Page 1 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

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Icosagon

Icosagon:A twenty-sided polygon. Icosagons can be used to represent the twenty amino acids in modeling protein sequences.

OLIVER

“Guys, I think we’ve achieved pinnacle nerd here.”

My buddy Andrew froze with the twenty-sided die cupped in his hand. He leaned back in his chair at their dining room table and gazed up at his fiancée, who rested her manicured hands on his shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“Um…” Carly looped a lock of Andrew’s hair around her finger, one of the shaggy bits that poked out from underneath the brim of his purple wizard’s hat. “I mean, I love our game nights. But this one is a little…extreme?”

“What?” I picked up the plastic kraken figure and twirled it, its long tentacles whipping the scent of garlic into my nostrils. Andrew had over-seasoned his baked ziti again, and the air was pungent with it. I could feel it seeping into my pores. (Days later, I’d still be able to smell it in my sweat.) “I called in a favor to get this advance copy ofForge of Destiny.It’s the next huge tabletop RPG…um…roleplaying game,” I added, since Carly didn’t know a sorcerer from a paladin. “You won’t be able to find it anywhere at Christmas.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “I’m honored. But maybe I should sit this one out. Leave space for the serious gamers.” I’ll admit it: the hat and the board game looked out of place in their sleek, leather-and-glass dining room, and Carly was a good sport to host this meetup for Andrew’s friends, who were all a decade younger than her and the opposite of the cool celebrities she usually hung out with.

Andrew’s lip stuck out like she’d killed his favorite character. “It’ll be more fun if you play.”

“It’s true,” I said, “it’s better with more players, even if they’re noobs.” Andrew scowled at me, so I flashed his fiancée a smile and tapped one of the jingle bells on my jester’s hat. “I thought you’d like the fashion aspect of this one, Carly.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That’s what you consider fashion?”

My friend snatched off his wizard hat and tossed it onto their dining table. “You like Texas Hold’em. I’ll get another card table from the garage.”

I couldn’t lose methodical Andrew to poker. He was the best RPG strategist I knew. Almost as good as Simon used to be. “You still have to finish your character.”

“I don’t know…” He traced one of the stars embroidered on the silky purple fabric of the hat, his gaze on his fiancée. He was a total simp for her.

Not that there was anything wrong with that.

I wanted good things for my friend. But game night used to be our thing, with whiskey and pizza and no one judging us for being nerds. Now, there was wine—though none for me—and charcuterie and homemade pasta, not to mention the barely-disguised mockery.

And kissing.

I looked away as Carly pressed her lips to Andrew’s. She murmured, “It’s all good. I’ll go check on Chanel. She might need some quiet after meeting all these new people.”

“Need me to take her outside?” he asked.

I centered the kraken on its spot on the board. I wouldnotroll my eyes about Andrew’s purse dog. So what if he sometimes seemed to care more about the dog than me? Chanel made Carly happy, and that made Andrew happy. I needed to get over myself, hard as it was with the shit going down at work. I needed my friend.

“No, we’re fine. You boys play your game.” Carly’s hand lingered on his shoulder before she glided away.

I grabbed the deck of cards and shuffled them aggressively. “Who else is in?”

I looked up to see which of our friends would sit down to play, but a swoop of russet hair in the foyer caught my attention. My throat went dry, and I grabbed the edge of the table to keep my fingers from trembling.

“You didn’t tell meshewas coming.” I meant to say it softly, but my vocal cords seized up, and it came out as a too-loud wheeze.

And, shit, she heard me. Those eerie light-green eyes of hers locked onto mine. Her soft-looking lips tightened, then she turned her back to me as she accepted a hug from Carly.

“I didn’t know,” Andrew muttered. “Carly’s been trying to get Tessa to come to game night for months. She’s basically a hermit.”

If I’d known she’d be there, I might have stayed home. My crush had already made me embarrass myself, and it was highly likely I’d make it even worse as the night went on.

Like he could read the thought on my face, he said, “Can you try to get along? I know you two are like cats and dogs, but?—”

I scraped my chair back and accidentally bumped the table as I shot to my feet. The plastic figurines shuddered, and the kraken skidded off the edge of the board. My hat rang out like sleigh bells. I yanked it off and tossed it on my chair. “I’m going to get a drink. Want one?”

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