Oh my God.
He’s fucking talking about me!
The room erupted. Whispers and gasps, and someone actually cheered. The moderator grinned like he’d just uncovered the biggest scoop of the year.
But I was frozen.
Because I had kissed him. And he had let me. And now he was sitting on that stage, saying things he had no idea I was hearing.
I forced myself to move, slipping out before I could hear anything else.
I wandered through the convention floor, the noise of the panel fading into the background.
I had been around El’s work before.But this? This was different.
This was his world fully realized.
Everywhere I turned, there were cosplayers dressed as characters from Obsidian. Booths displayed prints of his artwork, stacks of his comics lined up beside limited-edition covers. A massive banner hung over one of the main displays, featuring his lead character—the one based on me, apparently.
A girl with dark brown skin and piercing eyes, hair twisted into thick coils, a smirk on her lips like she had the world figured out.
At least one of us did.
Her boobs were way better though.
I stared at her for way too long, wondering if this was how he truly saw me or if this was a gross overstatement of my character. I was not strong or loving or honorable or kind. I was a mess.
“Peanut?”
I spun around to find Elliot standing behind me. He looked confused but still had a smile tugging at his lips.
“Thought you weren’t coming,” he said in a low tone, stepping closer.
I swallowed. “Finished early.”
His eyes swept over me like he was seeing something new.
“Did you get to finish everything?” he asked.
“Most of it.”
His gaze softened. “You didn’t have to stop your work for me.”
“Of course, I did,” I said, folding my arms. “You would’ve stopped your work forme.”
He opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it. I could guess what he’d wanted to say anyway.
I nodded toward the display behind him. “Nice panel.”
If he was surprised I saw, he didn’t let it show. “You caught my panel?”
“A little.”
“What did you hear?”
I played it off, keeping my tone casual. “You talked about your lead, so I figured I’d take a look at everything.”
His smirk deepened. “And?”
