Christian and I pull up outside the bowling alley, at the same time as Joanna drives into a parking space. It's a moment before she, Jordan, and Peter climb out of her monstrous black truck, that she got from her uncle not too long ago. Peter spots us first, and his jaw nearly drops to the ground, as he calls out, "Beau, is that you?"

I unclasp my helmet and take it off as I grin, and Christian winds his arms around my waist and kisses the back of my neck, as I proudly reply, "Yes."

JoAnna, Jordan, and Megan have noticed us now too, and JoAnna's eyes widen as she gasps, "Beau, since when can you drive a motorcycle?"

I smile as I reply, "Christian just taught me."

"Holy shit, Beau, that's amazing," Jordan says.

"Thanks," I reply, as I feel Christian climb off the bike from behind me. I glance up at him as he offers me a hand, and I accept it happily.

Christian smiles at me, as he proudly says, "Our Beau here is a natural."

I smile at him as Peter moves to my other side, and throws his arm over my shoulder, as he asks, "Can you teach me!"

I laugh. "Probably not, Christian is by far a better teacher," I say, as I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He winks at me in return, and I feel my cheeks fill with color just as Kat and her antique, pastel blue bug BMW pulls into the parking lot of the bowling alley. Peter instantly releases his hold around my shoulders, as he races towards his sister's car, while yelling about me driving Christian's motorcycle.

I laugh to myself, and then we're all going inside the bowling alley. We're greeted by the clack of balls hitting pins; the hot and spicy aroma of nachos and cheese; the faded scent of old mint gum; and the lingering scent of cigarette smoke. It's all so nostalgic.

All the smells mixing and mingling sends me back to my younger childhood memories, when my mom and dad were still together. They had liked to spend their Sunday nights bowling with their friends, and whenever they couldn't get a babysitter, I'd tag along and sit on the cold hard bench seats that were an ugly orange and white; with a tray of nachos in my lap and a heavy coat around my shoulders. The memory makes me smile sadly, as I lace my hand with Christian and together, we all approach the front desk to get our shoes and pay for a bowling lane.

We split into teams of two, with Abby as our score keeper, and Megan as the cheerleader. On my team is Jordan and Kat; and on the other team is Peter, JoAnna, and Christian. We decide not to pick team names, because every time we do the discussion ends in a fight, so we all just agree on teams A and B —- it's much safer that way. Team A is my team, and we get to go first after playing a fair game of rock-paper-scissors, and amongst us Jordan plays first, folded by Kat, and then me. Jordan goes first because he's our strongest player; Kat is second because she's the best at evening the score; and I go last because I'm our secret weapon. Our strategy for me is to play really bad, because I'm actually pretty good after spending the better half of my childhood in this very bowling alley.

As for team B, I have no idea what their game plan is for winning. Which is also why we all strategically chose to play on the opposing team of our lover, or friend, or sibling because we can try and trick the other into giving away the ending.

I bite my bottom lip, and slide my fingers into the holes to get a grip on the ball, and then lift it up with my other hand before approaching the bowling lane. I chew on my bottom lip and stare at the pins, and then I get into my stance. The ball is heavy, so I don't have to fake my stumble so much when I swing my arm back before sending it forward. The ball rolls out of my hand easily, and when it's released I make sure to twist my wrist so the ball only hits a couple of pins; still earning my team a few points over nothing at all. I sigh at my sad performance, before shuffling towards the bench.

As I sit down beside Megan and steal one of Jordan's nacho cheese covered chips, I feel a pair of eyes on me. My cheeks flush, and I scrunch my eyebrows together as I peek at the other team, to see Christian is watching me with a frown.

I frown at him curiously too, and I can tell he wants to talk to me and a part of me knows if I do, he'll get me to tell him what he's wanting to hear. I sigh as I turn to Kat, and mutter, "I'll be right back, I have to use the restroom."

Kat nods, and replies, "Okay, don't be too long though, it'll be your turn again soon enough."

I nod. "I know, I'll be quick," I say, before getting up. I cast Christian a glance before I go, and spot him say something to Peter, before a moment after he's trailing behind me.

When I walk into the bathroom, I immediately head towards the sink and wash my hands for anything to distract myself. While I'm lathering up the soap, Christian steps inside and let's the door close with a muffled thud behind him. I keep my eyes focused on my hands, and peek up once or twice to see if Christian's watching me. He is, and he looks like he's trying to figure out a hard puzzle.

I step towards the hand dryer, and Christian quickly moves to intercept me. He blocks my way and crosses his arms over his chest as he asks, "Why are you pretending to suck at the game out there?"

My eyes widen at his question, and I feel the color drain from my cheeks, as I stutter, "Wh-What? I-I'm not pretending, I-I don't know what I'm doing."

Christian rolls his eyes with a scoff, and replies, "Yes you do, don't lie to me, Beau. I know your tells when you try to lie."

"I-I don't have any tells," I say, and internally curse myself for stuttering.

Christian purses his lips, and mutters, "Uh-huh, suuure you don't." Then Christian takes a step closer, and I take two steps back. He smirks at me, and he lifts his hand to thread his fingers through my hair, as he softly mutters, "I know you're pretending to be bad at the game, Beau, and I know you're lying because I've learned how to read you. You have four tells, and you've used all four from the moment I stepped inside this restroom . . ."

"Tell one, your cute stutter." My cheeks flush; and Christian grins. "Tell two, when you lie, an adorable crease forms between your eyebrows. Tell three, your crimson cheeks. Tell four, your nervous habit of fiddling with your hands and shirt," Christian breaths as he glances down at my hands that are, in fact, twisting and playing with the hem of my shirt. I feel my cheeks flush when I realize what I'm doing, and I immediately drop them to my sides as Christian's grin grows.

"See, I know you . . ." he whispers as he twist strands of my hair between his long and slender fingers. "So tell me, Beau, why are you pretending you don't know how to play?"

It's obvious, and you know it. You just love to see me squirm and flush like a fool, I think as I drop my eyes to avoid Christian's all-knowing gaze.

He sighs and slides a finger beneath my chin, and leans in close to skim his nose along the crest of my ear as he whispers, "You should tell me before I get creative . . ."

I gulp, and without any thinking on my part, my arms slide around Christian's neck. I have to tiptoe to plant a kiss just below his jaw, and then my mouth opens and words tumble out at their own accord.

"I love you," I whisper.

As soon as the words pass my lips, I'm grateful I've said it. Yes, we haven't been dating long, but there's a connection between us. And I know, deep down in my heart, I am in love with Christian Philips. Everything about him captivates me; from his thick and luscious hair; to his soulfully deep chocolate colored eyes; to his perfectly shaped lips that fit to mine like a puzzle piece; to his bright and joyous laugh and smile; to his strong arms that hold me when I'm too afraid to open my eyes.

"Christian Philips, I love you."

Word count: 1,515

~ 🌸 ~

A/N: 😌🥰 Love is in the air~ ~

😄 How did everyone like the chapter? Were you expecting Beau to say that so soon? If you enjoyed the chapter, please, don't forget to leave a vote and flood my notifications with your always welcomed comments. Thank you, have an amazing day/night!

Love from,
BunnyBaekkiee ❤️