Page 38 of Hot in Witch City
She was right. She’d teased me about my nonsense lyrics since we were young, and we’d laugh about it. That was the problem with misheard lyrics—they stick in your mind, no matter how ridiculous.
The guys chuckled, too, and I didn’t care. They were cool and non-judgmental, and revealing one of my faults made me feel more comfortable around them. She ended up with a good crew, and I was happy for her.
And if I wasn't a screwed-up siren with abandonment issues, maybe I could see myself hanging out more with someone like Sebastian. Someone considerate and fun and a beast in bed.
But that wasn’t the case. There was no changing the past, especially with my mother back in town screwing up my present.
Sebastian
Gianna had a beautiful voice, which wasn't surprising. I was already captivated by her and hearing that melodious voice travel through me just added to my fascination. The way she sang the wrong lyrics added to her charms. It made her less perfect and more approachable.
Who would've thought that she would fit so perfectly into my world so soon? Certainly not me. I caught myself staring at her far too often as my yearning grew.
After an hour or so, we ran out of songs we could play at a semi-decent level.
“Who’s ready for dessert?” I declared as we returned upstairs. “I made a tiramisu trifle.”
“Me,” Gianna was the first to say.
I loved her voracious appetite. It was much better than living with a vampire who had little tolerance for food. Whenever I offered him some, he’d scowl like I’d suggested torture on a medieval rack.
“Sign me up,” Nova added.
“You know I’m in.” Lucas rubbed his flat stomach.
I turned to Diego and cocked my head.
“A little.” He pinched this thumb and forefinger together. “Whatever you think a little is, divide it by four.”
Ha, typical Diego and his worm-sized belly.
Once I’d scooped out plates for each of us and served it with a sparkling dessert wine, Gianna said, “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m up for a board game if you still want to play.”
Hell yes, I was. Anything to keep her here longer. “We have Scrabble, Monopoly, Life, Trivial Pursuit.”
“No way to Monopoly.” She shook her head. “We could be here all night.”
“Scrabble?” Nova suggested.
“The way you play sounds fun. How else do you shake things up?” She bent her head. “Do you have an alternative version of trivia?”
We played it normal, but I was up for switching things up. “Let’s come up with one now,” I suggested.
After discussing some options, we decided foolishness was best.
“Okay, so question is read as printed,” Diego said. “The player responds with a nonsense reply. The reader can counter with a foolish answer.”
“How would we decide on whether it works?” Gianna said.
“By laughs,” I replied. “If you’re the player, and your answer gets a laugh from another player, you go again. If you get more groans, you lose your turn.”
It wasn’t a solid game plan and was bound to fall apart almost immediately but who cared?
Nova laughed. “It sounds screwed up enough that nobody really wins, but we’ll have a good time.”
“Works for me.” Lucas rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Let the foolishness begin.”
He and Diego set up the game. I brought the bottle of dessert wine over. The more we drank, the more ludicrous the responses.
