Gabriel and Ryden spent hours at the arcade. Gabriel introduced him to a few other games, bought more tokens, and then showed him how to play Tekken. Since the other guy Gabriel had been playing with had already abandoned the machine, they were left to face off against the CPU.
"Is it okay to just leave your friend like that?" Ryden asked.
"We're not really friends," Gabriel shrugged, his tone casual. "More like arcade buddies. We just play together when we see each other here."
Ryden couldn't help but marvel at how easily Gabriel made acquaintances. If it hadn't been for the persistent doorbell at Gabriel's apartment, Ryden wouldn't even be here, hanging out like this.
Gabriel gestured for Ryden to sit next to him. "While we're here, pick a character you want to play."
He swiped through the extensive list of Tekken characters. Ryden was trying to remember which one Angel was going to cosplay as at the upcoming convention. He didn't want to pull out his phone to check, so he took a guess.
"I'm interested in Asuka," Ryden said, his fingers nervously tapping the edge of the paper bag in his lap, which contained the cosplay magazine.
Gabriel froze for a moment. Asuka? He was going to be cosplaying her for three days at the convention, and now Ryden wanted to play as her. What were the odds? There was no indication that Ryden was into the same nerdy hobbies as Gabriel.
"Oh! That's a quick choice," Gabriel said, raising an eyebrow. "Any reason why?"
"She kinda made me interested in the game... if that makes sense," Ryden muttered, his fingers curling tighter around the bag.
Gabriel raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not judging! We've all been persuaded by something or someone to start gaming." He moved the joystick and selected his own character. "This is Claudio. He's the character I play the most."
The screen flashed with the image of a man in a slick white suit with black and gold details. "I just think he looks cool as hell, so I learned how to play him."
They played for a while, with Gabriel showing Ryden the basic controls. Ryden, still shy about trying the game in public, worried about looking foolish and being laughed at by the other players around them.
"Are you going to do something after this?" Gabriel asked after a while, glancing at the time. It was nearing dinner.
"I was thinking of getting dinner soon," Ryden replied, stretching slightly.
"Want to eat together?" Gabriel asked, his tone casual but warm. He had clearly run out of tokens and was ready to wrap up for the night. "I can pay for it, since I dragged you here."
"No, it's fine," Ryden replied quickly, shaking his head. "I asked you, so it's really okay."
Gabriel stood up and placed a hand on Ryden's shoulder. "Come on, what do you want to eat?"
Ryden hesitated. It was hard to say no to Gabriel—he was just so charming and easy to talk to. And now that Ryden was up close, he couldn't deny that Gabriel was handsome. His messy hair partially covered his face, adding to the intrigue.
"How about Chinese food?" Ryden suggested, suddenly feeling bashful. His introverted self was struggling to keep up with Gabriel's easy-going energy, but he didn't mind. It felt new and exciting, even though he usually preferred being alone.
Gabriel didn't push, though. He was considerate, which made Ryden feel more at ease with him. The ease of their conversation, the way Gabriel guided things without being too forceful, was something Ryden hadn't experienced much before.
They ate together, with Gabriel chatting about other games Ryden should try. He also insisted that they should hang out more at his place. "I'll introduce you to the 'nerd life'," he joked.
Ryden laughed. "Just be patient with me while I learn," he said, then added, "I haven't been this active in ages, and I'm really enjoying myself. So, thanks, Gabriel."
Gabriel blushed, just a little. Ryden's honesty had caught him off guard. He'd noticed how attractive Ryden looked when they first met, especially with his suit, but he'd never expected to connect with him like this. He had thought that after giving Ryden the gift, that would be the end of it. Yet here they were, spending hours together. Gabriel cleared his throat, trying to mask his shyness.
"No problem, man," he said with a grin. "We can do this again whenever you want." He noticed the bookstore bag in Ryden's hand. "Maybe I should pick up reading too. That way, we'll have other things to talk about instead of me just yapping your ear off."
Ryden laughed again. "You don't have to force yourself. Besides, I like listening to you talk."
Gabriel's cheeks turned slightly pink. He coughed to hide his shyness. "Thanks," he murmured.
Eventually, they decided to head back to their apartments together. Gabriel didn't want to say goodbye just yet, but he had work tomorrow.
"I wish we could continue gaming at my place," Gabriel said with a sigh. "But, you know, work tomorrow. Saying goodbye always sucks."
Ryden smiled, reassuring him. "There's plenty of time for that. We're practically neighbors, so we can hang out whenever."
Gabriel brightened at the suggestion. "We should exchange contact info," he said, pulling out his phone. "Want to exchange social media too?"
Gabriel felt a flutter of excitement. He was going to get to know Ryden more, and the idea made him happy. When they'd first met, he'd thought that after giving Ryden his thank-you gift, that would be the end of their interactions. But now, as they stood together, having spent the day connected in a way Gabriel hadn't expected, he found himself hoping for more moments like this.
They exchanged numbers, and as they parted ways in front of their apartment complex, Gabriel couldn't help but smile to himself. This feels like a date, he thought. Going to the arcade, having dinner, and walking back home together—it was the perfect recipe for a date.