Matt and I finally play laser tag, and it’s perfect. Moving through the dark, side by side, taking out enemies and having each other’s backs. The air is dark gray and the laser lights bright candy-colored bulbs on our chests, shoulders, and guns. It is strategic, like a video game come to life. It is the closest we will come to showing who we are to each other in public. Matt’s hand on my arm, mine on his back. Shoulders touching as we try to stay together while maneuvering through the arena.
We are epic. We are heroic. We glide through the fog like action movie heroes, breathless with the nearness of each other, caught in the magic of the game.