"Are you sure you want to go in here?" he asked, looking up at the sign, then back at the building itself.
"Yeah! When I was little, dad and mom thought video games were bad for us.." she grinned slightly. "Anyway, I look like a teen now, so come on, let's go." He allowed himself to be dragged inside.
'An arcade..and she said *I* was the one who was surprising.' he shook his head and grinned. "Well, if you want to learn how to play video games, we have to start you off with the classics and move up. You're lucky I brought cash.." he put a few bills through the machine for the tokens to play the games. Giving her the handful of coins, she easily pushed it into her pants. She pulled them up again, just in case.
The place was empty because it was still so early. Chris led her to an older looking machine, and he looked it over. "We'll start with this one--Pac-man. See, the point to this game is to get all the little yellow dot things without getting touched by the ghosts."
"Sounds simple enough." she nodded, putting in the coins.
"The big dots makes you immune to the ghost's touch." he explained as she grasped the joystick that was apart of the game. He watched as she concentrated intensely on the screen. "You're a natural."
"Thanks." she replied, not moving her eyes from the screen. 'She's probably even better then me. Then again, I hate this game..'
"Impressive! Look, you even got on the score board..put in your intials." he pointed to the screen.
"All right." she easily punched in her initals. "I have the 6th spot."
"Higher then I ever got, that's for sure." he grinned. "Ready to graduate to a harder game?"
"I guess so." she nodded, following him. "Which one are we going to try now?"
"Welcome to the world of Street Fighter." he grinned. "I'll be going against you this time."
"You'll kick my ass." she pouted.
"That's half the fun." he grinned, taking some of the coins from her hands. "Just press all the buttons, surprisingly it works. OK, chose who you're going to be."
"Hmm..is this guy good?" she questioned, lighting up a big bear-like character.
"They're all pretty good." he nodded. She smiled and picked him, while Chris easily chose the leopard-man. 'I know this game..I'll take it easy on her..'
However, Chris was forced to break that. Surpisingly, his advice for pressing all the buttons was working, because she kept doing every secret move that bear had. He winced as his character was KOed. "Is that good?"
"For you, yes.." he grumbled. She smiled broadly as the second round started. Chris was dumbfounded when she beat him again. "You said you never played a video game?"
"Maybe a handheld one for like 5 seconds, but besides that.."
"Well, whatever. Let's try one of those physical ones." he motioned toward the ski ball machines. "These are my favorites." As they walked over, she looked at it, her face showing the obvious fact that she had never played this before. "This one's easy too..take the balls that come out and throw them up the ramp. The object of the game is to get them into the holes at the end." He placed the money into the machine, and the balls came rolling out.
"I'll try.." she said, nervously picking up the ball. She threw it, but it didn't get far. It slowly rolled back to her. "That wasn't suppose to happen, was it?" she questioned, taking the ball back.
"Want some help?" he asked.
"If you don't mind." she replied. He softly took her hand and helped her get a gliding motion.
"All you have to do is follow through.." he said helping her learn the motion. The ball went from their hands, gliding easily up the ramp and into one of the 20 point bins. He realized how close he was to her and hastily backed up. "Um..now you try."
"All right." she nodded, taking the next ball. She did the exact motion he had done with her, and he watched as she got it right in the middle.
"There you go!" he encouraged her. He saw a smile cross her lips as she threw the rest of the balls. She racked up a pretty decent score, especially for someone new at it.
"What next?" she questioned, turning to him. 'She's having fun. Good. For some reason, I'm having fun too..'
"How about if you pick?" he grinned. "I mean, you wanted to come here, right?"
"Yeah." she nodded her head. "Let's see.." he watched her scan the area. "Hey, what's that?" She walked down the ramp, and he followed. She stopped at an odd looking machine.
"Drum set?" Chris asked outloud. "Hey, I saw one of these machines before! You sit in the seat, pick one of the popular songs they have on the list, and you play the drums to it."
"Well, it SOUNDS interesting..but I can't play the drums." she shook her head.
"Give it a whirl." he grinned.
"If you say so." she shrugged, sitting in the seat. She slipped the money into the holder, and just as quickly a whole list of catagories came up. After pressing a few things, the familar song of "Zoot Suit Riot" started blaring.
"Nice choice!" Chris nodded his head in approval as she started to beat the drum, catching the beat. He watched, grinning, as she quickly went from being unsure to totally getting into it. Chris noted even one of the workers glancing over their way.
"I can't believe I just did that." she said, dropping the sticks when the song ended.
"You beat the shit out of those drums!" he grinned. "I approve!"
"I can't believe I just did that." she repeated, then laughed. "That was awesome!"
"Gonna go join a band now?" he questioned as she stood up.
"Nah." she shook her head.
The rest of the day was speant sampling all the types of games atleast once. By the time it was dinner time, they had gone through every game but one.
"Air hockey? Come on, now you know I'd kick your ass in this." he shook his head. "I rule at any hockey, my dad's even a REAL hockey player." Chris bragged.
"Put your money where your mouth is, Jericho." she smirked, tossing coins his way.
"I warned you.." he shrugged, tossing in the coins.
Chris was surprised at her skill as they started playing. She was actually as quick as he was, but he didn't admit it. He scored on her, and she retailated seconds later. They were neck and neck, basically, and Chris suddenly realized that she probably played this game too.
"You played this before, haven't you?" he asked, smashing the puck towards her. She hit it back, grinning.
"Since I was little." she replied, watching as him hit it back. Smashing it suddenly, the puck hit the side and quickly got past his defenses. "Oh, by the way..I win." he saw her smile as he looked dumbfounded. "Come on, let's go get some take-out."
'She beat me..that was SO not right..' he trudged after her, sulking.
***
"I'm tired." he yawned. After a quick dinner, they had ended up at the place they started at--his hotel room. Sliding the key in, he opened the door, tossing it to the side, turning the light on. He closed the door, and Stephanie pulled off the hat she had been wearing the entire day.
"Wow, I can see." she smiled. "I'm glad I brought along that bag when Heyman went after me. I'd have to wear these things to bed."
"It'll keep you warm." he shrugged.
"I'm getting changed." she simply said, pulling out a tee and sweatpants before shuffling to the bathroom.
Chris sighed, flopping onto his bed. 'That might have been the best day I've had in months. I'm sober, and I'm actually enjoying her company. This is really bad. I couldn't possibly..' he shook his head. 'Impossible. Now all I have to do is tell myself that over and over..'
"Yeah! When I was little, dad and mom thought video games were bad for us.." she grinned slightly. "Anyway, I look like a teen now, so come on, let's go." He allowed himself to be dragged inside.
'An arcade..and she said *I* was the one who was surprising.' he shook his head and grinned. "Well, if you want to learn how to play video games, we have to start you off with the classics and move up. You're lucky I brought cash.." he put a few bills through the machine for the tokens to play the games. Giving her the handful of coins, she easily pushed it into her pants. She pulled them up again, just in case.
The place was empty because it was still so early. Chris led her to an older looking machine, and he looked it over. "We'll start with this one--Pac-man. See, the point to this game is to get all the little yellow dot things without getting touched by the ghosts."
"Sounds simple enough." she nodded, putting in the coins.
"The big dots makes you immune to the ghost's touch." he explained as she grasped the joystick that was apart of the game. He watched as she concentrated intensely on the screen. "You're a natural."
"Thanks." she replied, not moving her eyes from the screen. 'She's probably even better then me. Then again, I hate this game..'
"Impressive! Look, you even got on the score board..put in your intials." he pointed to the screen.
"All right." she easily punched in her initals. "I have the 6th spot."
"Higher then I ever got, that's for sure." he grinned. "Ready to graduate to a harder game?"
"I guess so." she nodded, following him. "Which one are we going to try now?"
"Welcome to the world of Street Fighter." he grinned. "I'll be going against you this time."
"You'll kick my ass." she pouted.
"That's half the fun." he grinned, taking some of the coins from her hands. "Just press all the buttons, surprisingly it works. OK, chose who you're going to be."
"Hmm..is this guy good?" she questioned, lighting up a big bear-like character.
"They're all pretty good." he nodded. She smiled and picked him, while Chris easily chose the leopard-man. 'I know this game..I'll take it easy on her..'
However, Chris was forced to break that. Surpisingly, his advice for pressing all the buttons was working, because she kept doing every secret move that bear had. He winced as his character was KOed. "Is that good?"
"For you, yes.." he grumbled. She smiled broadly as the second round started. Chris was dumbfounded when she beat him again. "You said you never played a video game?"
"Maybe a handheld one for like 5 seconds, but besides that.."
"Well, whatever. Let's try one of those physical ones." he motioned toward the ski ball machines. "These are my favorites." As they walked over, she looked at it, her face showing the obvious fact that she had never played this before. "This one's easy too..take the balls that come out and throw them up the ramp. The object of the game is to get them into the holes at the end." He placed the money into the machine, and the balls came rolling out.
"I'll try.." she said, nervously picking up the ball. She threw it, but it didn't get far. It slowly rolled back to her. "That wasn't suppose to happen, was it?" she questioned, taking the ball back.
"Want some help?" he asked.
"If you don't mind." she replied. He softly took her hand and helped her get a gliding motion.
"All you have to do is follow through.." he said helping her learn the motion. The ball went from their hands, gliding easily up the ramp and into one of the 20 point bins. He realized how close he was to her and hastily backed up. "Um..now you try."
"All right." she nodded, taking the next ball. She did the exact motion he had done with her, and he watched as she got it right in the middle.
"There you go!" he encouraged her. He saw a smile cross her lips as she threw the rest of the balls. She racked up a pretty decent score, especially for someone new at it.
"What next?" she questioned, turning to him. 'She's having fun. Good. For some reason, I'm having fun too..'
"How about if you pick?" he grinned. "I mean, you wanted to come here, right?"
"Yeah." she nodded her head. "Let's see.." he watched her scan the area. "Hey, what's that?" She walked down the ramp, and he followed. She stopped at an odd looking machine.
"Drum set?" Chris asked outloud. "Hey, I saw one of these machines before! You sit in the seat, pick one of the popular songs they have on the list, and you play the drums to it."
"Well, it SOUNDS interesting..but I can't play the drums." she shook her head.
"Give it a whirl." he grinned.
"If you say so." she shrugged, sitting in the seat. She slipped the money into the holder, and just as quickly a whole list of catagories came up. After pressing a few things, the familar song of "Zoot Suit Riot" started blaring.
"Nice choice!" Chris nodded his head in approval as she started to beat the drum, catching the beat. He watched, grinning, as she quickly went from being unsure to totally getting into it. Chris noted even one of the workers glancing over their way.
"I can't believe I just did that." she said, dropping the sticks when the song ended.
"You beat the shit out of those drums!" he grinned. "I approve!"
"I can't believe I just did that." she repeated, then laughed. "That was awesome!"
"Gonna go join a band now?" he questioned as she stood up.
"Nah." she shook her head.
The rest of the day was speant sampling all the types of games atleast once. By the time it was dinner time, they had gone through every game but one.
"Air hockey? Come on, now you know I'd kick your ass in this." he shook his head. "I rule at any hockey, my dad's even a REAL hockey player." Chris bragged.
"Put your money where your mouth is, Jericho." she smirked, tossing coins his way.
"I warned you.." he shrugged, tossing in the coins.
Chris was surprised at her skill as they started playing. She was actually as quick as he was, but he didn't admit it. He scored on her, and she retailated seconds later. They were neck and neck, basically, and Chris suddenly realized that she probably played this game too.
"You played this before, haven't you?" he asked, smashing the puck towards her. She hit it back, grinning.
"Since I was little." she replied, watching as him hit it back. Smashing it suddenly, the puck hit the side and quickly got past his defenses. "Oh, by the way..I win." he saw her smile as he looked dumbfounded. "Come on, let's go get some take-out."
'She beat me..that was SO not right..' he trudged after her, sulking.
***
"I'm tired." he yawned. After a quick dinner, they had ended up at the place they started at--his hotel room. Sliding the key in, he opened the door, tossing it to the side, turning the light on. He closed the door, and Stephanie pulled off the hat she had been wearing the entire day.
"Wow, I can see." she smiled. "I'm glad I brought along that bag when Heyman went after me. I'd have to wear these things to bed."
"It'll keep you warm." he shrugged.
"I'm getting changed." she simply said, pulling out a tee and sweatpants before shuffling to the bathroom.
Chris sighed, flopping onto his bed. 'That might have been the best day I've had in months. I'm sober, and I'm actually enjoying her company. This is really bad. I couldn't possibly..' he shook his head. 'Impossible. Now all I have to do is tell myself that over and over..'