~ Photo booth ~
Phil's POV
"I'm all out of tokens, Phil!"
"Already? I thought I gave you a stack like five minutes ago!"
"I put them all in the claw machine..." Dan's face read frustrated and ashamed, which both looked extremely cute on him.
"Okay, here you go sweetie!" I handed him another stack of tokens.
"What did you just call me?" He smiled at me cheekily, amused by the nickname. We've been flirting pretty heavily for a while now, and he thought it fun to call me out whenever I made any statements that were proof of my crush on him. That unspoken connection, that mutual fancy for each other, was exciting every second of the day. Even though he would never say it, I would definitely consider this arcade visit a date. When he gave me one of those grins, my heart fluttered like crazy and my pale face made it obvious that Dan has me wrapped around his little finger.
We walked around the arcade floor for a while, much closer than most "best friends" do, and when we walked by the claw machine, Dan scowled at it. I ask him, "How many times did you try the claw?"
"Four. I just really wanted that cute cupcake plushie, but I kept on dropping it!" Dan pointed to a stuffed cupcake with pink frosting and yellow sprinkles, and a black smile with big beady eyes. He walked back up to the glass and was practically pressing his face against it, staring at the plush. He wanted it bad.
"I'll give it a go!" I say, as I walk up to the coin dispenser. I submit four tokens and carnival music begins to play and lights flash. Focusing on the plush, I like the claw up perfectly with the frosting part because the shape is better for gripping. I press the button, lowering the contraption, and fortunately the claw catches the plush! Dan's face looks mesmerized as he watches the claw drop it into the dispenser.
I pick the plush up out of the dispenser and give it a quick squeeze, then giving it to Dan. I did it kind of awkwardly, but I think he thought it was cute. He took it and smiled big, but instead of hugging the cupcake, he hugged me, tight. Much longer than "best friends" do. It felt so nice to have Dan in my arms. He pulled away and grabbed my hand and started dragging me across the arcade floor.
"Come on Phil lets do the photo booth!" How could he be so cute?
We approach the big box and Dan gets behind the curtain, inviting me to sit next to him on the metal bench, very close together. There's a bin of props, some being giant sunglasses, and some being funny hats or grass skirts.
Dan put on a yellow sombrero and some pink oversized sunglasses, and I put on a tall red and white striped top hat and a Hawaiian lei. Before taking our first picture, he held up the cupcake with one hand, and tickled me with the other so our smiles were totally real. It really was a cute picture. "Three more!" Dan was having way too much fun with this! It was adorable!
"Okay what next? Gangsters?" I extracted some large gold chains from the box and two snapback hats, and we duck face and make peace signs with our hands. After the picture was taken, we laughed hysterically together, staring into each others' eyes. We put those props back into the box and looked at each other.
"I know what's next." Dan said it with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "No props needed." His expression shone with mischief, obviously planning something interesting.
Dan reached his hand over to the picture taking button and let it hover, not pressing it just yet. He locks his brown, smoldering eyes with my blue ones, and kisses me right on the lips. The surprise in my face couldn't be hidden! Dan dug deeper into our first kiss and pressed the button. When he pulled back my eyes were wide and I felt the heat on my face, I was blushing violently. I was so nervous but I know I wanted more. I think he saw the surprise on my face because he chuckled cheekily.
He leaned closer to the camera and raised one eyebrow, with me still stunned in the background, and captured the moment. I still couldn't find words by now, so Dan just smiled at me and ran his fingers through my hair. He then winked and hit "print," kissing me once again on the cheek. I just about passed out right in the photo booth. It's alarming how much power Dan has over me at this point, but I'm enjoying every minute if it.
We step outside and go through our four pictures, cherishing our first truly romantic moment. Everything about Dan is so beautiful and charming, and by the look on his face while he glanced at the pictures, he thought the same of me. We sauntered out of the arcade doors into the bright daylight under the overcast sky. Right before we got into the car, I stopped Dan.
"One more for the road?" I plant a loving kiss on Dan's lips and I feel him melt into me like a malteaser.
Getting into that photo booth has got to be one of the best decisions I've ever made!