Page 19 of A Geek Girl's Guide to Kissing a Video Gamer
Okay, that was taking it too far. But the person in it? That had been her luckiest day in a while. She’d pay him back for all the kindness he’d shown her somehow. Hopefully, she wouldn’t lose her heart in the process.
Chapter 12
After returning to the hotel, Xavier and Sadie showered, and since he was a little faster getting done, he ordered pizza, along with soda and water. She’d asked for a salad, but when it arrived, it was sadder than the last one. It quickly went into the trash. They’d been too tired to make a run for Twizzlers but decided to get those after Templar signed with Empire as a reward.
Xavier picked up his third slice of pizza, folded it, and took a bite. “Oh, man, hot, cheesy pizza.”
Nodding, Sadie twisted in her seat on the small couch in the living room they shared and shielded her mouth with her hand. “So, so good.” Her hair was still wet from her shower, and the soap she’d used had a light fruity scent. Different from the last one but alluring all the same. “They better have that air conditioner working by tomorrow morning. There's no way I can take a whole day of that kind of heat.”
“No,” Xavier replied. They’d been about halfway through setting up when a loud pop sounded and the air quit. It had been awful, and they’d left the hall feeling like they were melting. “With all the big names coming tomorrow, it will be.”
“I hope so. How can anyone think in that sort of heat?” She held her stomach and leaned back on the couch. “I should stop. Two slices are enough.”
“Are you still hungry?”
Sadie looked at the pizza as little tendrils of steam drifted up from it. “I shouldn’t be.”
Xavier tilted his head. “If you’re still hungry, have another slice. We worked hard today.”
She let out a long exhale. “Buck would tell me I need to watch my figure. That I was representing the company and I need to keep my image up. They were little digs here and there. By the time he tricked me into signing the company over, I felt two feet tall. He had a knack for making me feel inadequate.”
Xavier worked his jaw, wishing he could knock Buck on his rear end. He set his half-eaten slice down, turning to face her with his leg folded on the couch. “He’s wrong. You’re smart and talented.”
Shrugging, she leaned forward and picked at some of the cheese on one of the slices. “I know. But hearing it so many times…it’s hard.”
He hated to hear the sadness in her voice. “Yeah, but the guy saying them isn’t a good person. Sadie, you are the coolest girl I’ve ever met. Do you know how hard it is to find someone who still loves to play video games instead of going clubbing?”
“Which reminds me. We need to work on your next game.” She tapped his knee with the back of her hand.
“Nice deflection.”
She snickered. “I know I shouldn’t listen to him. I’m trying. That doesn’t change the fact that we need to work on that game.”
He picked his pizza up again and took a bite, liking the sound ofwe. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Okay, then we’ll brainstorm.”
“That’s the part that was tripping me up. The whole brain thing.” Lately, he seemed lacking in that department.
Popping his arms, she said, “Stop. So, dragons, vampires, and zombies are still popular but just more of the same. We need something different. Something likeDragon’s Furywithout dragons.”
He nodded. “I know, and all the games I’ve done since have been measured against it. None of them were ever as good as that. I wanted this next one to blow it out of the water.”
“And it will.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Dragon’s Furywas amazing because of the story and how immersive it was. You weren’t just playing a game; you were the character.” She paused. “I loved playing it because it felt like the world depended on me, and my friends and I could all play together. It was so…different than anything else.”
“Yeah, that’s why I loved it. I was a nerd, and other than my two friends, I was pretty much on the outside of the cool kids, looking in.”
She draped her arm across the back of the couch and nodded. “Trust me. I get it.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Wait. How about something to do with the Knights Templar and make your own world. Like, maybe…” She chewed her lip. “Maybe they were a secret order, but what we know about them isn’t the truth. Maybe they’re still around, and they train beneath churches. There are rules about being evil and good, and this kid gets bit by a…werewolf, but he doesn’t turn. And when he does turn, he’s not some blood-thirsty demon.”
“Yeah.” Ideas began swirling in his head. “You rememberGargoyles? The cartoon?”
She nodded. “I loved it. Gargoyles…maybe they fight alongside the guys, but there’s a twist, and there’s a war building between the gargoyles and the knights. We have the story in the beginning. A narrator or something. The whole thing has been corrupted, and it’s up to that one lone hero to figure it out and save the world or something.”
Pulling her into a bear hug, he said, “You are amazing.”
Her arms wrapped around his chest. “Hardly.”
He leaned back. “What do you mean?”
