Chapter 36

Gemma’s laugh - the real one, louder and more boisterous than the one she used in the office - was electric to you. She was always a little playful in the office, teasing and smirking, matching wits. But as you both slowly made your way through your beers and roamed the arcade part of the bar, popping a coin in here or there to play the different games, it was like Gemma came to life.

First, she was weirdly good at games she’d never played before, but terrible at ones that she knew. This obviously frustrated her, but she took it in stride and laughed her ass off as she fumbled classic Pacman, or went 0 and 10 against you in air hockey despite actually trying. Then she crushed you in Street Fighter 2, just mashing buttons, and she was scary good at the games where you aimed a fake gun and shot whatever was flying at the screen. She was even better at the fake hunting ones.

Eventually, you ended up at the bank of skeeball machines. You both fed a coin into side-by-side machines, and Gemma gave you one of her patented teasing smirks as the music started playing and the lights started flashing. “So, I’ve got to admit something,” she said.

“Oh, yeah? Are you about to shark me?” you asked.

“Well, yes. My Uni student centre had a few of these, and I’ve been in a beer league for a couple of years,” she said. “I’m ... well, I’m gonna crush you.”

“Then let’s make a bet,” you said. “What do you want if you ‘crush’ me?”

“No, no, no,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re suggesting it, you say what you want first.”

“OK,” you said. “If I win, I need a redemption kiss. You surprised me with that last one, and I want to leave a better impression.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “Well if that’s the case, I guess I shouldn’t bet a kiss as well, huh?” You chuckled as she thought for a moment, and then her eyes lit up with an idea. “I know!” She leaned in a bit, whispering over the sound of the games around you, “If I win, I get to take a sneaky feel of your bulge. Just to check if what I caught a glimpse of was what I thought it was. But then no matter what happens on this date, it doesn’t make an appearance on this date.”

Your eyebrows had gone up as she spoke, and she had a teasing smile as she pulled back to watch you think. “I think to keep things balanced when I win, my kiss is guaranteed with tongue, and light groping.”

“Define light groping,” she smirked.

You pursed your lips as if thinking, and pretended to push up imaginary glasses before miming writing out a contract. “I believe in this instance, we’ll define Light Groping as the touching of sides, the sides of breasts, hips, and ass, but lacking in significant squeezing, honking or otherwise firm pressure.”

“I think we can agree in principle,” Gemma said, also stepping into a mimery of formal legalese. “But for clarity, it should also include the male chest, and light over-the-pants nudges to the penal region.”