“Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor, but only because of Loki.”
They chuckle and Grayson asks, “Have you seen Endgame yet?”
I slowly shake my head and adjust my glasses, feeling awkward. When I lived with my mom, I had to rent movies from the library if there was something I wanted to watch, and the waiting list for new releases was always super long. “I haven’t seen anything that’s come out in the last few years.”
They exchange a look, and Liam beams at me. “Have you seen Ragnarok?” I shake my head again and he waves his hands animatedly. “We can watch it tonight. It’s so good. You’ll love it!”
“Okay!” I smile.
I’m seriously stoked to finally see the movie, and even more excited that they want to watch it with me. Today is going amazingly well so far, better than I ever could have imagined. There’s a tiny part of me that’s completely terrified it’s not going to last, that when today’s over, the boys might go back to ignoring me. Or worse, Arthur will decide it’s not working out and I’ll get sent back to a group home. I’m trying really hard to ignore that stupid voice in the back of my head. It’s so much easier when I can let myself be distracted by the guys.
After more prompting, Liam starts showing me different comics and giving me quick summaries of some of them. I follow him all over the store for a while. Grayson walks with us too, but he’s pretty quiet and only looks mildly interested as he browses some of the stacks. When we get closer to the front register, having circled most of the store, Elliot walks over and playfully puts Liam in a headlock.
“God, you guys are taking so much longer than I thought you would! Does Charlotte even like comic books?”
Liam shoves him off and scowls at him while he straightens his shirt. He shrugs his shoulders without answering, so Elliot turns his wolfish grin on me and raises his eyebrows questioningly.
Feeling put on the spot and wanting to defend Liam, I giggle obnoxiously and blurt out, “I love this place.”
I grimace once it comes out of my mouth, and Elliot chuckles while Grayson snorts like he’s amused with me. Liam gives me a super sweet smile, but it doesn’t really make me feel like any less of an idiot.
Elliot crosses his arms and shakes his head at me, still sporting that stupid mischievous smile. “I won’t make fun of you this time, since you’re shy and new to our group. You can try answering the question again.”
I glare at him coolly and adjust my glasses. I’m pretty sure that still counts as making fun of me, at least a little. I guess I deserve it.
“I’ve read some graphic novels, and there are a couple of web comics that I like.”
Liam looks positively delighted and opens his mouth like he’s going to ask me a question, but Elliot laughs and pats the top of my head first. “There you go. See? Words aren’t so hard.”
I raise one eyebrow and halfheartedly smack his hand away. I’m also pretending like I’m not totally blushing right now. “You’re definitely making fun of me, you liar.”
Grayson rolls his eyes and walks toward Remy and Sebastian at the register. “You’re such a dick, Elliot.”
Elliot grins at Grayson, but before he follows, he gives me an apologetic look. He leans close to my ear and lowers his voice practically to a whisper. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No.” I laugh quietly and shake my head. Honestly, I’m really glad he realizes I’m shy and not a complete moron.
Liam wants to buy a couple of comics before we leave, so I go to stand in between Remy and Sebastian at the counter. Sebastian is chuckling and taking a photo of Adam, the guy who works here.
When he lowers his camera and notices me, his eyes light up. “Hey! Are you having fun yet? I know this probably isn’t really your thing and you probably think we’re all a bunch of losers. But I still hope you have fun at the arcade, and we can totally do whatever you want later.” He laughs nervously and brushes his fingers through his hair as soon as he finishes rambling.
I blink at him, stuck between saying either that I am having fun, or that I don’t think they’re losers at all. Instead, of course, I say, “We’re watching Thor: Ragnarok tonight.”
Elliot barks out a laugh and leans his head around Sebastian so he can grin at me. “No wonder you guys have barely talked all week. That was the most painful start to a conversation I’ve ever heard. On both ends!”
Remy snickers behind me, but I ignore him and give Elliot my meanest scowl. “Would you shut up already?”
Elliot doesn’t look put off by the remark at all. In fact, he’s practically freaking glowing, he looks so happy! Grayson joins in with Remy’s snickering, and Sebastian shoves Elliot away.
Sebastian gives me a half smile and pretends like Elliot never said anything. “Okay, I love that movie.”
I smile gratefully. “Thank you. And what I meant to say before was that I am having fun and I don’t think you’re losers.”
Sebastian’s smile widens and becomes dazzling, but Liam finishes making his purchase before Sebastian can reply and comes to stand beside me. “Are you guys ready to go?”
The guy who works here, Adam, is moves to stand in front of me on the other side of the counter. “Hold on, wait a second...” I turn my head to look at him, wondering if he forgot to give Liam something or say something to one of the other guys.
Instead, Adam is staring at me with a leering smile while his eyes wander up and down my body in an extremely obvious manner. I let my facial expression go blank, and Remy and Sebastian tense up on either side of me before Adam speaks.
“I think you’re probably the hottest girl who’s ever come in here before. Are these guys paying you to hang out with them?”
Sebastian’s voice gets dangerously low as he growls, “What the fuck are you doing?”
Adam doesn’t take his eyes off of me, and I take a step backwards, not caring when I accidentally bump into Liam. Adam laughs. “Hey, chill out man! You said none of you guys were dating her. I know you’re probably a little out of my league, but do you think I could get your number?”
Sebastian growls again. “Stop fucking looking at her like that!”
Adam looks confused when he turns his attention to Sebastian. Grayson comes forward and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the store with him. Over his shoulder he says, “That’s fucking gross, dude. What are you, like, thirty?”
Adam stutters and shouts, since we’ve already reached the door. “What? I’m nineteen. It’s just the beard that makes me look older!”
Grayson holds onto my hand for a few seconds longer than necessary once we’re outside. He gives me an apologetic look when he lets go. “Sorry. I just figured I should get you out of there before Sebastian punched Adam in the face.”
The other guys walk out of the store, and all of them look angry. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy that they all feel sort of protective of me, even if it is over-the-top. Still, I hope they know I appreciate the sentiment.
I smile at Sebastian before responding to Grayson. “That’s okay. But you know, I can defend myself when creepy guys hit on me like that.”
Remy gives me a small half smile and says, “We don’t doubt that, but now you have us to do it for you.”
Ugh, his voice drives me crazy and totally makes my toes curl! But seriously, they’re so sweet! They’re all so cute and funny, and they’re making me feel like I’m already a part of their group, and like they really want to be friends with me.
Grayson smiles and nudges me lightly with his elbow. “Come on, let’s go to the arcade so you can see the rest of us nerd out now.”
I laugh and walk along beside him while he continues pointing out all the shops we pass. It takes a few more minutes for us to reach the end of the street where the arcade is located on the corner. It’s huge, and there are a ton of retro neon signs outside and on the windows. I know the guys already described it to me earlier, but it looks even cooler than I imagined.
Grayson opens the door for me, but bef
ore I can walk through, Sebastian puts his hand on my shoulder. “Actually, can I talk to you really quick?”
“Sure.” I step back so the other guys can walk in front of me. I’m nervous as hell, especially when I see how anxious Sebastian looks, but I try not to show it.
Liam and Elliot exchange a glance before shrugging and walking into the arcade, and Remy follows behind them. Grayson hesitates, but he walks in after I smile at him.
Once we’re alone together on the sidewalk outside, Sebastian and I stare at each other awkwardly. He’s fidgets with his camera and shuffles his feet.
I adjust the strap of my purse on my shoulder and smile at him like I’m not totally freaking out right now. “Everything okay?”
Sebastian lets out a breath. “Yeah, I just, I’m sorry if I freaked you out back there, in the comic book store. I just got really angry, and I know I can, uh, I can overreact sometimes.”
“Oh.” I smile. I’m completely relieved that he only wanted to apologize. I have no idea what I thought he was going to say, but it definitely wasn’t that. “I wasn’t freaked out at all.”
Sebastian flashes me a nervous smile and continues fidgeting with his camera. “Okay, good. It’s just, I don’t want to do something stupid and accidentally scare you. I never want you to be afraid of me. And I know it probably seemed really weird and presumptuous for me to even, like, get angry for that guy flirting with you like that. But I just sort of feel kind of responsible for you, I guess? I know that sounds idiotic, but I don’t know. I’m the one that invited you to hang out with us, and I just want you to feel comfortable here and at home, especially with me and the guys.”
God, he’s adorable! Even though he’s babbling, his words make me feel elated. I take a couple of seconds to collect my thoughts so that my words will come out the way I want, and not all stupid and scatter-brained like before.
“I didn’t think it was weird or presumptuous, or anything like that. I thought it was sort of sweet. You, Arthur, and your friends have all been totally, incredibly sweet to me since I’ve been here. And I seriously appreciate it so much.” I pause, building up enough courage to open up to him a little more. I clear my throat and lower my voice. “After my dad died, I stopped talking a lot, and my mom and everybody else would just get so mad at me for it, or for saying something stupid instead of what I really meant to say. It’s been so long now, and I don’t know, you guys haven’t made me feel weird about anything, and it feels okay to talk to you. And I’m really, really happy we’re hanging out now, even if you never invite me anywhere else again.”
Sebastian smiles softly and his voice is deep and low when he speaks. “I’m really happy we’re hanging out too.”
We’re quiet while we smile at each other. I feel the same closeness I felt last night when I was talking to him, like we understand each other so well without really knowing each other yet. I’m about to suggest going inside, but Sebastian starts running his eyes over my face and messing with his camera again. It makes me feel nearly as anxious as having Remy’s intense gaze focused on me, but I remember what Grayson said in the car.
“You can take my picture, if you want to.”
Sebastian goes still, and he beams so brightly it actually stuns me. Quicker than I would have thought possible, he lifts his camera and snaps a photo of me without warning.
I grimace and lift my hand up to smooth down my hair and to maybe take my glasses off. “Wait, I wasn’t ready!”
He laughs and reaches out to grab my hand gently. “Stop that. You look perfect.” My stomach flips and my breath catches in my throat at his words, and the way he says them so confidently. He doesn’t seem nervous at all now, behind his camera, and he lifts it up again. “I’ll let you smile for one, but I prefer taking candid photos.”
The urge to try and fix my hair is crazy strong, but I manage to refrain and simply smile for Sebastian. He starts clicking away and I laugh, surprisingly not feeling that self-conscious anymore.
“You said one! That was definitely more than one.”
He’s still taking pictures of me, only now he’s moving around like he’s trying to get different angles. “Yeah, I never really mean just one.”
I’m not really sure how to get him to stop, and I’m starting to feel stupid for just standing here like this. When the door to the arcade opens, I turn my head to find Elliot peeking out.
“I had a feeling you’d need help!” He laughs and holds his hand out towards me until I hesitantly step forward and grab it. “We forgot to tell you in the car. Once Sebastian starts taking pictures, it’s hard to get him to stop. You’re allowed to walk away.”
I laugh and let him lead me inside, smiling at Sebastian over my shoulder. He chuckles. “She gave me permission, just so you know!”
Elliot threads his fingers through mine and leans down to whisper, “You’re prettier than we are, so I’ll apologize on Sebastian’s behalf if he gets excited and goes overboard taking photos of you today.”
Despite what he’s saying and the hand-holding, it doesn’t feel like he’s flirting with me. So, I just laugh and take a look around the arcade. It’s like stepping back in time. There are countless retro arcade cabinets and pinball machines all over the place, the walls are covered in vintage gaming posters and advertisements, and I can hear eighties music playing overhead just a bit louder than all of the noise from the games. There are also quite a few more modern games placed throughout the floor, and a small counter where you can buy snacks and drinks.
Since the other guys are standing at the counter, Elliot and I walk over with Sebastian a few steps behind us. Liam turns around and beams at me, grabbing my hand that isn’t being held by Elliot’s.
He doesn’t say anything before he wraps a bright blue paper bracelet around my wrist. I widen my eyes. “What are you doing?”
He doesn’t look up while he concentrates on his task and only says, “Your hand is so small.” When the bracelet is secure and not too tight, he meets my eyes and smiles. “The machines don’t take coins or anything here. You have to wear this if you want to play, and it’s good for the whole day.”
I notice he’s wearing one too, and so is Elliot. I meet Liam’s eyes in a panic. “You paid for me?”
He laughs nervously. “I paid for everyone.” As if to prove it, he pulls another blue wristband out of his pocket and hands it to Sebastian.
I look down at my wristband and back up at Liam through my eyelashes. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
He’s blushing again so that his freckles stand out, and he lowers his voice. “You’re welcome, Charlotte.”
Elliot shakes my hand enthusiastically and pulls me away from the other guys toward the games. “Come on! You’re playing with me first!”
Chapter Nine
We’ve been playing in the arcade for hours, and I’ve never had so much fun in my life. The boys have been taking turns playing with me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve played almost every single game in here. It feels like it, at least.
“Goddamn it, Liam, you piece of shit!” Sebastian growls angrily.
Remy and I snicker, but nobody else replies or reacts. Sebastian, Liam, Grayson, and Elliot are playing Mario Kart against each other while Remy and I stand behind them and watch. I’ve never seen the arcade version of this game before, and it looks super fun. It’s seriously just as entertaining to watch them play. The guys are crazy competitive and hilarious with each other.
Remy bumps his arm lightly against mine, still chuckling as he smiles down at me. “Do you wanna go get a soda or something while they’re distracted?”
“Okay, sure.”
Remy still makes me more nervous than the other guys do, but I definitely feel a lot more comfortable around all of them now after hanging out like this. Remy’s quieter and more reserved than the others, but I can’t deny that I’m incredibly intrigued by him.
Some younger kids run by laughing, not paying attention to where they’re going. Remy
reflexively puts his arm around me and pulls me against his chest so that I don’t get knocked over.
“Sorry.” He lets go of me once the kids have passed.
The other guys have been touching me all day—grabbing my hands, high-fiving me, or lightly pushing me in whichever direction they want me to go. Elliot and Grayson have hugged me a couple of times too. I’m starting to get used to it, so I’m not bothered by Remy grabbing me like this.
“It’s alright.” I laugh, smiling sweetly up at him. Even in my wedges, he’s still so much taller than me that I have to tilt my head back to meet his piercing blue eyes.
There’s someone in line in front of us when we reach the counter where you can buy snacks and the wristbands to play the games, so we have to wait. I’m still scared to use the debit card Arthur gave me, even though he’s told me several times that it’s fine and he put the bank app on my cell phone so that I can check the balance on the account.
I’m silently psyching myself up, trying to convince myself it’s fine to use it for something small like a soda. Plus, I still plan on buying groceries with it later.
When the line moves up and it’s our turn, Remy holds out a five-dollar bill. “Two cokes, please.”
He does it so quickly I don’t even get a chance to pull my wallet out of my purse. While the guy is filling up two cups from the fountain for us, I tap my fingers against the counter and give Remy a guilty expression.
“You didn’t have to pay for mine.”
His mouth quirks up in a half smile, making only one of his dimples appear. “It’s just one soda. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still, thank you.” I take a sip as soon as the guy behind the counter hands it to me, and I grin at Remy.
He laughs quietly and looks around the arcade as we step away from the counter. “Do you want to walk around or sit down?”
There are a couple of tables near the counter, and I gesture to one against the wall out of the way. “Can we sit down for a minute? Don’t tell Elliot, but my feet are totally killing me right now.”
Smile Like You Mean It (Charlotte Reynolds Book 1) Page 8