Despite wanting to blend into the crowd and hide a little until I’d built up my courage, he’s got me. I wonder how long he’s known I’m here. He doesn’t point me out though, knowing that having a ton of eyes on me would be forcing my hand and I appreciate that he’s keeping his word. He’s letting me decide, even in this.
“Rachel joined the project first as a program developer for some of the tech aspects of the rooms but that very quickly grew into a partnership of ideas and enthusiasm. She has hyped me up when I doubted myself and this endeavor. She pushed me when I was being too prideful and foolish to accept and ask for help. She spent countless nights brainstorming, renovating, marketing, and breathing life into this project.”
My throat is closing, eyes blurring with tears so that Bryce becomes little more than a black and tan blur until I blink them away. My hands tremble and my heart races in my chest, hope and fear and love overwhelming me. The crowd is quiet but they cease to exist to me as I stare at Bryce and he does the same. It’s as if he’s imbuing his speech with something else. Something deeper than gratitude.
“It literally would not exist without her. So, I made a little change without consulting her, to reflect that.”
There’s an “ooh” that passes through the people around me and Ángel has the audacity to elbow me in the side.
“Did you know about this?” I hiss at him.
“Nope. Lover-boy did this all by himself,” Ángel whispers back.
“We’ve been promoting this business under the name ‘Locke Box’, a little play on words using my middle name. But I feel that is disingenuous when this is so much bigger than just me. Rachel deserves just as much recognition.” Bryce tugs on the gold cord hanging down from the matinee and the red fabric billows down to reveal the sign outside the theater—the new home for escape rooms.
UNDER LOCKE & KEY stands out bold for everyone to see.
“It’s still a pun—one playing off of Bryce “Locke” Dawson and Rachel Mac“Key”—and it was the best way I could think to thank the person who worked side by side with me, without fail. So please, give a round of applause to my partner, Rachel Mackey!” Bryce finally gestures toward me but I can barely see it through the sheen of tears that are streaking down my cheeks.
I hear applause and Ángel pulls me into a hug from the side, jostling me and shaking some more tears free.
Once the crowd quiets slightly Bryce speaks again. “Without further ado!” and Theresa hands him a pair of large scissors that he uses to cut the ribbon spanning across the doors.
“Please join us inside for some refreshments, information on our rooms, as well as a 15% coupon off if you book today to thank you for being here to support us on opening day!” Bryce pushes the doors open and the crowd filters in.
My feet are stuck to the sidewalk. My shoes might as well have melted into the concrete. Ángel tugs at my arm to get me into motion and we end up being some of the last to enter.
The wide area that used to be the concessions, the entryway to the old theater, is packed. The posters we had discussed as ideas to represent each room are lit up in their special frames. Logan is behind the register, already helping people to book their spot and taking down email addresses for our mailing list. Bryce is mingling with the people who have been gracious enough to come out to celebrate.
I’m so lost in my own mind that time slips away and I just smile and thank each wellwisher that comes my way. Bryce is caught up with all his customers but I am acutely aware of the feel of his gaze on me. It warms from the inside out and I’m sure I’ve been flushed since we were outside waiting for the big reveal. There’s no special speech to give him. Words elude me. Instead I’m caught up in the awe and emotional punch that comes with seeing this project become real.
Bryce has been smiling for hours, to the point that I’m sure his cheeks must be hurting. But he looks so happy and that makes something in my stomach flip. I’d kill to be the one that puts that look on his face.
Food and drink go quickly, and soon enough we’re wrapping up the launch party.
“Some of our friends have been gracious enough to donate an ‘escape room in a box’ for one of our lucky new newsletter subscribers! So even if you don’t make it out here immediately, you can get a small taste of what it might be like conceptually.” Bryce rolls multiple dice onto the counter. He scans the list for the corresponding number. “Number 56, Grant Taylor!”
A short man with a band T-shirt and long hair heads up to where Bryce stands at the front counter to receive the escape room board game that Farren and Sebastian likely brought for the launch event. It can only mean that they’ve spoken with Bryce outside of me and our interactions together. Although some part of me wants to bristle at it and feel a little put out that I’ve been circumvented, it’s strangely comforting to know that he gets on with my friends well enough to be able to talk to them without me driving the conversation and forcing them together.
The crowd thins until it’s just our small group of family and friends. Ángel is chatting with Logan and Gabrielle. Farren and Sebastian deep in conversation with Bryce’s dad, Frank. His mom, Theresa, looks a little tuckered out, gathering up the trash and I rush over to help her. Just like with Bryce, I appreciate the silence between me and Theresa because it’s not awkward or heavy. It’s two people working together without the need for chatter.
Soon we’ve got the space back to its normal appearance and we’re filing out one by one. Logan and Gabrielle both give me a hug on the way out. As do Farren and Sebastian.
They all congratulate us but the words are lost in the fog that is my mind. I’m caught up in different colognes and perfumes, skin on skin and then cold AC blowing where the touch has been. I’m all sensation and no thoughts and by the time it’s just me and Bryce my mouth is so dry I can barely swallow down my nerves.
“Rachel?” Bryce asks, the back of his fingers tracing down my arm to draw my attention and I startle.
“It seemed like it went really well,” is what comes out of my mouth after a beat of silence and I avoid his eyes, staring at the top button of his shirt instead.
“It was fantastic. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
I huff, half disbelief and half humorless laugh. “You could have pulled it off.”
“Not this version of it, and personally I think this is way better than anything I could have thought up on my own. Please just take the compliment and my appreciation.”
“Bryce . . .”
He tips my head up to face him by lifting my chin with his knuckle. “I’m serious. I hope that you know just how serious I am.”
