"This winter's gone fast," Ricardo comments idly, looking over. Heath Slater is sprawled out on the grass, eyes closed, breathing easy. If not for his foot tapping repetitively to some unheard song, Ricardo would've thought he was asleep.
"Yeah, kinda," Heath murmurs. He rolls over to look at Ricardo, chin resting in his palm. "Gotta say I'm glad for it, winters that drag are always kinda a bummer. Ya know?" Ricardo nods, understanding what he means, before Heath stands back up and stretches, exhaling slowly. "Well, I gotta another hour or two, wanna go do somethin'?"
Heath had arrived on his doorstep a half an hour ago, eager to avoid some interview Miz and Maryse had been requested for, a hopeful look on his face that Ricardo just couldn't refuse, but Ricardo hadn't been able to think of anything significant to do so they'd gone outside for some fresh air, letting the dogs run free in the yard. Ricardo mulls over the dilemma once more, then shrugs. "What do you wanna do, Heath?"
Heath's eyes light up a bit and he leans down, snagging Ricardo's wrist. "Ya might regret askin' that," he says, lips pressed into a tight sort of smirk that makes Ricardo silently agree with this statement.
It's not too bad, his idea, though, Ricardo thinks later on once they're standing side by side a bowling alley. He can't remember the last time he's been to one of these, flexing his fingers and hoping he still has the wrist strength to dominate. Going inside, he sees it's more than just a bowling alley, though: there are various arcade games, a dart board, and an area for food and drinks. The place is huge, and his breath stutters a little as he looks at all of the noise and lights. "Wow, you could really lose yourself in here for a whole day, huh?"
"Or a week," Heath says cheerfully. "I saw it awhile ago, and always wanted to try it out. Never had the chance, though. This felt about right, when ya told me I could choose what to do."
Ricardo smiles at him and follows him through the dimly lit room, dodging kids and other adults running from game to game. "Where do we start?"
"How 'bout just a simple game'a bowling, and then take it from there?" Heath wonders.
"Sure," Ricardo agrees, gaze trailing around the other machines and activities surrounding them. He likes bowling, though, and Heath is just as competitive as he is, if not more, cheering and teasing Ricardo loudly just to distract him between pins. He laughs when Heath just misses a split, and bites his lip in frustration when he's a couple pins off of a turkey. Their game is intense and fun, and he thinks he should hang out with Heath more often, the guy is loud and comical and Ricardo can't remember the last time he's laughed so much.
The game hinges on their last round, their scores so close together that it's hard to tell who exactly has the advantage. Ricardo focuses on the pins, wanting a strike badly to put space between their scores, and Heath thoughtfully keeps his mouth shut until Ricardo throws the ball. "What kinda toss was that? You'll never-" His words die away, however, when the ball spins perfectly into the pins and grants Ricardo a strike, allowing him three shots instead of two. "Aw c'mon!"
Ricardo cackles and waits for the ball to reappear, moving to spin it down the lane once more. He's grown more confident the longer the game's gone on, and when he tosses it this time, there's no doubt where it's going to head, striking all of the pins down once more. He shifts his shoulders, clenches his hands into fists, and moves for the clean sweep with the third as soon as the ball appears. He glances over, just for a second, to find Heath holding his breath, watching intently, and for a split second, he considers throwing the game, allowing the guy a chance at a win. But no, he thinks. Neither of us would want it to end like that. So he lets the ball go, watches with baited breath, as it rolls down and strikes, sending all of the pins down. "YES!" he cries out, pumping a fist into the air and laughing happily.
Heath grumbles and sighs but he's smiling as he takes his position, fingers clinging to his ball as he eases back, then forward, watching closely. All pins go down and he exhales, knowing even three strikes wouldn't be enough, but just giving it his best. The second attempt echoes the first, and now they're standing side by side, Ricardo glancing over at him. "Close game, huh?" Heath mumbles.
"Si. We're gonna have to do this again sometime, I've truly enjoyed myself."
Heath grins at him. "Hey, me too, man. And I agree." That said, Ricardo steps back and allows Heath to take his final throw. One solitary pin rattles, its mates down all around it, but it remains standing stubbornly and Heath grumbles, his shoulders slumping. "Good game," is what he says once he turns to meet up with Ricardo by their tables, however.
Ricardo grins at him. "Yes, it was. I had a lot of fun." He pauses and looks back towards the arcade type games. "Now, what do you say we go try to win stuffed animals for those babies of yours?"
Heath's eyes light up.
Later that night, Ricardo returns to the house and smiles down at Alicia as she sprawls out over the couch, dressed in PJs and looking absolutely comfortable. "Ah, found your way home finally," she teases him once she finally looks up from the book she's reading. "How was it?"
"A lot of fun," he says quietly, settling in next to her. "We'll have to go sometime." He grazes his knuckles down her jaw before reaching behind him. "I also won something for you."
Her eyes quirk curiously and he grins, pulling out a blue bear holding a heart. "Oh!" she gasps, immediately grabbing it and hugging it close. "He's precious," she gushes.
He smiles fondly at her and leans in, kissing her. "I love you."
Her eyes soften and she strokes his jaw. "I love you too," she hums, setting her book aside and curling up close to him, sighing happily.
