Jake

Laser tag.

This is what my domain looks like. Not ziplining over one of the biggest canyons in BC and fearing for my life. Cassian and I used to laser tag all the time when we were kids, which is part of the reason why I chose it. I'm hoping we'll be able to split into two teams: men versus women. When Cassian and I are together, nobody can beat us, and because Gemma and I are so competitive, I would love to be able to annihilate her, Hanna, and the rest of the ladies.

Today, me and the gang are at Safari Ridge on the Westside, waiting at the front desk while the worker tries to find our reservation I made last week.

"It's gotta be in here somewhere," the kid mutters, tapping his braces as he searches the computer. "Give me a sec."

"Take your time," I reply, sauntering back over to where the group is sitting. Safari Ridge is basically a mini outdoor arena for both laser tag and paintball, hence the posters that are scattered throughout the small office building, reminding players of etiquette and other such things. Behind the office building is five acres of forest that's lined by netting to prevent any paintballs from going into windows of the houses behind the property. Dozens of battered buildings are scattered amongst the trees, bundles of logs are scattered for cover, and a few old vehicles span the length between groves of trees and the battered buildings. The theme is supposed to be post-apocalypse, and I have to admit that they've done a good job. It definitely reminds me of something you'd see in one of those movies.

When I get over to the seating area, I sit down beside Gemma, my hand instantly finding hers. "What'd I miss?" I ask.

"Cassian is discussing teams," Penelope replies. "He wants boys versus girls."

"Yeah," Cassian snorts. He reaches over and ruffles Penelope's hair. "And little Penelope here thinks it's unfair."

With a slight blush across her cheeks, Penelope shoves Cassian away. "Only because you boys will get your asses kicked by me, Gemma, Hanna, and Morgane."

"I seriously doubt that," Reid laughs. "Gemma's never even held a gun before."

Gemma scowls at her brother. "I have so held a gun before. Remember that time we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa on their farm in Alberta? They had us shooting the gophers that kept eating their crops. And, if I do recall correctly, your aim was the definition of shit, Reid. I'm the one who got most of them. I'm also the one who got rewarded with Grandma's homemade ice cream at the end. So I guess that's that."

Reid scowls back at Gemma, the two of them locked in a deadly gaze. For as long as I've known Gemma, she and Reid have always been competitive siblings. Whenever we would play Mario Kart on the GameCube, it was an all-out war between the two of them. Sometimes it even led to wrestling each other on the couch and throwing punches. They never hurt each other, they just wanted to prove who was the stronger one. To be honest, it was kind of amusing.

Cassian, who is slouched in his seat with his legs crossed at the ankles, shoots a smug grin at everyone. "I think we should do men versus women. It would be entertaining, don't you think? Losers have to buy drinks tonight."

My sister, who has been quiet throughout the whole thing, mainly focused on the large plastic bag on her lap, quickly bobs her head up and down. Every time I look at Hanna, I can't help but wonder where the hell time went. She went from being a lanky, somewhat awkward sixteen-year-old to a professional photographer that every man on the street seems to swoon over in what feels like seconds as opposed to years. I'm trying hard to not become one of those older brothers that beats up every man who even thinks about looking at my sister, but it's becoming harder and harder the older she gets. "I agree with Uncle Cassian," she says. "We should definitely have a women's team and a men's team."

I bite back a smile, squeezing Gemma's hand to distract myself from the sudden wave of emotions. It seems as though with every day that passes, Hanna becomes more and more confident and sure of herself. More independent. Instead of needing to be with me every second of the day or depending on me to support her, she does it on her own. I still support her when I can, but when she's back in Toronto, she finds support through other things: her friends, photography, exercise. Saying I'm proud of her is an understatement.

Cassian, that smug grin still on his face, wraps his arm around Hanna's shoulder and pulls her against him so they're shoulder to shoulder. Lowering his face to her ear, he points at Gemma and then the rest of the ladies, and then he says, "While I fully support feminism and equality, you don't have a chance at beating us."

Hanna rolls her eyes. "Whatever you say."

"You're being cocky, Cassian," I warn. "Cocky is never a good thing."

Cassian pats her shoulder. "I've taught you well. You always believe what Uncle Cassian has to say, and not what your brother has to say. He's only saying that because he's a total suck and doesn't want to piss off his fiancée."

Beside me, Gemma snorts and tilts her chin to the ceiling. "Okay, Cassian," she smiles. Her voice is cool and precise. "We can do a women versus men series. But I think we need to up the stakes a little."

He cocks an eyebrow. "Do continue, Gemma. I'm intrigued."

"If you lose," Gemma says, "then you boys have to buy drinks for us and have a horror movie marathon tonight." With a sly smile on her lips, Gemma smiles at me and then Cassian. "A horror movie marathon that includes the one movie you and Jake are both terrified of despite it being a cartoon."

I stiffen beside Gemma. Technically, I'm not scared of the movie Coraline. It does, however, disturb me – especially when the Other Mother turns into a spider and tries to replace eyes with buttons. Who makes a horror movie and labels it a kid's movie? When the movie first came out, I had a love-hate relationship with keys and unknown doors. And so did Cassian because as of right now, his face has paled a little and he's shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Which movie is this?" Nolan asks, a small crease between his brows.

"Coraline," Reid replies, rolling his eyes. "Guys, it's a fucking cartoon. Grow up."

"A cartoon that is fucking terrifying," Cassian argues. "Have you actually seen the movie, Reid?"

"Nope," Reid shrugs. "I'm too old to watch cartoons. Let me know when they make a live-action one, and then I'll watch it."

"Huh," Nolan laughs, crossing his arms. "I kind of want to lose now just so I can see what this movie is about."

"Okay," Morgane says, rolling her eyes. "Enough is enough. Let's get this show on the road. Jake, you go and see if that kid has found our reservation yet. Ladies, I want you to come with me to the changeroom. We might as well get geared up."

Hanna jumps to her feet, large plastic bag in hand, and practically bounds over to Gemma. "Come on," she says, grabbing her hand. "Let's go. I've got a surprise for you."

"Okay, okay," Gemma smiles. She leans over and presses a small kiss to my cheek. I want to grab her and realign that kiss to my lips, but she's already up on her feet, walking towards the changeroom with Hanna before I can do so. I stare after the two of them, a goofy smile on my face. I think I'm one of the luckiest men on the planet. It's not every day that your family approves of your fiancée and manages to be best friends with them. Granted, my family is much smaller than a lot of people's. Even so, I'm extremely lucky.

When all the ladies are gone, the door shut tightly behind them, Cassian gets to his feet and claps his hands together. "They're going down, guys. There's not a doubt in my mind."

I laugh, getting to my feet and clapping Cassian on the back. "When do you ever doubt anything?"

"Never," Nolan and Reid answer.

I side-glance Cassian. "See what I mean?" 

Cassian chuckles. "What can I say, Jake? I'm a role model for men around the world."

Before I can remedy that statement, the kid with braces lets out a whoop of victory, pumping his fist in the air. "I found your reservation!"

"Shocker," Nolan mutters.

I suppress a snort and head over the counter, where the kid with braces begins going over some of the basic rules, such as the time limit of each round and how points are administered throughout the game. Halfway through his instructions, Gemma and the rest of the ladies step out of the changeroom. My breath hitches when I see Gemma dressed in skin-tight black leggings, a black sports bra, and a red-and-black chequered flannel. All of them are dressed in the same outfit, but it looks the best on Gemma. I may or may not be a little biased, but that's what comes with having a fiancée. One line of black face paint is beneath each eye, and her hair has been tied up into a messy bun. On the backs of their flannels are cursive words, which is the only difference in their outfits. Gemma's says Bride, while the rest of them say, Bridesmaid.

While the kid with braces continues to blab on and on about how we gain points, how we work the laser tag guns, and all that shit, Gemma sidles up to me. I slip my arm around her waist and dip my head down to kiss her cheek. "I feel like I'm part of a very uncoordinated team," I murmur.

"You like the outfit?" Gemma asks. She waggles her eyebrows at me.

"I do," I smile. My gaze falls down to her ass, which looks exceptionally good in the leggings she's wearing.

"Hey," she laughs, tipping my chin up. "My eyes are up here."

The corner of my mouth quirks up. "I know."

She leans her head against my shoulder. "You do realize you're going down, right?" she whispers.

While I don't doubt my fiancée and her ability to win, I know she and the rest of the ladies don't have the type of experience Cassian and I do. I kiss her on the cheek again. "Whatever you say, Gem."

* * *

The ground is dusty and uneven as I sprint across the property, ducking behind crumbling buildings and log piles to avoid being sniped by Penelope or Gemma. As it turns out, I highly underestimated those two. Morgane and my sister, not so much. But Gemma and Penelope? They're like two assassins that have been trained since birth and the exact reason why they won the first game by one thousand points. They're also the reason why we won the second game by two fucking points. This game is the final round, and the intensity has been ramped up on both sides. I've seen Gemma roll through the dirt, Cassian do a one-metre jump, Penelope shimmy up a tree. Hell, even Morgane and Reid have added in a few tricks here and there. I haven't seen much of Nolan and Hanna, but I can't blame them. Neither of them has ever played a game of laser tag before, and I doubt that they want to be sitting ducks and give the other team points.

Glancing around the property, I search for Gemma or Penelope. When I see no one, I sprint for the car ahead of me, ducking and making sure the sensor on my back and stomach are covered before I try to calculate a plan. I don't know where Cassian is at the moment, but he's been stealthy, racking up the points as time ticks down.

Staring through the cracked window of the car, I rest my gun on my shoulder and take aim, staring through the scope to see if anyone is around me. At first, I see nobody. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of blonde hair whip around the corner of one of the crumbled buildings. Smiling to myself, I get to my feet and silently stalk that flash of blonde hair. If I can manage to keep my feet in stealth mode, Gemma isn't going to know what's hit her.

Quietly, I sneak around the corner of a crumbled building and up a small set of stairs. The inside of the building is nothing but broken stone, dust, and random beams of sunlight seeping through the cracks. There's a small window on the other side, which is exactly where Gemma is kneeling at the moment, searching the grounds for movement. I have to hand it to her – gaining the higher ground to snipe people is an excellent tactic for winning. Too bad she didn't hide that blonde hair under a hat, though. It's what gave her away.

Sneaking up behind her, gun poised and ready to shoot at her sensor, I lean in so my words are warm against her ear. "No hard feelings when we win, right?" I whisper.

Gemma stiffens, turning her neck and looking over her shoulder. Her seafoam-green eyes are wide, but her mouth is set in a hard line. She doesn't like that she's been caught off-guard. Her hairline is damp with sweat and she's gripping her gun so tightly that her knuckles are white. For a breathy moment, I want to grab those hands and position them on my biceps so I can feel her tight grip the way I do when we're making love.

She cocks an eyebrow at me. "Threatening me with a good time, I see."

"Nah," I chuckle. "Just going by my promise to save it for the field."

Gemma squints at me, a small smile on her lips. "I think you're taking this game a little too seriously, Jake."

"You're just annoyed that Clancy, the kid with braces, basically gave me permission to take you out." I grin at her and wink so she can see that I'm just having fun, and I notice the way her throat bobs up and down as she swallows thickly.

Gemma lowers her gun and leans her head back against the ivy-covered, dilapidated stone. "So, Jake," she says, her voice husky. "What are you going to do with me now? My team's original plan was to divide up and hide in the upper-level areas so we could attack from above. As you can see, that's failed. What are you going to do to me?"

I reach out with my gloved hand, gun still pointed at the sensor on her stomach, and trace the black paint on her cheekbone. "I don't know," I murmur. "Maybe I'll let you try and outrun me. Though, you wouldn't get very far before I take you out and you have to go to the recharge zone. Or..." I trail off.

"Or?" she challenges.

"We're hiding behind a dilapidated wall, Gem," I tease, letting go of my gun. It hangs against my stomach via that strap across my body. "I think you know what I'm hinting at."

"Then do it," she replies.

Smiling, I pin Gemma up against the stone and kiss her. It's ravenous, the way she kisses me back. And when I know have her hooked on the taste of my mouth and the softness of my lips, I push her back and aim my laser tag gun directly at her sensor, pulling the trigger before she can fully comprehend what I've done to her.

Her face falls, and I take that as my chance to turn around and sprint for cover so she can't shoot me back. I run down the set of stairs and throw myself behind a nearby log pile, quickly assessing my position to make sure Penelope isn't anywhere near me.

"Jacob Adam Swift!" I hear Gemma shout as she storms down the stairs and into the open. "You're fucked!"

I peek my head out from behind one of the log piles. "Is that an invitation for tonight?"

She raises her gun and shoots at me. I narrowly prevent her from gaining points.

"Holy fuck, you two," Cassian shouts, jogging over to join me. He collapses beside me, panting and wiping away the sweat building on his brow. "Are you ever going to grow up?"

I slap him on the back. "You okay, bro? You're starting to sound old."

He curses and glances over his shoulder. "Penelope is a fucking machine out there. She's killing me, Jake. I don't know if we're going to make it through this. And Reid can't aim worth a damn."

"Where's Nolan?" I ask.

"Probably jerking off to a picture of Morgane."

"And you think Jake and I are the ones who need to mature?" Gemma shouts. "Real mature, Cassian. You sound like an aggressive pre-pubescent boy. I'm tempted to exchange my laser tag gun for a paintball gun and nail you right in the balls. Maybe they'll drop faster."

"Oh, Gemma, sweet little Gemma," Cassian says in a singsong voice. "You always manage to make me smile." He pauses and takes a deep breath, blowing out his cheeks as he exhales. "I hope you realize that you get your sense of humour from me. Thanks to all the time we've spent together."

"Is that Cassian I hear giving himself too much credit again?"

Peeking out from behind the log pile, I see Penelope join up with Gemma, the two of them in their matching outfits and equally as flushed cheeks. They exchange a couple of words before they're both nodding and taking off in opposite directions.

"Damn," Cassian whistles. "That was fucking hot."

"Watch it," I mutter, nudging him. "That's my wife you're whistling at."

"Fiancée," Cassian corrects.

"Whatever," I reply. "She's going to be my wife soon enough. How are we going to win this game? I don't want to watch that goddamned movie."

"And you think I do?"

This time, I actually laugh. "No. You'll be up staring at your bedroom door if you watch it. So what's the master plan, Cassian?" I clap him on the back. "You always used to come up with plans that would never fail.

I watch as Cassian's brown eyes inspect the surrounding area. He pauses on several different obstacles, including the building where I cornered Gemma, before he turns back to me. "We're going to have to play dirty. Stay away from Gemma and Penelope as much as possible and ambush Morgane and Hanna. You in?" He holds up his fist.

"I'm in," I reply, bumping my fist against his.

"Excellent," he grins, adjusting his grip on the gun. "Now let's take them down."