Page 67 of Fake Game

“It’s not up for discussion.”

“Don’t worry, Deer. Big guy here can survive on the couch; it’s custom made from Norway.” Parker slings an arm around my shoulders, a shit-eating grin slapped on his face.

“You better sleep with one eye open.”

He rolls his eyes. “Besides, it’s just one night. We can get you set up in your place tomorrow, and he can go back to his cave.”

“Tomorrow? It’s ready?”

Wait. What?

“Yeah, technically. I mean, the paint job was finished up this weekend. Might still smell a little chemically tomorrow but shouldn’t be bad enough that you can’t move in a few days early.”

No.

No, I was supposed to have another few days with her.

She wasn’t…

This wasn’t supposed to be her last night.

“Ohmigods. Yes! I can’t wait to see it.”

“Great. I’ll get the movers to your old place first thing. Syd will drop by and help after our meeting.”

“Thanks. It’ll be so nice to have my setup again. No offense to your build.”

“A little offense. Did you see the res from my graphics card? It’s an RTX 4090.”

“No, no, it’s a sick build. Really. It’s just not my style. I have these cooling fans that light up a rotating ombre pink color, and my graphics card is that limited edition Sakura one that has petals falling when it’s running.”

“Huh. You’ll have to show me.”

“Sure. I’ll have you over once it’s all set up.” She grins up at him, her eyes sparkling in that way that means she’s genuinely happy.

There’s a squeaking noise as my molars grind against each other.

“I’m headed to bed.”

I push up from the couch, flinging Parker’s arm off me in the process. Deer startles, her shoulders pinching back as she makes room for me to squeeze past her.

“What? It’s barely midnight,” Parker calls out as I stalk away.

“Bed doesn’t sound like a bad idea, right, babe?” Stevie purrs.

“Doesn’t sound bad at all,” Aleks hums back.

“Oh, come on. What did we say about public spaces?” Parker’s voice pitches higher, “Seriously! Don’t make out on the couch, you guys.”

I ignore them all, and trudge into Parker’s bedroom to collect my shit. I’d left a fair amount of my gym gear in here, not wanting to bother Deer every morning while she was in my room. I throw everything into my sports bag and zip it up, not really caring.

All I care about right now is Deer leaving tomorrow.

My mind floats back to yesterday: her hand on my cheek, her touch warm and calming.

My jaw twinges as it continues to clench harder.

Maybe this is a good thing. She’s making everything confusing. It isn’t supposed to be confusing. Life is supposed to be easy, simple. But nothing has been simple since she walked in. She’s splattered her whimsy on everything she’s touched, and I can’t help but find myself drawn to her intoxicating smile.

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