Page 29 of Knotty, Nice, & Holiday Lights
When Izzy tells me for the millionth time how delicious the food is, I smile in return, my heart thumping in my chest like every time before.
She’s so beautiful and kind. She’s exactly the Omega my parents would have wanted for me.
She’s the Omega I’ve waited my whole life for, in every way.
“So, Iz,” Matthew pipes up. “Are you stepping on your bosses?”
Huh?
This knowing look passes between them as she laughs, head shaking, gray eyes crinkling. “You bet I’ve been.”
“Stepping on… what?” Asher’s confusion is obvious in his voice.
Izzy lets out another laugh. “I have this thing… It’s weird, I warn you. But there was this older woman, a neighbor from when I was growing up. She practiced an old religion that not many do anymore. But, anyway, she had this method for rising above obstacles and adversity that people tried to put in your way.” She leans over and reaches for something under the table, coming back to sit up with her slipper in hand. She reachesinside where the toe cover is and pulls out three torn pieces of paper, fanning them like playing cards. “Each of these has the name of one of the shareholder dick-sucking bosses who fired me.” She’s completely unapologetic as she says it, and I can’t stop the laugh that erupts from my chest.
“Tell us how you really feel,” I hum.
“And that’s how she steps on them,” Matthew adds, more humor in his eyes than I’ve ever seen.
“It’s symbolism for squashing them under your foot and keeping them out of your way,” Izzy explains as she slips her slipper back on and sits up with a grin. “It rarely doesn’t make me feel better.”
The energy shifts beside her before Matthew asks in a soft voice, “Did my name ever get squished?”
Her head whips to him, and it’s a breath before she replies. “No, Matthew. I never had the desire to push you out of my path.”
There’s a heated look between them that makes me feel like a voyeur.
“Well,” Asher chimes, “CheckPoint Games is going to regret letting you go, Izzy. Bits of paper in your shoe or not.”
“CheckPoint Games?” I ask, my wide eyes flitting from Asher to Izzy. “I’ve played so many of their games.”
Action RPGs had always been my favorite game genre, and they were the top producers in the industry.
Izzy grumbles on a sigh. “Yeah. I was a character designer and artist there for years.”
“What games did you work on?” I can’t help myself.
A smirk crosses her lips, her eyes going warm. “Let’s see. I worked onYavin-8, Fantasmaland, Death of an Archon,and I was just wrapping production onYavin-8: Return to Solariswhen I got the ax.”
I’m gaping at her, I know it.
I’ve played all of those games. I even have posters of some of them on the wall in my bedroom in the apartment.
Matthew smiles as Asher laughs beside me. “You have a fanboy, Izzy,” he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“You game?” both Izzy and Matthew ask at the same time.
I silently nod before sipping my beer and clearing my throat. “Those are some of my favorite games.” There’s no way I can get through a conversation about those games without embarrassing myself with enthusiasm. Thankfully, Matthew chimes in.
“If Izzy hadn’t worked for them, we never would have met.” He tilts his head to look at her, then turns to me and Asher. “I’m a GamerTube streamer and content creator,” he explains. “I used to be really popular, actually. Popular enough that CheckPoint Games invited me to tour their building for my channel. They were local, so I went, glad for the content.” He lets out a chuckle. “They sponsored me to playFantasmalandat the time, and Iz was the one they asked to give me the rundown on camera.”
Izzy nearly snorts. “Yeah, they wanted a chick to rep the company back then.”
“A hot chick.” Matthew nudges her with his shoulder. “I think that video is still my highest viewed.”
Izzy goes a little pink in the face, and I make a mental note to look the video up later.
“I had a really difficult time keeping on topic during our interview, and was a pretty arrogant shit then. Decided to shoot my shot and asked Iz to get a drink with me after work.”
