𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 ᢉ𐭩

The arcade was lit like a mini–Times Square — neon lights bouncing off the walls, the sound of video games competing with laughter and the thuds of sneakers on rubber flooring. You were there with your friends, just killing time, wandering around with greasy pizza fingers and a plastic cup full of flat soda.

“Let’s try the climbing wall!” someone suggested.

And before anyone could say yes or no, one of your more daring friends was already making her way toward the towering, LED-lined structure at the back. She slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the mat, tugging at the first grip without bothering with the harness.

“Dude, what are you doing?” you asked.

“She’s fine,” another friend laughed. “It’s not even that high.”

That’s when someone stepped in — not loudly, not rudely, but with just enough urgency in his voice to make you turn your head.

“Hey—she really can’t climb without gear on.”

He was in uniform: a soft blue staff tee and black cargo pants, with a plastic badge that read Cam pinned crookedly to his shirt. His curls were slightly messy, like he’d been running around resetting machines or helping kids with prize tickets. There was a clipboard in one hand and a harness in the other.

Your daredevil friend huffed. “It’s barely ten feet.”

Cam gave her a look — not annoyed, just tired in that quiet employee way that said please don’t make me write an incident report today.

“Trust me,” he said, a soft chuckle in his voice, “you really don’t want to land wrong on this floor. It’s padded, but not magic.”

You stepped forward before your friend could snap back.

“She’s just being bold. We’ll get her geared up.”

Cam looked at you then — really looked — and his whole expression shifted. Like he hadn’t expected you, of all people, to speak calmly. His mouth twitched into a small, surprised smile.

“Thanks,” he said. “Most people just yell at me.”

You shrugged. “Well, most people aren’t me.”

There was a second of soft tension, the kind that feels like maybe you’ve met before even though you haven’t. Then he blinked and nodded to the harness.

“You climb?”

“Not really.”

“You want to?”