Page 20 of Dating and Dragons

The group chats for a few more minutes and Kashvi gives me a hug. “I’m so glad you’re playing with us—you did an awesome job today. I’ll text you later.”

“Have fun with your family.” I know I’m being a dork to care so much, but I’m excited she wants to text me. She’s not sick of me yet.

I follow Logan out of the house and down the street to his small, beat-up green Chevy S-10 truck. I climb in and hold my things on my lap. It’s so uncomfortable sitting in tight quarters with him after bickering for the last two hours.

“Thanks for doing this,” I say begrudgingly once he plugs my address into his phone’s GPS since his truck is too old to have a built-in system.

“No problem.”

We drive the next few minutes in complete silence. I guess he doesn’t like listening to the radio, and I’m not about to start playing with the dials and annoy him more. But his cold, standoffish persona is still on full display, and I have an irrational urge to dismantle it. I wish I knew for sure why he’s changed so much from those first few days when I talked to him. If it’s about the group rules, then that would mean he likes me, so wouldn’t he at least be pleasant around me? More likely he doesn’t think I deserve to play in the campaignwith them. Or maybe he’s annoyed I showed him up today. Regardless, it can’t continue like this. I need to win him over again, if only to make the campaign easier.

“Do you think the game went well today?” I ask in a cheery voice.

“Yeah.”

“It seems like it’s going to be a fun campaign. I wonder what Sloane has in store for us next time. Are they a toughDM?”

“Sometimes.”

My eyes narrow on the road ahead. Seriously? He’s only giving me one-word answers?

I huff and pull my bag closer to my chest. “Why do you suddenly dislike me?”

He flinches and the truck slows momentarily as his foot comes off the accelerator. “I…What? I don’t dislike you.”

“Well, you clearly don’t like me playing D&D. You were cool when we first met, but now you can barely string two words together to answer a question. Do you think I’m ruining the game?”

He jerks his head in my direction. “No.”

“But you didn’t want me to join—don’t try to deny it.Why?”

He shrugs and his fingers flex around the steering wheel. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter.”

My pulse speeds and I can’t stop my mind from going back to the group’s rule on dating. He hasn’t confirmed that’s the reason…but he hasn’t denied it either. I want to know, but the abject horror of asking him outright only to have him say no—or laugh in disgust—is enough to keepme silent for life. Anyway, knowing the answer won’t change anything. I’m not quitting this game. For the first time in months, I have people I can call friends, and I won’t jeopardize that.

I swallow and try to calm my thoughts. “It matters when we’re playing in a cooperative game together. And when you’re acting like the leader of the campaign,” I mutter. “What’s up with that, anyway?”

“The others always turn to me. I don’t ask for it.” He glances at me. “What, do you want to be the leader or something?”

“No.” That wasn’t what I was saying at all. “Though maybe I should since Adris couldn’t even get us out of our cells.”

“Nasria wouldn’t be a good leader. You said she hates people.”

“She hates elves.”

“Well, isn’t that convenient,” he replies sarcastically. “But Adris’s Charisma will win her over.”

“Not if his Charisma is anything like yours.”

He sniffs. “Maybe he won’t want to win her over if her personality is anything like yours.”

“Then thank god I gave her that personality.”

I slouch in frustration. I was hoping to get him to warm up to me, and instead we’re bickering even more.

I peek over at Logan, expecting to find him glowering. Instead, he’s…amused? Is he enjoying this? I could swear he’s fighting a smile, andwow,it’s not fair the way it transforms his face or the emotions roiling inside me.

“Did I say something funny?”

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