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Daniel followed Taylor around the entire mall, his hands full of bags. They had been shopping for what felt like hours. Taylor went to almost every store in the mall. Daniel felt like he was only there to pay for it all. Before they walked out the automatic doors, Taylor ran to a claw machine and press her face against the glass like a little kid.
Daniel followed her and put the bags down. He grabbed a dollar out of his wallet and held it out to his girlfriend, insisting that she plays. Taylor chuckled, "no, no. You are playing for me."
"Um..." Daniel laughed, skeptically squinting at her. Daniel smirked, "I thought you said you could do things without me."
"I never said that-"
"You did," Daniel told her, still trying to give her the dollar, "I remember."
Taylor groaned and quietly stopped her foot. "Ugh, but I need a strong man to get it for me," Taylor pouted, giving him her irresistible sad puppy dog eyes. She held her hands together. It was like magic because somehow it made Daniel agree to do it. Or maybe it was the fact that she thought he was a strong man .
"Fine," Her boyfriend sighed, "I'll try. Which one-"
"That one!" Taylor pressed her face against the glass again, pointing to a plushie of a calico cat. He saw the cutest smile spread across her face as she looked at the stuffed animal.
Daniel examined the area around the cat plushie, figuring out a strategy. He figured it was going to be hard to get because of how many stuffed animals were covering it, and it was against the glass. But Daniel had to get this for Taylor. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn't? Daniel ran his fingers through his hair and cracked his knuckles, preparing to get pissed off by the machine.
Daniel put his dollar bill in, and the machine started up. Lights on the sides began changing from color to color as it made a piercing sound, causing Daniel's head to hurt. The bright colors mixed with the high-pitched sound were just annoying. Good thing the odd noise stopped after a second. He grabbed the navigator and began moving the claw, attempting to position it correctly. Daniel walked to the side of the claw machine, making sure it was lined up with the calico cat plushie. He took a deep breath and pressed the big button, hoping his navigation was good.
The two watch the claw slowly move downward. Daniel knew that Taylor would be upset if he didn't get it, and of course, he didn't want that. Then the claw suddenly wrapped its fingers around a different plushie. Unfortunately, the plushie fell out of the claw's grasp. Daniel looked over at Taylor. She frowned and looked down, sighing. When Taylor was sad, her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes slightly drooped. Seeing her upset like that made him feel bad and pissed off, as he expected.
Taylor slowly picked up their bags to leave. She managed to hold every single bag and took a step forward, only to be stopped by the annoying, high-pitched sound. Taylor swiftly turned around to see Daniel leaning against the machine, smirking with his eyebrows raised. The color-changing lights were hitting his face, causing his hair to shine more than it used to.
"C'mon, Daniel, you don't need to do it again," Taylor laughed, struggling to hold the bags. Daniel walked over to her and slowly took the bags out of her hands, keeping his eyes on hers.
"One, I already put the dollar in. Two, I'm going to get you that stuffed animal because you want it. And three, I'm carrying the bags," Daniel told her, smiling softly.
Taylor chuckled out of amusement. He really wanted to get her that plushie, didn't he? She found it even funnier because it seemed like he was just being competitive. Daniel pulled her closer after he placed their bags on the floor, "what's so funny?" He asked, his eyebrows now furrowed.
"You are just so cute," Taylor smiled, kissing the tip of his nose and resting her arms on his shoulders. Daniel's cheeks turned slightly pink, and before Taylor could point it out and make them turn pinker, their lips touched. Taylor slowly closed her eyes, her cheeks turning pinker than Daniel's. As she kissed his soft lip, she slowly moved her hands to his cheeks, pulling him closer to her. His face was warm and soft. Taylor couldn't help but smile when Daniel gently pulled her closer by the waist. Their bodies were touching, their faces were smooshed together, and his strong arms wrapped around her waist. It all gave her butterflies. Daniel's hands slowly moved up to her back, sending a shiver down her spine, causing her to get closer.
Daniel suddenly pulled away, still holding his girlfriend. He smirked, his cheeks becoming slightly red. Taylor had no clue, but her cheeks did the exact same. Taylor smiled back, suddenly noticing the game was still on and glowing with different colors. She chuckled and flicked his nose, "alright, babe, get to it."
Taylor grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the claw machine. Daniel grabbed the navigator and slowly began moving the claw across the machine. Taylor patted him on the back, "you got this, Daniel," she whispered to him, keeping her eyes on the claw. Daniel got the claw in the perfect position, right above the stuffed animal. The only thing left was luck and a good grasp. And Daniel had no way of controlling that.
He pressed the button and crossed his arms, skeptically watching the claw go to grab the calico cat plush. Daniel was squinting at the claw as if it had wronged him. It kind of scared Taylor. It made her think that if the claw didn't pick it up, he would start kicking the claw machine until it was just a big piece of broken-up metal.
They watched as the plushie got lifted from the huge pile of other plushies and toys. Taylor grabbed Daniel's arm out of pure excitement. She smiled big, kissing him on the cheek and hugging him tightly. "You did, Daniel!" Taylor yelled happily, giggling. Daniel reached down and grabbed the calico cat plushie and handed it to her, the lights turning off. Taylor held looked at the plushie, then hugged Daniel, wrapping her arms around him and giving him huge kisses. "Thank you so much!"
Daniel couldn't help but smile at Taylor's excitement. "No problem," he managed to say through kisses. Daniel grabbed their bags and followed Taylor out the doors.