Page 14 of Sanctuary

He shrugged, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “Hey, I’m full of surprises.”

Our nachos arrived, and we made our way back to our seats. Connor took his first bite, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Holy shit,” he mumbled around a mouthful of chips and cheese. “This is... this is incredible. How have I never had this before?”

I laughed at his reaction. “Told you. Best cheese dip in the world.”

We chatted easily as we ate, swapping stories and laughing at each other’s jokes. For a moment, I could almost forget the danger lurking just beyond these walls, the secrets I was keeping. Here, in this dingy bingo hall with Connor, I felt... normal.

As we finished our nachos, the caller’s voice crackled over the PA system once more. “Alright, folks! Get ready for our jackpot round! Runners will be coming around with extra cards.”

Connor wiped his hands on a napkin and leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear. “Want to up the stakes a bit?”

I turned to face him, our noses nearly touching. “What did you have in mind?”

His eyes danced with mischief. “If I win, you have to make me dinner. I’ll even let you choose what it is.”

I snorted. “You? Win? Dream on, O’Brien. But fine, I’ll play. If I win, you have to make me a dessert. Something light and flaky. Wren is always telling me you come up with the best sweets, and I want to see for myself.”

Connor’s eyebrows shot up, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Deal.”

We each bought an extra card for the jackpot round, the competitive tension between us was intense. As the numbers were called, I found myself sneaking glances at him. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his strong hands poised over his card. It was almost endearing how seriously he was taking this.

“O-69!” the caller announced, eliciting giggles from the crowd.

“Nice,” Connor muttered, marking his card.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin. “Real mature.”

“B-7!”

My heart leapt. I only needed one more. I held my breath, willing the caller to announce my final number.

“I-22!”

“Bingo!” I shouted, jumping to my feet.

Connor’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

I turned to him, grinning triumphantly. “Looks like you owe me a dessert, Captain.”

As the room buzzed with activity, his eyes locked onto mine. For a moment, the playfulness faded, replaced by something deeper, more intense. My breath caught in my throat.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess I do.”

This was supposed to be pretend, a cover story. So why did it suddenly feel so real?

The spell was broken by a runner approaching to verify my card. As I handed it over, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us.

“Congratulations! You’ve won our very last jackpot of $2,000!”

I blinked in surprise. “Very last? But we are supposed to make this a weekly thing!”

“Yeah, sorry,” the runner said. “The owners have decided to sell it.”

As we left the bingo hall, a chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the cool night air. Connor must have sensed my unease because he placed a gentle hand on my lower back, guiding me towards his car.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

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