Page 34 of Two Guys, a Girl, and a Tripod

I’ll bet you would, pretty boy.

I have to make a different suggestion or he’s going to ask for a link to my Twitch, which doesn’t exist.

“Or maybe we could just play in person.”Thiswordplay is going to be the death of me.

“Sure, what’s your go-to?” He seriously has no clue that my mind is filled with entirely different images of ‘streaming’.

“How silly does it sound if I say I like the Lego games?” At least I can pivot with something truthful.

“Silly?” Brody repeats. “I love those. Low-stress, perfect for relaxing.”

“Exactly!”

I haven’t played video games in years, but Natalie’s ex had a console of some kind and he made me play one of the Harry Potter Lego games with him. He wasn’t great, so I’m glad he didn’t stick around much longer, but at least he provided me with a good answer to this line of questioning.

“I have a couple on an older console,” Brody muses. “Maybe I should get some updated ones.”

“If you’re going to have a pro like me playing with you, then you probably should.”Really, Sophie? A pro?

“I’ll be prepared.”

“Besides video games,” I say, moving on, “other hobbies?” Please say something that gets you out of the house. I need an extrovert in my life.

“I travel,” he says slowly. “One of my favorite things is touring vineyards wherever I travel. I’m not an alcoholic,” he adds quickly and I nod. “I just like to try local places and no matter where I go, there’s always a vineyard with a view.”

“Always?” I ask, fixing him with a gaze that says I’m unconvinced.

“Ok, 99% of the time.”

“I find that difficult to believe.” I cross my arms over my chest only to immediately realize my mistake. Brody’s eyes drop to my cleavage. Damn, he was doing so well.

“Name a state or a big city.” He drags his eyes back to my face.

“Missouri.”

“There’s one near Colombia that’s on a bit of a hill, so their patio looks out over a lot of fields and trees. Stunning view on a sunny day, even in October when I was there.” He smiles, lost in thought, before coming back to the conversation. “They had live music, too.”

“Florida,” I toss out.

“A little harder because I only went to a couple, but there’s one just north of Jacksonville that I loved. You can look right out over the vineyard and you’re just surrounded by nature on all sides.”

“Uh.” What other states are there? Brody’s eyes are hypnotizing me into speechlessness and I find myself wanting to be in one of these places with him. As if we’re not already on a date.

“Just two states?” He smirks.

“I believe you,” I finally say, going for another swig of water.

“That was too easy,” he shoots back. “What’s on your mind?”

“I wish I could travel for pleasure more often,” I admit. One could say I already do, but there’s a distinct difference between porn and sex.

“Workaholic?” Brody asks. I nod. “My roommate is that way too. I’d say on average, the guy works 60 hours a week or more. He needs a life.”

“He and I would get along well. The plus side of freelance work is I can work when I want, but the not-so-great thing is that I end up working alotbecause I don’t have a set schedule.”

“Yeah, that’s more or less what he’s said. We were supposed to see the new Marvel movie on Wednesday, but he’s working in the middle of the day with a new c-… client.” It’s as if Brody has to correct himself. I brush off the feeling. His roommate is not important. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mad. I just think he needs to take more time for himself.”

“My friend would say the same about me.”

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