Sins Of Her Venom
Chapter 103: Arcade

Chapter 103: Arcade

- Glyndon Walton: ( Song of the Chapter: Feel it Jacquees)

My hands felt clammy. Which was ridiculous.

I had planned everything down to the last detail—the restaurant, the private setting, the damn tiramisu message—but now, sitting across from Kat, watching her face shift from confusion to realization, my heart was pounding like I was about to take my final breath.

I couldn’t wait anymore. I needed her to be mine. Officially. Publicly. Unquestionably.

The thought of another girl—Savannah or anyone else—looking at her and thinking they had a chance with her made something dark and possessive curl in my chest.

I couldn’t stand it. I wouldn’t stand it. Kat was mine. She just didn’t have the official title yet.

I swallowed hard as she looked up at me, eyes wide, spoon still frozen in the tiramisu.

This was it. No turning back.

She still hadn’t said anything. She just sat there, staring at the words dusted onto the tiramisu like she couldn’t quite process them. I could feel my pulse in my throat, the anticipation tightening around my chest like a steel band.

I had planned every detail of this. From the private restaurant to the dim lighting, to the ridiculous amount of time I spent on calls making sure they got the lettering right on the tiramisu. I had thought of everything. I had prepared for everything.

Except for this.

For her just sitting there in complete silence.

I couldn’t read her expression. She wasn’t frowning, but she wasn’t smiling either. She wasn’t looking at me, just at the plate in front of her, like she was weighing something heavy in her mind.

My hands clenched together under the table, my nails digging into my palm as I tried to keep them from shaking. I wasn’t nervous.

...Okay, maybe I was.

But not because I thought she’d say no. She liked me. She wanted me. She wouldn’t have kissed me like she did last night if she didn’t.

But wanting someone and being with them were two very different things.

What if she thought this was too soon? What if she didn’t like labels? What if she wasn’t ready?

The silence stretched on, my stomach twisting into knots as she finally looked up, tilting her head slightly, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

And then she smirked.

Oh no.

My heart nearly stopped. That was her smug, I’m about to make you suffer smirk.

"You booked an entire restaurant," she drawled, dragging out the words like she had all the time in the world, "just to ask me that?"

I swallowed. "Of course, I did."

Her smirk deepened, amusement flashing in her dark eyes. "Why?"

I stared at her. Why? Wasn’t it obvious? Wasn’t it painfully obvious?

Because I was obsessed with her. Because I couldn’t get her out of my head. Because every time I saw her, I wanted to touch her. Because when I wasn’t with her, I was still thinking about her. Because I couldn’t stand the idea of her being with anyone else.

Instead, I exhaled slowly and said, "Because I can’t stand the idea of anyone else thinking you’re single."

Kat raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into something dangerously smug. "So, you want to claim me?"

I didn’t even hesitate. "Yes."

She let out a soft hum, tapping her fingers against the table like she was considering it. Then, she picked up her spoon, scooped up a bite of tiramisu, and slowly—slowly—ate it, making me wait while she licked the spoon clean.

I clenched my jaw.

She was doing this on purpose.

I narrowed my eyes. "Kat."

"Hmm?" She licked a little bit of cream from her lip, deliberately ignoring the tension in my voice.

"You’re not saying anything."

She shrugged. "I know."

I stared at her, my nerves twisting into something else entirely. "You’re doing this on purpose."

"Doing what?"

Oh, she was enjoying this.

She leaned back, her smirk widening as she let the silence stretch. I could feel the amusement radiating off her, feel the way she was watching me squirm and loving every second of it.

"Kathrine," I said, voice low.

"Yes, Glyndon?"

"Answer me."

She scooped up another bite of tiramisu, took her sweet, sweet time chewing, and then finally—finally—sighed dramatically.

"I mean..." she trailed off, swirling her spoon in the dessert. "I don’t know... It’s a big decision, you know? Being your girlfriend? That’s a lot of responsibility."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Responsibility?"

She nodded solemnly. "Mmm-hmm. I mean, am I ready to be officially claimed? That’s a lot of pressure. What if I’m not girlfriend material?"

I clenched my fists under the table. I could feel my heartbeat everywhere. "Kat."

"Yes?"

"You’re killing me."

She grinned like she was eating up every second of my torment. Then, finally, she sighed, tilting her head slightly. "But... I guess I could give it a shot."

My breath hitched. "You guess?"

She bit her lip, letting the suspense drag out for one more agonizing second before she finally—finally—leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and locking eyes with me.

"Okay," she murmured, the teasing edge in her voice softening just slightly. "Yes, Glyndon. It’s a yes, I want to be your girlfriend."

For a second, I didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe. The relief hit me so hard that I felt dizzy.

Then, before I could stop myself, I was already standing up, already moving toward her, already taking her face in my hands and kissing the hell out of her.

Right there, in the middle of the ridiculously expensive, empty restaurant, with the untouched tiramisu sitting between us.

She was mine.

I didn’t want to let go of her. Not yet. Not when my heart was still racing and my lips still tingled from kissing her. Not when she was mine now.

She had barely pulled back before I kissed her again, softer this time, my hands cradling her face like I was afraid she’d disappear. She let out a quiet, content hum against my lips, and I swear it did something to my brain and made my whole body melt.

I’d never felt this before. This overwhelming, heart-pounding, utterly consuming happiness.

She was my girlfriend now. My girlfriend.

I pulled away, just enough to look at her, to take her in—the way her lips were slightly swollen, the way she was smiling at me like I was something special.

I felt drunk on her.

"You’re staring," she murmured, voice teasing but warm.

I didn’t even care. "Yeah. And? you are mine to stare at."

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "You’re ridiculous."

"You’re mine," I countered, my fingers gently brushing over her jaw. "And I’m not getting over that anytime soon."

She smirked, but it was softer than usual. Fond. Like she liked the way that sounded. "You better not."

I felt invincible. Like I could float right off the ground and straight into the sky.

Speaking of the sky—

I glanced up. The restaurant had a skylight, and through it, I could see the stars stretching endlessly across the deep navy blue of the night.

"Look," I said, nudging Kat.

She glanced up, following my gaze, and for a few seconds, we just sat there, staring at the stars together.

"They’re pretty," she said after a moment.

I nodded, but I wasn’t looking at them anymore. I was looking at her.

"Yeah," I murmured. "They are."

She must have felt my gaze because she turned her head to look at me, eyebrows slightly raised. "You’re being sappy."

"And?" I smirked. "You gonna break up with me over it?"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "No. But I might have to bully you a little."

"Sounds fake," I said, standing up and offering her my hand. "You’re obsessed with me, admit it."

She took my hand, rolling her eyes again, but didn’t deny it.

And that was enough for me.

We ended up at the arcade.

It wasn’t exactly planned—we had just walked past it, and Kathrine had stopped in her tracks, looking at the neon lights like a kid seeing Christmas decorations for the first time.

"Arcade?" I asked, amused.

She looked at me, grinning. "Let’s go in."

So we did.

The place was loud, colorful, buzzing with energy. The flashing game screens, the chime of coins dropping into machines, the sound of people laughing and cheering—it was the complete opposite of the fancy, romantic dinner we just had.

And it was perfect.

I barely had time to process before Kat dragged me to the basketball hoop game.

"You play hockey," I reminded her, raising an eyebrow.

She smirked. "And? Think I can’t shoot a ball?"

I crossed my arms. "I think you should prove it."

Her smirk deepened, and the game began.

And holy shit.

She destroyed me.

Every shot she took was almost perfect, the ball swooshing through the hoop like it was nothing. She moved so naturally, so confidently, and the look of pure focus on her face made something curl warm and tight in my chest.

"You lied," I accused, staring at the scoreboard.

She smirked, tossing the last ball in one-handed, not even looking. "I play hockey. That doesn’t mean I can’t play other sports too."

"Unfair."

"Skill issue."

I rolled my eyes, grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her to the claw machine.

"Okay, since you’re such a prodigy," I teased, "let’s see if you can win something in here."

She scoffed. "Glyndon, come on, you know these things are rigged."

"Sounds like an excuse," I said, inserting a token. "Go on, champ. Win me a prize."

She narrowed her eyes at me, but I could see the way her lips were twitching, fighting a smile.

She tried. She tried so hard. But every time the claw grabbed a stuffed animal, it slipped out at the last second.

I was dying.

Kat, a whole hockey-playing, ball-shooting, terrifyingly competent athlete, getting her ass kicked by a rigged arcade game.

"You’re laughing at me," she muttered.

"I would never," I said, laughing at her.

She shoved me, but it only made me laugh harder.

I was still grinning when I slipped my token in, maneuvering the claw carefully. And on my first try, I caught a small stuffed shark.

I plucked it out of the slot, turning to Kat with the smuggest expression I could manage. "Huh. Guess I’m just built differently."

She snatched the shark out of my hands. "Unbelievable."

"You’re keeping it?" I teased.

"Obviously," she said, squeezing it. "It’s mine now."

I was about to make a joke about that, but then—I noticed something.

A group of people walked past us, one of them glancing at Kat... My Kat a little too long.

And before I even realized I was doing it, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

She blinked at me. "Uh—"

"Next game," I said quickly, dragging her toward another machine.

This kept happening.

Every time I noticed someone looking at her, I reacted.

I held her hand. I pulled her into me. I ran my fingers through her hair.

She didn’t seem to notice. But I did.

And it wasn’t intentional.

It was instinct.

I couldn’t help it. She was mine now. And I needed every one in this whole damn arcade to know it.

At some point, we ended up at the karaoke booth.

"Pick a song," I said, handing Kat the tablet.

She smirked. "Oh, I already know what we’re singing."

And then, before I could stop her—

She picked a duet.

I groaned. "Kat—"

"Too late!" she said, shoving a mic into my hand.

The song started.

And the second she started singing, I forgot all my complaints.

Because, holy shit, she could sing.

I stared at her with shiny eyes. She was so into it, swaying slightly, grinning, voice smooth and effortless.