Page 28 of Romance Is Dead

Teddy and I were quiet on the drive back to the hotel. I rested my head against the window, watching the little town’s shops roll by. It was hard to believe it’d only been a few hours since Brent had laid on the grass, gasping for air.

Unbidden, the images started rolling back.

Brent, grinning at me before the smile died from his face.

Chloe, her face contorting in horror as Brent collapsed on the ground.

The paramedics, their expressions falling as they checked for a pulse.

Then it was back: the feeling of not being able to get enough air, like my heart was going to burst.

I gripped the armrest, my knuckles turning white. “I can’t go back to the hotel.”

“You ok?” Teddy took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at me.

“Yeah, I. . .” I ran a hand along my collarbone. “This is just a lot.” I took a deep breath in, held out, pushed it out, held it again. Just like Teddy had taught me. Several cycles and I started to feel better. But only just.

Worry flickered in Teddy’s eyes but he said nothing as he let me breathe. We motored along and after a few minutes of scanning the road, he pressed on the brake and flicked on his turn signal.

“Here we are.”

“Where’s ‘here’?” I craned my neck to see out the window.

“You’ll see.”

Moments later, Teddy and I were standing in the middle of the parking lot, staring up at a sign reading “Mothman Mini Golf.” A giant cutout of the cryptid crouched on top of the sign, only one of its eyes glowing red.

“Mini golf?” I stared at the sign skeptically. Upon closer inspection, one of the i’s in “mini” was missing.

“Yep!” Teddy said brightly. “My treat.” He marched confidently toward the entrance, where an admissions stand squatted near a barrel of putters and a rack of golf balls.

Not having much of a choice, I followed.

The course looked like it’d seen better days.

The man at the entrance was grumpy, handing us clubs that were slightly rusted and pencils for our scorecard that were sharpened down to nubs.

The sidewalk leading to the first hole was cracked and bumpy, roots from nearby trees running underneath and making the walking surface uneven.

But the shade was nice, and a breeze rustled the leaves overhead pleasantly.

And, more importantly, my heart started to slow from a frenzied gallop to a brisk jog.

“I have to warn you,” Teddy said as we approached the first hole, themed after the cryptid MVP himself: Bigfoot. “I am very good at mini golf.”

“Please.” I held my club over my head with two hands as I stretched side to side. “I’m basically an expert. I could go pro.”

This wasn’t true. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d played mini golf. But it felt like something that could be true, if I tried hard enough.

Teddy raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know there was a pro mini-golf circuit.” He stepped aside, holding out an arm in deference. “After you.”

Slightly regretting my showboating, I placed my ball on the tee and studied the green.

It was a straight shot leading to a giant replica of Bigfoot’s head.

You had to get the ball through his mouth to the other side, where the hole presumably waited.

I squared up to the tee, swung my arms back, and tapped the ball gently.

It promptly barreled toward Bigfoot’s head, missed the mouth, and ricocheted off one of its cheeks.

“Pro, huh?” Teddy placed his own ball on the tee. “Is that some kind of pro strategy that I’m unfamiliar with?”

“Yes.”

Unfortunately, Teddy completed the first hole with ease, getting the ball through the Sasquatch’s mouth and into the hole with two strokes. Meanwhile, it took me four tries.

“Who’s the pro now?” Teddy marked the numbers on the little scorecard, the mini pencil laughably tiny in his hand.

“Really? You’re keeping score?”

“Absolutely, Jigsaw. And no cheating. I saw the way you tried to sneak an extra stroke in there when I wasn’t looking.”

“You would know about extra strokes.”

He smirked. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

I grumbled something indecipherable as we moved on to the next hole, this one featuring the Loch Ness Monster. Players needed to jump their ball over a little canal and then dodge the mechanical neck of the monster, which swung its head over the hole.

“Thank you, by the way.” I gave him a look of gratitude before lining up to take my first shot. “For teaching me that breathing trick. It really helped.” My ball shot off the tee and rolled into the water.

“No problem.” Teddy tossed his club into the air before catching it handily. “Box breathing. I’m a frequent flier.”

“Does that happen to you a lot?”

“Panic attacks? Not all the time. I got them more often when I was a teenager, before my mom got me into therapy.” Teddy tapped the ball, making it over the water on the first try.

“It’s a good technique for a lot of situations, though.

Anxiety attacks. Or when you’re just worrying a lot.

Or when you’re already losing mini golf after two holes. ”

Biting back a grin, I smacked him playfully on the arm, determined to refocus and claim victory. But once again, Teddy got it in after two tries, while it took me three. At least it was an improvement.

Although I did mentally cross professional golfer off my list of next career possibilities.

After another three holes — themed around the chupacabra, Jersey Devil, and thunderbird, respectively — we caught up to a family of five at the sixth hole.

The two women looked harried and exhausted as their three kids all tried to putt their balls at the same time.

Once the older two finished, the parents tried to get the youngest — a little boy who looked around the age of four — to hurry up.

However, he would not be deterred from his preferred strategy, which included holding the putter with one hand on the grip and the other approximately two inches above the foot.

It wasn’t effective.

Sensing it would be a while, Teddy leaned against a nearby tree. “If you had to date a cartoon character, who would it be?”

I nearly choked on my spit. “What?”

“It’s Popeye, isn’t it?”

“Um, no.” I thought for a moment. “Hmm. Probably Robin Hood.”

“I said animated. Didn’t that guy from The Princess Bride play Robin Hood?”

“I meant the fox!”

Teddy gaped at me. “A sexy fox, Jigsaw? How am I supposed to live up to that?”

I ignored the implication. “What about you?”

“Velma. Definitely.”

“From Scooby-Doo ? No, you’re definitely a Jessica Rabbit type.”

“No way. That orange turtleneck really does it for me.”

The family finished and we moved up to the yeti-themed hole.

“So I should wear mine the next time we hang out?”

If he was being flirty, why shouldn’t I?

Teddy lined up his shot, keeping his eye on the green. “Nope, you’re not going to distract me just because I’m beating you.” A moment of concentration, and then a smooth hit. He beat me once again.

As we moved forward and waited for the family ahead of us, I noticed the littlest one studying Teddy. He leaned on his tiny club, his big brown eyes never leaving him as the rest of the family took their turns.

I nudged Teddy, gesturing to the little boy. Teddy grinned and gave him a wave. It must have given the boy a boost of confidence, because he took a step toward us, holding out his little club.

“Can you teach me?” The little boy peered up at Teddy, his eyes wide and hopeful.

Teddy didn’t miss a beat. “Sure, if it’s ok with your parents.” They nodded, looking relieved that he’d be occupied for a few moments.

“Alright, little guy, get over here.”

Teddy was at ease as he stood behind him and got them both into position.

His body dwarfed the little boy’s, but he was gentle as he moved the boy’s tiny arms slowly into the swing.

Watching them, my breath caught and my chest swelled with affection.

It was hard for me to remember how I’d ever thought of Teddy as arrogant and selfish.

The Teddy I’d come to know was so thoughtful, so willing to help others.

And he had such a confident way of existing in the world.

Even when he was anxious, he seemed so sure of who he was.

I wished that I had a little bit of that ease, instead of feeling constantly odd and out of place.

But then, I realized I didn’t feel like that around Teddy. Teddy made me feel at home, like I belonged. Like I fit.

“Thanks, Eddie!” the boy yelled when they finished their impromptu lesson. The family headed to the next hole, where the boy promptly returned to his previous form.

“Good job, Eddie,” I teased as I joined him on the green.

“Careful. Do I need to show you how to stroke properly?”

I opened my mouth to say no, that I didn’t need his help for any kind of stroke, actually.

But then I paused. The anxiety I’d felt after my brush with death had been replaced by something else — a recklessness that made me want to say screw it and do what I wanted.

If a killer already had a target on my back, why not?

“Actually, I think I do need some help. Stroking properly.” I looked up at him, eyes round with innocence. “If you’re up for it?”

Teddy’s eyes widened in surprise and his throat bobbed.

He caught himself, his mouth then twisting into a smirk.

“I’m always up for it.” He moved behind me, pressing his body against my back as his arms encircled mine.

“Just don’t expect me to take it easy on you once I show you my tricks.

” His voice was low in my ear, his breath sending tingles down my spine.

“Promise.” My stomach swooped as he tightened his arms around me and placed his hands over mine. Our kiss had been soul-rocking, but somehow this felt even more intimate.

“Ready?” Holding my arms snugly, he swung them back and brought them forward to tap the ball. It skipped prettily down the green, landing just a few inches away from the hole.

“Perfect,” I breathed, only half talking about the shot.

Teddy held me a few beats longer, neither one of us wanting to move. I leaned into him, my back pressed against the muscle of his chest. The way he held me felt like nothing could hurt me, not just because he was there but because I felt peaceful. Secure. Like everything would be ok.

Finally, Teddy shook himself away, his fist contracting as we moved apart. “That was, uh, good. Good job.”

“All because of you. . . Eddie.”

He pressed his eyes closed. “Please never call me that again.”

My lips cracked into a smile as we continued down the path. We’d have to go back to the hotel, and our murder mystery, eventually. But in the meantime, I was happy to exist right there, at a rundown mini-golf course that had an obsession with cryptids.

Perfect.