‘Grab that grenade!’ he instructed.

‘Love to!’ She beamed as her gaming character discharged its weapon aimlessly into the sky.

Chapter 28

Meagan

Meagan laughed, bemused that she hadn’t checked her phone for three whole hours. She scooped up her arbitrarily selected ‘lucky’ bowling ball and rammed her fingers into the holes. Here was another first. She was bowling. She held the ball in both hands before swinging her arm back so far, she was barely facing her lane.

‘Woah, woah, woah!’ said AJ lowering her arm. ‘Not such a high swing.’

Somehow, bowling had passed Meagan by. As a teen, her and her friends had spent most of their time trying to pass for 21 and get into nightclubs. And though Meagan was terrible at it, chucking something heavy, it turned out, was very much up her street. AJ gently manoeuvred Meagan into position, pulling her hand back for balance. She nestled into his body.

‘Now what?’ she said.

‘Allow yourself a little half-swing forward, pull back and then release.’

Meagan bit her lip in concentration as she swung her hand with full force. Her arm soared over her head and the bowling ball sailed off her fingers. She yelped as it crashed onto their table behind them sending fries and soda everywhere. She and AJ froze, everyone’s eyes on them.

‘We’re alright,’ he said with a placating hand as Meagan stared at the chunk that had been knocked out of the flimsy, Formica table.

‘Ooops,’ she laughed, flinching at the damage.

A couple of staff members scurried over to survey the wreckage and issue the kind of frail reprimand only teenage part-timers can. After they’d wiped what remained of the table and cleaned the food up from the floor they scuttled back to the reception desk. Meagan clamped her hand over her mouth and dived into their booth, AJ nestling in beside her.

‘Do you know what the problem is?’ she said hoisting up her foot. ‘It’s these minging shoes. If I was in my heels, I’d be killing it right now.’

‘You’d be killing something,’ said AJ.

Meagan dug her elbow into his ribs. He nudged her back and she looked at him, surprised. She’d never had a date like this, like she was with a mate.

‘I’m gonna get my shoes. You’ll see,’ she said sliding out of their booth and heading to the reception desk.

She dumped her bowling shoes on the counter, the shoe-stench radiating from the shelves almost flooring her. She’d rather be a blind knife thrower’s assistant than deal with other people’s footwear. The team member handed over her suede boots and she stroked them like a beloved pet newly released from quarantine. The Universe’s natural order restored, she trotted back to AJ.

Meagan flopped into the booth and thrusted up her feet. ‘Prepare to meet thy doom.’

‘With those?’ AJ said, pointing at her boots.

Meagan elbowed him again and before he could jab her back, she put up a defensive block and stuffed some fries in his mouth. Their eyes locked and she smiled. Much to her surprise, this night had been pretty decent and a total contrast to her evening with Bruno. How had they got so familiar in just a few hours? She’d had no booze, she’d eaten on a date, something she never did and she’d removed her heels in public. Was it too early to call the Guinness Book of Records?