Page 29 of Players Love Hard
“You own a Tesla.” I smirk. “How very Tony Stark of you.”
“Tony Stark drives an Audi R8 in the movies,” he counters. “But he has a Tesla Roadster in his workshop.”
“You know what I mean, Jamie.” I snort at his correctness.
“Tony’s kind of dick,” he adds. “I like to think I’m more of a young Elon Musk, you know because he owns Tesla.”
“I know who he is.” I roll my eyes as he opens the door for me.
“Here’s a fun fact. Did you know the Tesla Roadster they showed in the movie wasn’t even available to the public when they released Iron Man?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Jamie slips behind the wheel, hitting a bunch of buttons as the car comes to life. He continues the conversation about Iron Man, Tesla, and other Marvel movies as he navigates through South Philly.
“My boyfriend is such a nerd,” I confess.
We come to a stoplight, and he looks over at me, a cute smile tugging at his mouth. “Didn’t you know nerds are cool now?”
“Because of Iron Man,” I joke.
He nods. “Probably. Ever since the first movie came out, women seem to like nerds a lot more than they used to.”
“That’s because nerds know how to make money. Plenty of women want a man to take care of them.”
He hits the gas hard when the light turns green, and the sheer force of the electric motor has me pinned against the chair. “But you’re not one of them,” he says. “That’s one thing I like about you, Shan. You want to do something with your life. Few people know what they want to do after college.”
“You do,” I challenge.
He shakes his head, making a right turn toward Center City. “I still have no clue. I’d love to play pro hockey, but I also love video games. I wish I didn’t have to make a choice.”
“Why can’t you do both?”
“I guess I could. But I’d rather put one hundred percent of my time into one thing. If I ever want to code a game of the same caliber as my dad’s Universe, I have to give it everything I’ve got. I can’t do that if I’m traveling for hockey all the time. Hockey takes up too much of my life right now. I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like to play for a pro team.”
“When the time comes, you’ll choose whatever career feels right.”
“You always know the right thing to say, Shan.” He reaches over to place his hand on my knee and gives it a quick squeeze. “What are you doing for the Christmas break?”
“The usual family stuff. Make cookies with my mom. Hang stockings and decorate the tree with my dad. We visit my grandmother in Washington D.C. for a few days during the week of Christmas. Nothing special. What about you?”
“I’m going to the 10X Games convention with my family. My dad is giving a keynote speech this year.”
“I’ve never been to a video game conference. Is it like Comic-Con?”
“Yeah, sort of. Have you been to Comic-Con?”
I shake my head. “No, but I’ve seen videos online. Looks intense.”
“I guess.” He rolls his shoulders. “I’m used to it after all these years. Some people dress as the characters from my dad’s games and try to mimic their voice and actions. You get the weird ones, but there’re also a ton of legit gamers who come to the events. You should come? If you can…”
“When is it?”
“Two days after Christmas. This year it’s in Baltimore, so we can drive there together.”
“I wish I could,” I admit. “Christmas week is hectic at my house. Plus, we have to visit my grandmother that week. But count me in for the next one.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” I see him smile in the darkness as he whips around another turn, headed toward the restaurant.
