ᴋʟᴜᴛᴢ | ʟʀʜ

𝟑𝟔. 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧

This chapter is dedicated to ___ssks (thank you for your support and the kindness that you emit <3) Also, thank you all for your patience and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter! 

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"So, you realize that you must hit the person on one of the receptor plates for it to count right?"

"No, Michael, she's gonna shoot the person's jeans and expect it to light up," Nina rolled her bluish-green eyes at the blond fussing over her friend.

"Yeah, I know," Alina responded simultaneously, laughing at the major difference between her reply and Nina's. And I thought I was sassy!

"Just making sure. I wanna win this thing," Michael muttered, his eyes flashing all over the room as he was in a world of his own.

"There are like seven other people on our team," Alina added, hoping he'd understand, without her stating it clearly, that she wasn't necessarily going to be the one who was the worst at laser tag. I dominate at Super Mario Bros, so...

Glancing over at the others nearby as if his intense gaze could determine if they were worthy or not, he warned, "Yeah, and they better be good." To say he was competitive was an understatement. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to be on the winning team on his date with Nina...and Alina, it seemed.

"Don't worry, love, if they aren't, you'll just carry the team," Nina shrugged, not stressing over it. She already knew that he was incredibly talented; maybe he hadn't proved himself to be so at laser tag yet, but she had every ounce of faith in him.

Wrapping her arms around Nina's waist — the action being a bit harder than usual as they both wore uncomfortable gear — the 5'3 girl earned nothing but an upturned nose and a raised eyebrow. "Thanks, Nina!" Alina butted in, jokingly taking the compliment clearly directed at Michael for herself.

"Why did I invite you here again?" Nina huffed, pressing both her arms into her sides as she was being continually hugged with little laughs from her shorter friend, who was too used to this behavior to take it personally. It was all part of their game: Nina would threaten to hit Alina, Alina would brush it off and end up snuggling up to her, and then Nina would either give in or actually hit her. Lightly, of course.

It was unpredictable but naturally them.

Once she received a little squeeze from her dark-haired roommate, Alina released her. "Because I wasn't leaving my bed," she sighed with a small, painfully reminiscent smile. Don't get her wrong, she was glad to finally be out of her room despite all her protest. She knew that she required a new setting to break out of her spiraling thoughts of regret and longing for the past, a past unmarked and untainted by her mistakes. Yet, it still pained Alina to be without him, not essentially without him besides her, but without the calming knowledge that he could be.

If he wanted to be.

"Right. Mourning over the noodle. I remember now," Nina teased, recognizing that her friend needed humorous, silly banter, not serious reflections on things that couldn't be changed.

With a giggle, a sound that brightened Michael and Nina, who both indulged in seeing their friend happy for the time being, Alina countered sassily, "He prefers breadstick, but-" Her speech was interrupted by a boy's shout, and she wasn't sure if she was grateful for the distraction off of Luke or not.

"Looks, mom, ten seconds!" A redhead youngster, around the age of six or so, yelled excitedly, gesturing to the glaringly loud red digital clock on the retractable walls that blocked them from the laser tag arena.