It wasn't a confession, not yet, but it was something. And it was enough to keep me smiling the whole drive home.