Page 15 of Delay of Game

Ash

What’s happening at the bookstore?

Alice

We’re doing the bookstore birthday challenge. I’ll have five minutes to look around for books, and a minute to grab as many as I can. He pays for the stack I end up with.

Eli

How many books do you think you’ll be able to grab?

Alice

At least ten.

Robbie

You’re lucky you’re my favorite sister.

Alice

I’m your only sister.

Robbie

Still my favorite ;)

I put my phone away and head out of my apartment. The coffee shop at the corner of my street is advertising a lemon scone, and my mouth waters at the thought of it. Even though Idon’t need any more caffeine, I make the impulsive decision to duck inside.

The sidewalk is slushy from all the melting snow, and I wipe my boots really well on the welcome mat once I go inside.

The barista looks up and flashes me a smile, his nose piercing glinting with the movement. “Welcome in,” he says in a deep voice.

“Thanks,” I say, a warm smile pulling at my lips. He’s cute—his hair is long and black, pulled up in a man bun with a few strands falling out in the front. A few tattoos poke out of his short sleeves, and my eyes jump between the scones and his body, subtly enjoying the view.

I’m rarely attracted to strangers, but there’s something about this guy that draws me in.

“What can I get you?” he asks, a full smile overtaking his face. And that’s when I notice it—he looks a bit like Jordan, from the shape of his lips to the color of his eyes.

Fuck.

My smile fades as I say, “I’ll take a lemon scone and a hot tea, please.”

The guy’s flirty expression stays in place as he grabs me a scone and hot water, takes my payment, and points to the station behind me where the tea bags are on display.

I want to be bold and ask for his number, but Jordan’s face flashes through my mind again.Why can’t I get over him already?

I stir the bag into my hot water absentmindedly and think back on the last few years.

Even though Jordan rejected me and I kept my distance for a while, I saw him all the time. I still do. It’s impossible not to when we get together for family dinner every month and spend all the holidays together. Not to mention, I’ve been attendingmore Manticores games this season since Robbie hinted that this might be his last.

Getting over the guy I’ve been in love with for the past seven years is no small feat. Every time I go on a date, I can’t help but compare that person to Jordan—how thoughtful he is, how he’s always looking out for me, how he blushes every time I say anything remotely flirty.

After he turned me down that night, I even went so far as to avoid family gatherings, which are my favorite. There’s something about the chaos of Sunday dinner, where everyone is chatting, setting the table, and laughing around the kitchen island, that makes me feel at home. Regardless of if we’re at my parent’s house or at The Arcadian—thesepeopleare my home.

So skipping out those first few months really put me in a dark mood, but soon after, Ash and Eli joined the team, and Robbie all but adopted them into our family. All of a sudden, family gatherings became more bearable, and I started attending regularly again.

Ash is the world’s biggest flirt and he’s closest to my age, so the two of us became fast friends, always finding something to talk about or obsess over.

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