Page 87 of Huge Games

"I will. Thanks, Mom."

Everyone's tucking into their food when I return to the open-plan living space. I take a seat between Elias and Dornan, facing Celine, and tell her about the arrangement I've agreed with my mom.

"Are you sure?" she gasps, as though I've offered to give her Buckingham Palace.

"Are you kidding me? My mom is desperate for more people to feed. Just be prepared to start letting your pants out at the waist."

She laughs, and it's the sweetest sound. Everything about Celine is a contrast to Lina. Her loyalty and kindness. Her fierce desire to support the people she cares about. Her sense of fun and warmth.

"That's great," Dornan says, touching her arm.

"And you can crash at mine anytime you want," Elias says.

I can tell they’d both invite her to stay if they could, but dorm rules are strict about sharing.

"Is it okay to ask what's happened about the video?" I take a bite of my burger and then a long swig of soda, enjoying the familiar tastes.

"The police have Eddie's phone. They arrested him last night, but we haven't heard anything else."

"That's good. Is the video still up?"

Celine shakes her head. "It's been taken down from the site he uploaded it to. I checked last night. But who knows how many times it's been downloaded and shared."

"Hopefully, it wasn't up long enough for that to happen."

"And it's impossible to keep track of without immersing myself in gross content twenty-four-seven."

"Exactly." Elias offers her one of his hot wings, and when she doesn't take one, he offers one to me, too.

"Thanks, man," I say.

"So, what's the plan with you?" he asks. "Do you think you'll still be able to start that job?"

"I called them from Germany to explain what happened and tell them I'm coming back. They haven't filled the role, so they’re happy for me to start. I get the feeling that they're a little worried I'll let them down again. I guess the only way I can prove I'm reliable is by being reliable."

"So, Lina didn't fuck things up for you?"

"I'm out of pocket for two flights. I can handle that. It was the right thing to do. I had to be sure."

Celine nods. She goes to say something but then brings her lips together.

"What?" I cock my head to the side.

"I just…" She looks around at each of us in turn and her cheeks warm. "I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed playing revenge games with you, but now Eddie's well and truly out of the picture, I release you from your commitment."

"Release us?" Elias's nose wrinkles like he smells something gross.

"I just mean, I don't have any expectations for what this is, so if you don't want to do this anymore, all you have to do is let me know."

"Errr." Elias looks like Celine just said she wants to hack off his testicles.

Dornan lowers his burger solemnly. "You're joking, right?"

"I just…well, we haven't exactly talked about what this is…" She waves her hands around to encompass us all.

"I thought it would be obvious by now," Dornan says. His eyes search mine and then Elias's, checking to see if we're all on the same page. We both nod.

"Obvious?"

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