I glanced at the clock. Eight-thirty. Maya had been asleep for maybe an hour. She’d probably sleep through the night; she needed time to recover and start the healing process. Which meant I had hours to kill and nothing to do but think.
Gaming. I could game. That's what I’d told her I’d do.
I settled into my custom-built chair, one of the few pieces of furniture I’d had specially made, because trying to game hunched over a human-sized desk was a recipe for back pain, and booted up my PC. The familiar hum of the system was comforting. This was my space, my sanctuary. The monitors flickered to life, bathing the corner in blue light.
My friend’s list loaded. TankMaster87 was online, of course. That guy lived in-game. A few others were on too, probably hunkered down in their own homes riding out the storm.
A message popped up immediately.
Dude, you alive? Storm’s insane.
I hesitated, then typed back.
Yeah, I’m good. Actually something happened.
???
Maya crashed her car. On the mountain road. I found her.
There was a pause, longer than Tank’s usual lightning-fast responses.
WAIT. Maya as in YOUR Maya? GimmeAChallenge007 Maya?
She’s not MY Maya. But yes, that Maya.
Holy shit. Is she okay?
Bruised, shaken up, but okay. She's here. At my cabin.
She's WHAT
Roads are closed. Storm’s too bad. She’s staying here until it clears.
And she knows? About you?
Yeah. She figured it out pretty much immediately. Hard to hide when you're carrying someone through a blizzard.
How’d she take it?
I thought about Maya’s laugh when she’d realized my username wasn’t ironic. The way she’d looked at me over her hotchocolate, with curiosity and warmth in her eyes. The fact that she’d called me her best gaming partner without even hesitating.
Better than I expected. Better than I had any right to hope for, honestly.
Dude. DUDE. This is your chance.
My chance to what? She just crashed her car and nearly froze to death. I’m not going to hit on her while she’s vulnerable and stuck here.
I’m not saying hit on her. I'm saying you’ve been into this girl forever. And now the universe literally dropped her on your doorstep. Don’t waste it.
I’m not going to ‘waste’ anything. We’re friends. Good friends. I’m not going to risk that because of some feelings she probably doesn’t share.
You’re an idiot.
Thanks, man. Real supportive.
I’m serious. I’ve heard you two talk. I’ve watched you light up every time she logs on. If you don’t at least TRY
She’s been here for hours. Can we maybe give it more than three hours before I start making life-altering declarations?
