Page 19 of Dating and Dragons

“I rush to unlock her cell with the keys and then run to the others to unlock them!” I cry, knowing we only have seconds before an angry guard is upon us.

“Thank god we have a sorceress in the party,” Mark says.“Now we need to find our weapons. I can’t take on these guards without them.”

“Me neither,” Kashvi says.

Sloane launches us into the next part of the campaign—a battle with the crew members for control of the ship—and I’m so caught up that I forget the cameras and livestream, just like Mark said I would. Finally there’s a short lull as Rolo does a skill check on whether he can steer the boat to shore, and I sit back and take a sip of water. I’ve been so nervous about the public aspect of this that I forgot how much I love playing D&D. Creating characters, building backstories, thinking on my feet when there’s a problem. I love the idea of being some fantastical person who can wield magic or turn into a bird. And most of all, I love doing all of it with a group of friends around me.

Everyone’s leaning forward, eyes bright, smiling or frowning depending on what their latest roll has been. I got burned so badly in my last D&D group that it’s scary to let myself trust others. But Kashvi catches my eye and gives me a subtle thumbs-up. A rush of hopeful exhilaration floods me. She seems really cool and supportive. My eyes flick to Logan, who is debating with Sanjiv over which guard we need to take out first. Even he isn’t as bad now that we’re in the game together.

His gaze meets mine. “Nasria?” The British accent Logan does as Adris brings me back to myself. “ ‘I know the sight of me can be distracting, and perhaps there’s a way to remedy that later, but you might want to pay more attention. You’re about to be attacked.’ ”

My cheeks heat at the fact that he caught me staring. ButI’m not letting him get the last word. “ ‘Excuse me, Adris. I’ve never seen an elf slam his own face into a set of bars. It’s hard to stop myself from reliving it.’ ” I tilt my head as if to bow to him, then turn my attention back to Sloane.

Maybe Kashvi can be a new friend, but definitely not everyone sitting at this table.

Chapter Eight

The first live session lasts two hours, which is standard for this group, and we all sigh with relief when we’re off camera.

Sloane slaps their hands on the table. “I think that was a great session. We lost some of our traction on viewers from last time, but we can build it back again.”

“I love the idea of starting us on the ship. Very cool,” Sanjiv says.

“I wanted to do something other than having you all meet in a tavern like usual.”

“Sorry Rolo kind of…capsized the boat,” Mark says. He rolled so poorly when he was trying to helm the ship that Sloane described him as finding the only rock formation in the sea and running the boat directly into it.

“Apologynotaccepted,” Kashvi replies. “You lost us all of our equipment. How am I supposed to be the greatestfighter this world has ever seen if I don’t have a freaking sword?”

Mark ducks his head.

“If it makes you feel any better, I was going to capsize the boat anyway, so you were always going to lose your weapons,” Sloane says, and we all burst out laughing.

“Classic.” Logan stretches and stands up. “Can we hang out longer or does your family have plans?”

Kashvi sighs. “We’re supposed to go see our aunt as soon as the session is done. Mom’s probably two minutes from coming down here to kick everyone out.”

“Do you think you’d be able to drop me off at my house on your way?” I ask. “My mom and dad are watching Andrew’s game, so I don’t have a ride.”

“Usually it would be totally fine, but my parents are anxious to get on the road since my aunt is an hour away.” She looks to the others. “Can anyone else drive her?”

“Where do you live?” Logan asks.

“On the east side of town, off Chestnut Street.”

Mark, Sloane, and Logan all look at each other as if they’re having a silent conversation. Nerves rattle through me. We just spent the last two hours bonding, but I’m suddenly aware that I’m still the new person here.

“I’m the only one going in that direction,” Logan says a moment later, his voice less than excited. “I’ll take you.”

“You don’t have to.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Didn’t you just say you need aride?”

“Yeah, but…”

I can’t really volunteer somebody else to drive me instead, especially if I’m asking them to go completely out of their way to drop me off. If my house was a little closer—and if it was a little warmer—I’d 100percent walk home rather than ride with Logan.

“I know you aren’t thrilled, but you can’t stay here,” he mutters, and starts packing up his things.

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