Page 30 of The Now in Forever
“I can go. It might be quick though. I don’t think I’ve played pinball since I was a kid, and honestly, then I didn’t know how to play. There was a machine at the Red Robin out by the mall, and sometimes I would play with my dad.”
The memory is so vivid, I can practically smell the seasoning salt.
Ed steps a little closer to me, putting his arms around me to the machine. He pushes the buttons on either side, the loud clacking mimicking the wild beating of my heart. “Keep pushing the flippers, and you’ll be alright.”
He moves away, and I resist the urge to ask him to show me one more time, just to feel his body next to mine again. My first ball goes straight down the gutter but is auto-saved.
“Lucky save. Flippers, flippers,” he instructs.
My next attempt is better, but not by much. I try to focus on the ball, but Ed is bopping around next to me, and my eye catches sight of the tornado tattoo on his forearm just as the ball sinks right through the middle.
Ed does much better on his turn.
“So, you’re a shark?” I say while he hits ball after ball as the game blinks and flashes.
“Figure if the writing thing doesn’t pan out, I can go pro.” Two balls sink one after another. Then a third out of nowhere. Ed tries to save it, but it goes down the side. The table is silent.
“Hmm.” I frown. “Better stick to your day job.”
After a few games, we make our way out onto the patio, sitting near the unlit fire pit. Now that I’ve noticed Ed’s tattoo, I can’t help but sneak glances at it every so often. He catches me and holds it up to get a better look.
“It’s a sandstorm.”
I smile. “Looks more like a tornado.”
“Same difference.” He sips his beer, leaning back in his chair. There’s a mystery in his smile. It’s a little far off. I wonder if he’s thinking aboutthat day.How can he remember it but not me? Have I changed that much? I don’t feel like I’ve changed at all.
“Do you have any?” Ed asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Any…?”
“Tattoos.”
“Oh, um. One, kind of.”
“How do you have akind oftattoo?”
“It’s a long story.”
Ed props his legs up on the rocks of the fire pit. “I have time. I love a good story. I have one from the day I got this you might want to hear.”
My heart jumps to my throat. Oh God. Is he going to tell me a story about me? Or is he playing? Does he know? I’m suddenly not ready to talk about it. What if it breaks the spell of whatever is going on now? Looking desperately for something to change the subject, I notice two interlocking hearts on Ed’s other arm and point to it. “What’s the story with that one?”
Ed instinctively touches it. He finishes his drink and stands. “I’ll grab another. You?”
“Sure.”
Was he really going to tell me about our day? Maybe I should’ve let him.
Ed hands me my wine, startling me out of my daydream. He sitsback down and props his legs on the rocks. I kick off my sandals and attempt to do the same, but my legs won’t reach. I try to scoot the chair a little closer, but the things are made of solid wood, and all I wind up doing is splashing some of my wine onto the rocks.
Ed laughs. “What are you doing?”
“I want to prop my legs up like the cool kids.”
Ed shakes his head, but I can see a tiny smile twitching at the side of his mouth. He grabs my ankles, shocking me so much I nearly spill the wine completely. Propping my feet up on his lap, his warm hand finds my shin. The heat spreads all the way up to my chest. “Here. Now you’re super cool.”
My legs feel stiff at first, but after a few minutes, I relax into it.
