Mario finger-snaps at Arthur. “Where’s Mikey?”
Arthur seems confused. “Boston.”
I wonder if everything is okay. “When did he leave?”
“He was never here . . .”
“I thought he was in town with you . . .”
“Just us,” Jessie says. Her hands fly to her mouth for a second. “Oh no, this is mortifying. Did you mean to invite Mikey and not me?”
“No—I mean yes, but of course we’re happy you’re here!”
This is a disaster. How did the lines get crossed here? I guess not paying closer attention to Arthur’s Instagram posts is a good start. I’ve just been assuming everything about Arthur and Mikey in New York—Broadway shows, skipping hand in hand while singing show tunes, sharing a bed.
I feel a little lighter. Like I’m not the only person in the world whose life isn’t perfect.
Arthur’s boyfriend not being around shouldn’t be comforting.
“Sorry to miss Mikey,” I say.
“He’s visiting next weekend. You can meet him then.”
“We’ll have to send him a group photo,” Mario says. “But first we should go do something more exciting than standing on a corner in Times Square.”
Jessie points at the Regal Cinema theater down the block. “Movie?”
“Oh my God, yes, I would kill for a slushie,” Samantha says.
Mario shakes his head. “This is the first time you’re all hanging out in years! You can’t catch up during a movie.”
“You’ve never been to a movie with that chatterbox,” Dylan says, pointing at Samantha. She smacks his arm and he feigns pain.
Mario scans around us. “How about Madame Tussauds? We can pose with different wax icons or—wait, Dave & Buster’s!”
Arthur looks at me and turns away so fast he must have gotten whiplash.
Dave & Buster’s is where Arthur and I had our first date. It shouldn’t be a big deal, though I admittedly haven’t been back since we were last here. But if this is something Mario wants to do, I don’t want to avoid it because of my history with Arthur.
“Please tell me they still have Mario Kart,” Dylan says. “We need a picture of Mario playing Mario Kart. Iconic.”
“Pac-Man?” Jessie asks Samantha.
“Pac-Man,” Samantha says.
Arthur looks frozen.
“This cool with you?” I ask.
He nods like a bobblehead. “Absolutely. Bring on the claw mach—”
Mario grabs my hand and kisses my cheek. “I challenge you to Guitar Hero.”
He drags me down the block before I can see Arthur’s reaction. I’m sure it’s weird to see some other guy kissing me again.
On the way to Dave & Buster’s, Mario apologizes again for being late and goes on about how excited he is for his trip. I don’t tell him how excited I am for him to be back already so I don’t look needy. But that’s the truth: I like Mario and I like being around Mario. His energy is like sunlight you soak in.
We enter the building and ride the escalator up to the gaming level. We catch the very end of a P!nk song as a Rihanna track kicks in. The arcade is lit up with air hockey tables and pinball machines and dancing platforms. The bar is crowded, which is a win for those of us who are here to play games. Mario and I go in on a Power Card together, each putting in fifteen dollars, and we’ll share the credits. If we get separated throughout the night, we’ll always have to find each other; I’m looking forward to these little checkins.
Dylan is playing Speed of Light, where the objective is to hit as many blinking lights as possible; it’s got a Whac-A-Mole vibe to it. And Dylan is failing spectacularly at hitting any lights. Unlike Mario, who is an absolute pro when he steps up. It’s like he has a sixth sense for where the next light will appear.
“He’s amazing,” Arthur says, appearing at my side. “Does he play this a lot?’
“It seems that way, but I don’t know. I haven’t been here since I came with you.”
“Why not? I didn’t make it weird for you, did I? Is it weird that I’m asking that? I don’t want this to be any more weird than I’ve already made it by bringing Jessie. You said ‘you guys’ in the text, and we both figured you were talking about us. I didn’t realize you thought Mikey was here, too.”
“Oh, so you’re not a mind reader?” I ask.
“Unfortunately, I’m not Ben-Jamin after he drinks the telepathy potion.”