Page 78 of Reflections of Peonies
My heart began to pound. Why did I care about his happiness? This was an odd feeling. I didn’t like it. Gosh darn it, Julian was right. I was going to need to let the man purchase something for me.
“What are you doing?” I stepped beside him, and he jumped. I buried my glee and pressed forward. “I want a game.”
Bryce lowered the case and turned his critical eyes to me.
“Okay?” he said. His gaze left mine as he glanced behind me. “Where’s Julian?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “He said I should let you buy it.”
“Oh, did he?” Bryce frowned, narrowing his eyes toward the doorway. “What do you like?”
“I don’t know.” I cocked my head. That was such a loaded question. What did anyone like about video games? Was it possible to claim honest affection toward something that only existed in a box? Perhaps so, but I had never contemplated this before. “I’ve never thought about…”
My words faded as a colorful poster of adorable characters on the wall behind Bryce captured my attention. “What isthat?” I asked, pointing at it.
“That?” Bryce’s attention followed my finger. “Oh,that.” He spotted the advertisement. “You wouldn’t be interested in that. It’s for children—”
“I want it.” I pushed past Bryce and grabbed a case from the display.
“You don’t even know what it is!” Bryce followed me. He narrowed his eyes at my arms. “Why in the world do you want it?”
My face was already burning, but as I hugged the game to my chest, I knew I had no choice but to answer. He tapped his foot, impatience leaking from his features.
He’d never let me get it without a reason.
“...It’s cute,” I admitted.
Bryce blinked, and for a moment, he seemed dumbfounded. His voice was cautious when he finally responded. “That’s not a reason.”
He was wrong. It wasthereason.
“I need it.” If Bryce wouldn’t get it, I would tell Titus. Titus would understand. It was our special bond.
“Have you ever played a video game before? What systems have you used?” Bryce rubbed his head. “And besides, this is stupid. You wouldn’t like—”
“Don’t judge me.” Why was he arguing with me? He was supposed to heed my every word. This was highly unprofessional. “It’s better than your shooting game.”
His brows drew together, and he glanced at his hand. “There’s nothing wrong with this game. It takes practice and skill to master.”
“I could beat you.” I couldn’t seem to stop. Victory was closeat hand. “If you buy me this game, I’ll fight you on your game. If I lose, you can return my game, and I won’t hold it against you.”
“You don’t even play video games. How in the world do you expect to beat me?” Bryce asked, incredulous. “What if I make you cry?”
My pulse was pounding, and excitement raced through my veins. I won, and he had no idea. I’d teach him to make assumptions. “I won’t cry. You’ll be the one crying.”
“What?” Bryce pressed his hand to his chest and glanced around us. And when he responded, his voice lowered. “You’re not going to be able to make me cry! I don’t cry.”
Why didn’t I believe him? He had the face of a crier. “I—”
“How about this, honeybee?” Bryce interrupted, the confidence leaking back into his tone. “I’ll get you this gameanda new system withallthe extras. Because if you’re picking stuff like this, I’m assuming you’d want the console that comes with it. When I win, I’ll let you keep it. But you’ll have to obey me for a month. If a miracle happens and you win, I’ll listen to you instead.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
That was no reward, considering he already had to tend to my every whim. But I couldn’t pass this up. With this negotiation, I didn’t even owe him a thing! It was brilliant.
“It’s a deal.” I ignored his smug smirk and glanced past him. “Where is it?”
The smile dropped from his face. “Where is what?”
