Here's to Us(What If It's Us #2)(29)

“Pac-Man?” Jessie asks Samantha.



“Pac-Man,” Samantha says.

Arthur looks frozen.

“This cool with you?” I ask.

He nods like a bobblehead. “Absolutely. Bring on the claw mach—”

Mario grabs my hand and kisses my cheek. “I challenge you to Guitar Hero.”

He drags me down the block before I can see Arthur’s reaction. I’m sure it’s weird to see some other guy kissing me again.

On the way to Dave & Buster’s, Mario apologizes again for being late and goes on about how excited he is for his trip. I don’t tell him how excited I am for him to be back already so I don’t look needy. But that’s the truth: I like Mario and I like being around Mario. His energy is like sunlight you soak in.

We enter the building and ride the escalator up to the gaming level. We catch the very end of a P!nk song as a Rihanna track kicks in. The arcade is lit up with air hockey tables and pinball machines and dancing platforms. The bar is crowded, which is a win for those of us who are here to play games. Mario and I go in on a Power Card together, each putting in fifteen dollars, and we’ll share the credits. If we get separated throughout the night, we’ll always have to find each other; I’m looking forward to these little checkins.

Dylan is playing Speed of Light, where the objective is to hit as many blinking lights as possible; it’s got a Whac-A-Mole vibe to it. And Dylan is failing spectacularly at hitting any lights. Unlike Mario, who is an absolute pro when he steps up. It’s like he has a sixth sense for where the next light will appear.

“He’s amazing,” Arthur says, appearing at my side. “Does he play this a lot?’

“It seems that way, but I don’t know. I haven’t been here since I came with you.”

“Why not? I didn’t make it weird for you, did I? Is it weird that I’m asking that? I don’t want this to be any more weird than I’ve already made it by bringing Jessie. You said ‘you guys’ in the text, and we both figured you were talking about us. I didn’t realize you thought Mikey was here, too.”

“Oh, so you’re not a mind reader?” I ask.

“Unfortunately, I’m not Ben-Jamin after he drinks the telepathy potion.”

Arthur grins, like he’s still so proud to be one of my biggest fans. Maybe even the biggest fan.

“Not Ben-Jamin’s finest hour. It’s probably for the best that we don’t know everyone’s every thought.”

“Probably.”

It’s already pretty clear I don’t have a handle on what’s going on in Arthur’s life. I’m sure reading his mind will only tell me just how little he thinks about me.

“Anyway, I should’ve been clearer about Mikey. I just figured you’d be spending your summer break together.”

“We were supposed to be in Boston, but I lucked into this gig, and hello, New York. Arthur Seuss is officially on Broadway. Off-Broadway, but I can cough my way through that off.”

“You don’t have to pretend to be flashy, Art. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Ben.”

His eyes are still so blue. I’m getting lost in them when Mario’s cheering shifts my attention.

Dylan is bowing down before Mario. “You truly are super!”

Mario holds his head high, playing along before turning to me. “Did you see that?”

I check the scoreboard. “You destroyed Dylan’s record.”

“Not very hard,” Samantha says.

“You give it a shot,” Dylan says.

Samantha rises to the challenge, moving with efficiency through the game as if she’s still back at Kool Koffee and multitasking between steaming milk, pumping flavored syrups, and ringing people up. Mario records her as she dominates on what I guess is her very first time playing this. She’s an absolute natural.

“Super Samantha!” Mario cheers when she beats his score. “Arthur, you up?”

Arthur shakes his head.

“Come on, Arthur, you got this.”

“I absolutely will not have that.”

Mario is about to go into full hype-man mode until I grab his shoulder to rein him in.

“Let him chill,” I say.

“Backing off,” Mario says.

Jessie and Samantha go off to bowl, laughing.

I see the photo booth where Arthur and I took pictures on our first date. I wasn’t as comfortable in that moment as I’d like to have been; even Arthur was able to tell. I was still dealing with my Hudson feelings, and we’d also taken pictures in that very photo booth. It’s like Dave & Buster’s is this romantic time machine that sucks me back every time my heart is excited about someone new.

I spot four empty Mario Kart seats and tell everyone to claim them. Dylan and Mario race there, and I love how much fun they’re already having together. You always hope your friends and crushes like each other. No concerns for Dylan, but I’m not sure what Arthur’s early impressions are. I sit next to Mario and Arthur takes the seat on the end, placing me between them; I don’t need to be a mind reader to know that Dylan is thinking up a crude joke about this.

Before the start of the race, we all choose our characters. Mario’s choice is obvious. Dylan goes for Bowser and promises pure chaos on the tracks. Arthur selects Toad, which isn’t actually a toad but instead a tiny humanoid who looks like a thumb with a mushroom cap.