Page 157 of Talk Nerdy To Me
Chapter 41
BRITT
Harley and I have been in various group discussions, and as the last person walks out of the circle, Harley collapses in her chair with theatrical, overt exhaustion.
“You’re not good for my health, Britt. Go to your tent,” she orders as Dale starts walking toward us, causing her smile to slowly grow.
“Was that literal?” I ask her.
“Yes. Both parts are literal in this moment.” Just as I stand, she adds, “I didn’t assign Base a tent. Care to handle that for me? He’s probably tired too.”
Dale glares in her direction. Her smile only grows as her eyes remain on me.
I just give one nod and walk away, feeling my pulse thump in every pulse point in my body as I go. Meddling. More meddling.
Inconceivable. How was I supposed to plan for her meddling when she hates meddling?
I spot him with a group, sitting on the ground with his laptop in his lap, as they all take turns coaching him.
“See? That fucking goblin thing comes up out of the ground no matter which direction I go, and it kills me every time,” I hear him saying as my lips turn up in a small grin.
The girl with short, spiky hair starts to explain how to get around, when all gazes swing up to me. Base’s grin slowly spreads as he closes the lid on his laptop.
“I’m supposed to assign you a tent,” I tell him.
“It’s fine if he stays in ours,” the spiky haired girl says as she gestures to her and another girl.
My spine goes really stiff as I cast a panicked look between both pretty girls, and find myself decidedly not okay with that at all.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got it sorted,” Base tells her before he smirks at me.
He gives them all quick fist-bumps before standing, putting his stuff in one of his bags, and he picks up another to add to the load. He’s in his regular clothes now, which is possibly one reason for my distraction.
I don’t know what to do, so I just turn to start walking toward my tent, trying to ignore the sickly feeling in my stomach as I idly wonder what tent he’s staying in and with whom.
His arm drops around my shoulders when he catches up, and I continue to walk as though this is a perfectly natural exchange.
“They’ve officially fucked with my head by praising you so much that I’m worried I’m in groupie territory now,” he tells me like he’s serious but joking.
That tone always confuses me because I don’t know if he’s serious, joking, or joking seriously.
“I miss you being my groupie,” he goes on as my heart starts pounding.
He told me he loved me. He shouldn’t have told me that. It’s trying to mess with the logical plans my head had a lot harder now that I’m forced to see him so soon.
“Which tent are you staying in?” I ask him as the vast majority of people elect to stay up.
They’re busy playing and not paying us much attention, absorbed by the demo of the new universe we’ll be launching.
“I’m staying in your tent, of course,” he answers casually, forcing me to keep walking when I try to stop, his trademark grin spreading when I stumble. “The excitement around here is contagious.”
I’m too stuck on the first part of his comment to formulate a response to the second half. I certainly don’t want him staying in anyone else’s tent though…
He steers me through some more tents, and the closer we get to mine, the faster my heart starts to beat.
“I spent all that time telling you the ins and outs of my world, dragging you into it from the day I moved in and started invading your privacy, and you pretended to have no creative influence or aspirations,” he says just as we reach my tent.
His arm falls away from me as he pulls back the entrance flap.
