Slow and Speedy Win the Fight

50. Run Ahead

Sheldon

Rudra's place was the same as I remembered it and I was just as uncomfortable this time.

My back sunk into the couch and I secretly hoped it would swallow me whole but it acted like a normal couch to my disappointment. I held the controller in my hands uncomfortably while Rudra had left to get snacks.

I had told him I had Tipo but he insisted to get more food. Every so often, I snuck a bite of the cookie from my pocket.

"What are you eating?" Rudra's voice surprised me so much that I nearly dropped the controller.

I swallowed. "Tipo."

He chuckled. "I brought some more snacks if you want some."

He held out one hand that carried multiple bags of snacks. I marvelled at the fact that he could hold so many bags at once and was also wary of the possibility that he was going to drop them involuntarily.

After staring at his hand for some time, he laid the bags down on the coffee table and sat beside me. He made a gesture towards my hands.

My pinkies were touching the buttons on the edges of the controller while my ring fingers wrapped around the joysticks. My thumbs held up the controller at its base and I felt like I had a good hold of the device.

"Why are you holding it like that?" Rudra asked.

My shoulders tensed. "Like what?"

Rudra laughed. "Here, let me adjust it."

Soon he was sitting next to me and I was hyper-aware of how close he was. He slowly pried my fingers off the controller and reshaped my grip.

"How do your hands feel?" He asked.

"Weird."

"Is it a bad weird or a good weird?"

"It doesn't make me want to claw my arm off like the school bracelets." I glanced at him and cleared my throat. "So... not terrible."

His grin was so wide I swore it reached his ears. "Good."

He pulled away from me and leaned back into the couch as he grabbed another controller. After a few clicking sounds, the television screen displayed bright primary-coloured words with blocky designs. There might've been a turtle shell that flew across the screen as well but I didn't process it fast enough to be sure.

"Have you ever played a platform game before?" Rudra asked.

"Nope."

His eyebrows flew upwards. "Have you been living under a rock or something?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "I know that's an expression but that's not entirely false."

"I heard from Haresa that you straight up disappeared when you guys were like twelve." He moved the joysticks with his thumbs without difficulty. He must've played this a lot. "What happened?"

A slow chill crept up my body and something inside me just shuts down. My stillness seemed to have unnerved Rudra as he gently put a hand on mine. I yanked it back in alarm and his eyes were filled to the brim with... something. Concern? When was the last time someone ever looked at me with concern for me and not what I would do to them?

"I stole needles," I grunted. "What more is there to it?"

"Were the needles for drugs?"

The character I was controlling fell into a hole and I saw a heart disappear from the screen. His character continued to run ahead and collect all the coins.

"Do you really take me to be that kind of villain as a kid?"

His laugh was soft. "No."

"Then why ask?"

"I want to know about you."

My heart began to race and a bead of sweat ran down my neck. It had only been about a month since Reynard and I had broken up.

"Why?" My voice cracked and I regretted saying it the moment I made a sound. Of course, I knew why.

Rudra put down his controller and turned to me, pausing the game in the process. His playful expression dropped into a serious one which made me hold my breath. His hand slowly touched my forearm but I made no move to shake it off.

"Sheldon, I like you more than a friend."

My mind went blank. I didn't plan for this. I didn't expect him to confess. I thought we would pretend to be friends for some time longer. Rudra was too unpredictable. I don't know his thought patterns, his habits. I didn't even know if he invited me over as an excuse to confess.

Rudra probably noticed my silence and picked up the controller. He awkwardly went back to playing the game with a tight-lipped smile. "If you don't mind, I want to go on a date with you sometime."

It felt like my facial features stopped responding completely to my brain. "Uh."

"I mean, no pressure. I know you've been through a breakup and we don't know each other too well," he began to ramble. "But I thought we just got along really well and—"

"Sure," I said it so quietly that Rudra leaned in an attempt to hear me better.

"Hm?"

"I wouldn't mind it," I continued. "Going on a date."