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“You’re up, Theo!” Emma stepped out of the way so her date of the moment could take his shot.

Theo placed his bright yellow ball on the green and took a swing. The ball arced up and over the three tiny hills and landed with a triumphant splash in the puddle-sized water hazard. 

Emma burst out laughing, attempting to cover her giggles with her hand. Theo turned to her with a frown on his face. This was the moment of truth. The way he reacted next would tell Emma everything she needed to know. It was her sure-fire mini golf first date test. If a guy lost his shit over a children’s game, then he was a goner. You could learn a lot about someone by how they played mini-golf. Bowling worked, too, in a pinch. 

A smile pushed its way through Theo’s frown. “I told you I haven’t done this in years!” He laughed, shaking his head as he went to fetch his ball. Emma breathed a sigh of relief. He passed the first test. 

“And do I look like someone who mini golfs every other weekend?” she teased as she joined him closer to the hole. He picked up his ball and placed it back on the green astroturf beside the water. 

“Let’s see, that’s a one-stroke penalty.” Emma pretended to lick the end of the tiny pencil before recording the penalty. She looked up, and Theo was grinning at her.

“Oh, I see how it’s going to be.” He nodded toward the scorecard. “You’re some kind of mini-golf hustler.” He swung the club, and the ball hopped directly over the hole. He hung his head in mock despair. 

“It’s going to be a long game.” Emma leaned on her club, watching him retrieve his ball again. After the professor and the burnout, Emma had chosen her next date based on how average he seemed. But now that they were together, she could see he much cuter than average. Especially when he smiled at her like he was doing now. 

“Don’t rush me,” he said with a chuckle. “I need to concentrate.”

Emma nodded solemnly while he lined up his shot. The ball graced the edge of the hole but would have never made it in had Emma not nudged it with her foot. This was test number two. Would he take it in stride, or would he insist on playing by the rules? Emma had no desire for an uptight guy who took everything so seriously.

The ball plunked into the hole, and Theo raised his hands in victory. Emma’s smile grew. 

“Good thing the judges weren’t watching.” He came up beside her and whispered the words into her ear. She shivered. “Thanks for the help.” He grabbed the ball and took her hand, leading her to the next hole. 

Theo continued to prove he was an awful mini-golfer as they made their way through the eighteen holes. But he also continued to ace Emma’s test. He made self-deprecating jokes about his lack of skills. He cheered Emma on. Theo happily played by whatever made-up rules she announced at each hole, including playing blind, using your non-dominant hand, and wildly unfair usage of your feet. 

Every time he took her hand or leaned in close to whisper something funny in her ear, Emma’s heart did a little victory dance. Finally, a perfect date. By the time they reached hole eighteen, Emma’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

She went to drop the scorecard in the trash, but Theo stopped her. “Hey, who won?” He was smiling his big wide smile, and his hazel eyes sparkled. But this was the last test.

“Oh, I stopped keeping score a long time ago.”

Would he be angry with her for not keeping score? Even though he was clearly terrible at golf, would he be dying to know who won?

“Great, then we’ll just assume it was me.” He draped an arm over her shoulder and gave her a teasing grin. “How about an ice cream?”

Emma’s heart launched into a full cha cha in her chest. Ice cream? He passed and earned extra credit. She beamed and allowed herself to lean into his body. 

***

Oliver carried the two ice cream cones back to the table Emma had saved for them. It had been the perfect afternoon. He made Emma laugh. He held her hand. She seemed to like him. Well, she seemed to like Theo, anyway.

Oliver’s stomach lurched at the thought. He was finally having an amazing time with Emma, and she thought he was someone else. He could already hear Natalie’s lecture. 

Emma smiled up at him as he handed her the cone. Her curls framed her face, and her cheeks were pink from the sun. But it wasn’t just her face that had his heart racing. It was her laugh and her teasing. It was the way her hand felt in his. Even after several horrible dates, he was still in love with her. And this insane experiment of his had been worth it, just to spend more time with her. Even if he couldn’t do it again. 

She licked around her ice cream, pausing every so often to point out a small child that golfed better than he did. Her other hand lay on the table between them, and he covered it with his own. She twined her fingers through his, and the entire rest of the world lost all interest for him. His hand in hers was now the only thing that mattered.

He was so screwed.

By the time they finished their ice cream and were walking back to their cars, Oliver’s stomach had twisted in knots. His mind spun in circles, trying to come up with a way to see her again that wasn’t completely wrong and deceitful. Surely, he couldn’t see her again as Theo. Especially not since she really seemed to like Theo. It would be wrong to string her along. Theo had to disappear. Then he could try to date her again as Oliver. That was the only answer. That was the only right thing to do. 

And yet… Oliver’s hands had begun to sweat. 

“I had a really nice time.” Emma turned to face him, leaning against her car. She was looking at him in the exact way he hoped she would, except she was looking at Theo. 

“Me too.” His voice sounded strangled. He cleared his throat. The really awful part was he had been completely himself on this date. He was having so much fun; he had forgotten to play the role of Theo. But Emma would never know that. 

She leaned in closer and tipped her face up to his, like a sunflower facing the sun. Oh God, she wanted him to kiss her. His heart tripled its speed as though it was attempting to gallop out of his ribs and leave him alone with his sins.

Her hands were on his chest now, warm and inviting. The smell of her sunscreen brought nothing but happy summer memories to mind. A small smile played around the corners of her mouth. 

Forgive me, were the last words he thought before bringing his lips down on hers.

Featured image by Paige Janiszweski via Unsplash