We were just leaving the cafeteria when Kingsley stopped us.
“Hey, so what are you guys doing tonight? I heard there is an awesome mini golf place not far from here. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty amazing at it.” He reached out and put his arm around my shoulders. “We could double date.”
I bit my lip to try to keep it together. He’d said date.
Violet’s hand flew up in the air and she shook her head. “Hold up there, buddy. Jason and I aren’t together. But mini golf sounds fun. Maybe we could just make it a group thing.”
“Sounds good. What do you think, babe?” Kingsley looked down at me and raised his eyebrows expectantly. He already knew my answer.
“I’d love to,” I replied, and looked down. He called me babe. No one had ever really given me a nickname before and I kind of liked it.
“How about you?” he asked Jason, but kept his gaze on me.
“As long as Annabelle isn’t on my team,” Jason said, putting extra emphasis on my name.
“Hey, I’m actually really good at mini golf!” I was. We played a lot when I was younger. My family had a beach house and we would spend weeks there. There was this mini golf place within walking distance. Sometimes my brother and I would sneak there just to get away from our overprotective mother. Of course, she always knew where to find us, so our reprieve wasn’t long.
“Whatever you say. You can just crush Vi and me.”
Jason offered to drive, and at first I thought Kingsley was going to sit in the front, but he opened the back door for me and slid in next to me. I tried my hardest not to giggle in excitement as his knee brushed mine.
Luckily, he didn’t notice me spaz because his phone rang and he turned to the window to answer it.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Kingsley said. “Yeah, I can switch shifts with you. I have class, but I’m sure they’ll let me out. What are they gonna say, ‘No, we don’t want you to fight fires’?” He laughed a bit and then hung up the phone. “Sorry about that.”
“You’re a firefighter?” Violet asked from the front seat.
“Yeah, I volunteer right now while I’m in school. My parents insisted I go to school, but when I graduate, I’m gonna do it full time.”
I started picturing him in a firefighting uniform and definitely liked what I saw. “Wow, do you actually go into the fire?”
“All the time. It’s pretty dangerous, but I have to look out for people. Mom would rather I go into business or law, but protecting people is my passion.” He smiled and nodded his head at me. Then Kingsley shifted and flexed his arm muscles.
“That’s really impressive,” I said, referring more to his muscles than to his job.
“I’m glad you think so. How about you, Violet, are you a fan of firefighters?” He leaned forward and looked at her.
“Who isn’t? But I prefer them in my porn.”
Jason and I laughed hysterically while Kingsley looked at us, confused. He leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “Is she kidding?”
I pulled it together long enough to shake my head at him. “To be honest, I’m not sure sometimes,” I said, suppressing a giggle. “She likes the shock value that comes with half the things she says but it wouldn’t surprise me if she had a crazy porn collection.”
“I like my girls a little more subdued.”
“Good to know.” I was definitely more subdued than Violet, though that was not hard.
We pulled into the mini golf parking lot and climbed out of the car. As we entered the bright red brick building, Kingsley stopped me while Violet and Jason went to the register to pay.
“So, this is really embarrassing, but I forgot my wallet. Do you mind paying for me? I’ll get you next time.” Kingsley placed his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “I really want to do this with you and I’d hate to have to wait behind. You want to hang out with me, right?”
I panicked for a second. I did want to spend the day with him. “Yeah, no problem. I’ll take care of it.”
“Great, you’re the best, babe!” Kingsley draped his arm on my shoulder like Jason had earlier. It felt different. I still had butterflies, but they were different. With Jason, I pretty much knew I had no chance. With Kingsley, it could actually be something. I took a deep breath and tried to push the fear away. I wanted to have fun tonight so I wrapped my arm around his waist and we headed to the register.
Once we paid, we grabbed our colored golf balls and joined Violet and Jason at the first hole.
“Move over, ladies, let me show you how it’s done.” Kingsley stretched his arms and walked up to the tee, nearly pushing Violet out of the way. It was cute how excited he was but he probably needed to calm it down. Violet may actually beat him with her club if he tried that again.
“Dude, ladies first. Come on, man,” Jason scoffed, and looked at Violet. They seemed to share a moment, but I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Who cared if he went first? It was just a game. It was probably just their competitive sides coming through. We had tried to go bowling as a group and the two of them were ridiculous.
“Yeah, of course. I just figured the girls might like an example of how to line up the putt and how hard they should hit it. I’m just looking out for them. I told you, I’m good at this. I just want it to be fair for everyone.” Kingsley didn’t move from the tee.
It was almost a straight shot to the hole, which was situated between two rocks. I probably didn’t need him to show me how to get it in, but I could let him have his moment. Who did it hurt? It wasn’t like we were in a rush or anything.
“No, Jason, let him. I’d like to see what he can do,” I said.
Kingsley gave Jason an “I told you so” look with raised eyebrows, a slight smirk, and a tilted head. I thought it looked cute, but Violet snorted behind us, not even bothering to cover it up with a cough. I looked over at her and rolled my eyes. She was probably just eager to play.
Kingsley knocked the ball and it went in, hole in one. He shot his arm in the air and cheered. “There you go! That’s how it’s done.” Kingsley nodded hard and winked at me. “Come on, babe, why don’t you come over here and I’ll help you out.” He beckoned for me to join him.
I walked to him and he stood behind me. As he placed his hands on my putter, he slightly grazed my arms and I felt a shudder of excitement flow through me. Kingsley was so close that I could feel his heart beating against my back and mine quickly synced up with his pattern. I smiled big and looked at Violet.
She had a big grin on her face as Kingsley was giving me putting instructions. Then she turned to look at Jason and I followed her gaze. He didn’t look impressed with Kingsley’s manners. In fact, he looked pretty pissed. Well, he needed to get over it. I vowed to ignore Jason’s sour face and enjoy being this close to Kingsley.
“Think you got it, babe?”
“Yeah, you’re a good teacher,” I told him, even though I really hadn’t heard anything he said. I was too distracted by his strong arms draped around me.
“Great, I’ll be right here, watching you do your thing.” Kingsley backed up and stood next to Violet, far away from Jason.
I was about to hit the ball when Jason reached out and grabbed my arm. It was a different feeling. Almost as if I was being electrocuted. I wouldn’t say that I liked it, but it was kind of thrilling and it really seemed to bring me to life. It was almost like splashing water on your face in the morning to help wake up. You felt a jolt and then it calmed as you began to feel more refreshed.
“Kingsley, get your ball, bro. If she gets a hole in one, then it won’t go in because your ball will knock it out.”
“I know, man, but I was just giving her some space. I’ll go get it.” Kingsley rushed down to the hole and pulled his ball out. “You’re good to go.”
I took a deep breath and tried not to focus on the fact that Kingsley was watching me and just hit the ball. I tapped it with a bit of force and sure enough, it went in. Kingsley cheered and rushed over to me. He gave me a high-five and then looked at Jason.
“I guess it’s a good thing I showed her what to do.” Then he turned to Violet and extended his hand to her. “What about you, want some help?”
Violet’s eye grew wide and I couldn’t tell if she was going to laugh or shut him down with a nasty comment. She shook her head for a second and then smiled sweetly.
“That’s okay. My boyfriend and I went a couple times over winter break, so I think I’m good.” Her pleasant expression was forced, but I was glad she was leaving the extra attention to me. After all, she really did have a boyfriend. Though I was a little surprised she mentioned him. Violet usually told people she was single and not interested in dating anyone.
“Wait, I thought you said that you and Jason weren’t a thing. Did you guys just break up?”
“Ah, no. Jason and I were never together. My boyfriend is studying abroad in England this semester.”
“Aren’t you afraid, being that far away from each other? Seems like a great excuse for him to cheat on you. Guys usually follow the zip code rule.”
“What the hell is the zip code rule?” Jason asked, looking at Kingsley as if he had three heads.
“Oh, come on, man! Everyone knows the zip code rule. If the girl you mess with is outside the zip code your girlfriend lives in, then it isn’t cheating.” Kingsley explained this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Jason laughed, but it was a bitter sound and I didn’t like it. It didn’t suit him. “I’ve never heard of that crap. I don’t care who you are or where you are, cheating is cheating. I’d never cheat on my girlfriend.”
“Hey, good for you. I’m not saying I’d cheat, just that Violet might want to be careful. Not all guys are as noble as we are.” It was good to hear Kingsley wouldn’t cheat. For a second there, he was sounding an awful lot like Kenny, and I was not all right with that.
Violet crossed her arms and frowned. “Thanks for looking out, but I trust my boyfriend.”
“Famous last words,” Kingsley sang to her backswing.
Violet didn’t respond and walked to the other end of the green where she’d have to hit the ball in since she missed the hole.
Jason lined up and shot. He also missed, so the two of them tapped their balls in and we moved on.
I watched as Jason and Violet walked to the next hole and I couldn’t get his words out of my head. He’d never cheat on Janice. Of course he wouldn’t cheat on her, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking up with her either. I needed to let this stupid crush go. Here I was with this gorgeous man who was clearly interested in me and I was thinking about Jason. I looked up at Kingsley and gave him a bright smile as we headed to the next hole. It was time to focus my attention on the sexy firefighter beaming down at me instead of the guy who had me firmly in the friendzone.
***
We made it to the last hole, and as it turned out, I was winning. Violet was actually really bad at mini golf, so she wasn’t anywhere near my score, but she was still a good sport about the whole thing. Jason wasn’t much better than her, but he put up a good fight. Kingsley, however, was one stroke behind me. If I got a hole in one on the final hole, then I’d win. I wasn’t super competitive but I wanted to impress him.
“Don’t mess up, babe!” Kingsley shouted when I swung.
I stopped just before I hit the ball because he had messed up my concentration. I turned toward him and shook a playful finger at him. “Hey, that’s not nice.” I giggled and turned back to realign my shot. I knocked it off the side and it went straight in. There was no question it was a perfect shot. I dropped my putter and threw my arms up in the air. “Woooo, I won!”
“Really, there’s no need to brag. I thought you were better than that.” Kingsley walked into the main building without even finishing the last hole.
My smile fell and I looked at Violet and Jason, confused. “What did I do? Was I really that obnoxious?”
Violet walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “No, he just looks like a sore loser. He probably is a little embarrassed that you beat him.”
“Why? I told you guys I was good.”
“I know,” Jason piped up. “But some guys still like to think they’re better than girls at everything. You did a good job. Don’t let him ruin the night. We can take him back to his dorm and hang out just the three of us. He doesn’t need to be involved in our fun.”
“No, it’s okay. I knew he was competitive and I pushed his buttons. I’ll go talk to him and make this right. I’ll meet you guys at the car. Just play your turns.” I headed inside, following where I saw Kingsley walk to. He was leaning on the counter and talking to the cashier. She was around my age, maybe older, and really pretty. At the moment, she was laughing hard at something he said. She reached out and touched his forearm and leaned in closer. My heart fell into my stomach. Was he trying to make me jealous? No, he didn’t even know I was there. He was actively looking for another option. This was my first real date and it was crashing and burning. Maybe I could still fix this.
“Hey, Kingsley, um, Jason goofed up,” I said, walking over to him. He looked over at me, quickly distancing himself from the girl and showing me a different smile. “You were actually three ahead, so you can still win if you play the last hole,” I lied as I forced a smile on my face. My pulse was racing and I was terrified he’d reject the idea and leave without me. I’d be back to being alone again. I hoped he’d give me another chance.
“That jerk. I bet he did that on purpose to make me look bad. I don’t know why you hang out with that guy, he’s kind of an ass.” Kingsley wrapped his arm around my waist and we walked back to the hole where Violet and Jason were waiting. Kingsley leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to embarrass him and say anything. I’ll just knock this in and win gracefully.”
“He’s been my friend since I came here. He’s just super competitive.” I felt like I had to defend Jason. After all, he was still one of my best friends.
“I can respect that. I know guys who act like that and they’re standup guys all the other times. We just probably shouldn’t do anything else competitive with him in the future. I don’t want to show him up again and cause problems.”
“Good plan.” I smiled, staring down at the ground. He’d said in the future. He wasn’t sick of me yet.
Kingsley knocked the ball into the hole in one shot. He chucked his putter in the water and threw his arms in the air. “That’s right, baby.” He pointed his finger at Jason and smiled big. “That’s okay, man, I’ll let you win next time.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not big into sports.”
“Why, are you gay?”
Violet laughed so hard she stopped breathing for a second. I bit my lip to try to keep the giggles at bay, but they ended up coming out as snorts.
“No, I just prefer movies and video games than actual sports. You do know that all guys who don’t play sports aren’t gay, right? And there are a lot of gay guys who are amazing at sports.”
Violet seemed to have stopped laughing and draped her arm around Jason’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I think he was just kidding. I’m sure he didn’t mean to offend anyone.” She turned to look at Kingsley and he shook his head.
“Nah, of course not. But you said you two weren’t dating and he didn’t mention having a girlfriend. I just figured it was a chance. No offense meant, bro.” Kingsley extended his hand to Jason.
He looked at it for a second and then Jason walked over and shook it. “Yeah, no stress. I do have a girlfriend, and her name is Janice.”
“That’s cool.”
There was an awkward silence as the four of us just stared at each other. Finally, Jason spoke up.
“Why don’t we head back? Violet was telling me that she has a couple things to do back at her dorm.” Jason looked at Violet and they seemed to have a silent conversation.
“Right, I have a crazy amount of stuff to unpack from my trip and I’m exhausted from my flight the other night. Jet lag is a bitch.” She smiled and nodded her head at me. I could tell she wanted to leave but I didn’t think it was because of the unpacking or jet lag. I just didn’t know what was wrong.
“I have a little unpacking to do too,” I added, hoping she’d tell me what was going on later.
Kingsley agreed and we all walked back to the car.
The ride back was pretty exciting. Kingsley was telling us about this dramatic time that he saved three children from a burning home.
“Everyone else was willing to let them die, but I knew I could get to them. Against the captain’s orders, I ran back into the house and carried all three of them out at one time. It didn’t matter how unsafe the building was or what happened to me. All I could think about were those kids.”
I looked at him with utter admiration. “I can’t believe you would risk your life for people you didn’t even know.”
“Not people, children. I just couldn’t let them die. I didn’t care about my own life, or even my future. Those kids needed me, and I wasn’t going to let them down.” He reached out and held my hand. “What else could I do?”
“You’re an amazing man.” Holy crap. Did that come out of my mouth? I was so embarrassed. At least I was until he reached his other hand out and gently stroked my cheek.
“And you’re beautiful.”
I dropped my gaze and blushed all over. I bit my lip and a smile quickly escaped. “Thanks.”
But before anything else could happen, Jason honked the horn. “Okay, Annabelle, we’re at your dorm. You and Violet probably want to head out.”
“Right.” I was about to get out when I realized Kingsley had never asked for my number. I debated asking for his but I didn’t have the courage for it.
I looked away from him and went to open the door. My heart had fallen into my stomach again, but for a different reason, and I was desperate for some ice cream. I was going to head to my room and tear into the new carton of rocky road calling for me in my freezer.
“Annabelle, wait!” Kingsley had jumped out of the car and rushed over to me. “I owe you for the putt-putt. How can I repay you if I don’t have your number?”
“Oh, right. Sorry,” I said, and typed my number into his proffered cell.
“Perfect. I’ll text you, babe.” He grinned and then turned and walked toward his dorm.
I looked at Violet and squealed a little. We were about to walk into the building when Jason honked his horn.
“Are you really so love struck that you forgot to say goodbye to me?” He stepped out of the car and stood hunched over with his hands in his pocket.
“Oh, sorry, bye.” I gave him a quick hug and rushed inside. Violet and I had a lot to talk about.