Page 99 of The Protégé

Some nights I stayed over at her place, while other nights she stayed in my apartment below this office.

Today, she stayed home to work so she could water and organize her dandelion garden.

I held the blue canteen she’d prepared for me. “Who knew dandelion tea could fix my most troublesome issue?” I sipped and placed it down.

When I asked her for the name of the special ingredient, she said it was hard to pronounce. She called it a magical leaf. To my surprise, the tea had made me more relaxed. I had more clarity in my mind, and my body felt more invigorated. Most of all, I was happy.

Feeling inspired, I worked on Level Six.I created new characters, changed up the plot, and added more details to my little fantasy world. I grinned when a beautiful Madame Sarcasm character came to life, holding a pot of powerful dandelions that could grant extra lives to the players.

A thrill rushed through me, confirming this was what the video game had been missing. Elena had inspired this new character that would take Level Six to where it needed to be. The work flowed effortlessly, and before I knew it, the demo was uploaded to the shared drive for the boys to review.

Immense relief overcame me as I checked off a big accomplishment. Now I just had to wait for their feedback.

A text buzzed on my phone, and I grinned like a fool.

Elena:Want to join me on an obstacle course?

Orion:Are you asking me on a date?

Elena:Yes.

Orion:Okay. (Smile emoji) Where are we going?

Elena:The Mudstacle Course. We can get dirty together.

Christ. This wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t mind a challenging obstacle course, but a mud race? I’d seen some of them. Mud could creep up into your ass.

Elena:You still there?

I guess I’d taken too long to reply.

Orion:Here. Just trying to see the fun in it.

Elena:You’d be with me. That’s fun enough, right?

She knew what buttons to push with me.

Orion:Always. But we can get dirty without the nasty mud.

Elena:They have an area that teaches me how to shoot a slingshot.

Orion:You did fine the other day. Just keep practicing.

I’d shown her how to shoot it in her backyard. She was pretty good at it.

Elena:We’ve been working hard. Need a break to de-stress. Come with me.

Orion:I always love cumming for you. (Wink emoji)

Elena:(Eye roll emoji) If you prefer to stay home, I can ask the girls to go with me.

Orion:No, I’ll go. (Heart emoji)

This seemed important to her, so I’d face the gross mud for her.

Elena:You’re the best. (Heart emoji) (Kiss emoji)

Orion:Kiss here. (Cucumber emoji)

---