Page 87 of Playing Flirty

My heart stood still, and time stretched out before me.

He blew out another breath. “I love making games better. But it’s never mattered before, not like this. This is your dream.”

“Do you have some kind of stage fright? It’s not a presentation.” I gnawed on my lip, wishing away the rising panic. “If you’re worried about the bruise, just tell them you do martial arts or you hurt yourself saving a baby from an angry lion, or something.”

He did not laugh. Instead, fear overtook his usually confident expression. “No. It’s… I know how it sounds, but what if I’m not the right person? What if you’re supposed to send Shaun?” He glanced at me. “I have a record of ruining lives. Ask anyone.”

“Shaun? Really?” I studied him, not certain he was serious. When he didn’t react, I added, “How would you ruin it? You know it as well as I do.”

I searched his eyes for answers. There were none. He barely looked like the William I’d come to know. Instead, he looked young and afraid.

“You’ll have to trust me on this,” he continued. “I will ruin it. Somehow. And if I do, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“And you have to trust I would never risk my board game. I chose you because I believe, without any doubts, that you are the best person to do it. Overpower is as much yours as it is mine.”

My heart hiccuped as I said it.

I stood on my toes and gave him a quick kiss, hoping my kisses made him feel as invincible as he made me feel. He kept his eyes closed after our lips parted.

“You’re perfect. You’re not just good enough. You’re the best,” I said, my tone brooking no argument.

Perhaps he needed to hear me say it.

He leaned his forehead against mine, his eyes still closed as though trying to block out his own pain.

“Please say you’ll go.” I hoped he couldn’t hear the desperation in my voice. “You’re the only one I trust. Plus it’s this Monday, so you’re cutting it a bit tight.”

He opened his eyes and stared into mine. Finally, he blew out a long, slow, and defeated breath. “I’ll do my best.”

When I pulled him back into the living room, Neema looked up at us. “What time is the game thing?”

“Eleven,” we answered in unison.

“What time are you leaving here?” I asked William.

“Maps say it takes about forty-five minutes of driving, so I’ll leave just after nine. An hour’s cushion should be enough to get there and find everything.”

Had it been me, I would have left the night before and set up a tent in front of their offices, protecting my game with my body. But to each his own, I guess.

“This is so exciting,” Neema squealed. “I can’t believe your dream is coming true!”

“I can’t even think about it,” I said. “It freaks me out too much. What if it fails?”

Beside me, William went ramrod straight.

“William, play nice. No heckling.” Shaun gritted his teeth. “Or punching.”

“May the force be ever in your favor,” Neema added.

We all stared at her until she realized what she’d said. “I mean… ugh, you know what I meant.”

William smiled, but there was no dimple. He still didn’t seem confident about this, and his fear escalated my own anxieties. And to make matters worse, he didn’t kiss me goodbye that night. Not with his mouth, his hands, or his eyes. He seemed to want me to leave, and I couldn’t understand what had changed.

Round 28

Sleep was still giving me the cold shoulder. My mind was buzzing like an itch I couldn’t scratch. William was that itch, and he was giving me complete radio silence.

As was my mother, who still had nothing to say on the ominous Patrick-related warning. I’d even considered texting Patrick myself but thought it better to let sleeping dogs lie.

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