Swoon.
I exit the shower stall with an extra pep in my step. Just a little longer, and I can log on and talk to him more. And, yeah, I realize he might be a creepy fat old man. But hesoundslike he’s young. And like hefucks. Snickering to myself, I slather everyinch of my body with lotion, like he’s about to reach through my screen and touch me.
I should ask how old he is. Oh, and for a selfie. If he has an eighties pornstache, I’ll just block him. Sure, I’ll be disappointed for a while—I spent an unhealthy amount of today fantasizing about a man I didn’t even know existed before yesterday—but I’ll get over it.
I pause in front of the mirror, tracing a fingertip down the fogged glass until my reflection peeks through. My cheeks are flushed, eyes bright—ridiculous how a stranger’s voice can do that to me.
I pull on my robe and wander into the bedroom, towel-drying my hair as I glance at the laptop on my desk. The glow of the login screen feels like it’s waiting for me, like he’s already there somewhere on the other side, leaning close to his mic and grinning that wicked grin I’ve only imagined. After a moment of hesitation, I type in my username and password, hitting enter before I turn around to find my comfy loungewear.
My pulse kicks up a notch when I hear the notification ping—he’s online. I drop into my chair, heart doing a weird little tap dance as I type:
You logged on early tonight, didn’t you?
Three dots appear, then his reply:
Couldn’t wait. Thought I’d see if my favorite pixie was around.
My smile grows before I can stop it. Man, he’s smooth. Nothing like that buffoon, Ethan. God wasted good looks on a creep like him.Wait, why am I even thinking about him now?
Shaking my head free from intrusive thoughts, I answer Seb instead:
Well, here she is. What are you going to do about it?
His reply is nearly instantaneous:
Accept the voice chat invitation and I’ll tell you.
I make a low purring sound in my throat as I reach for my headset—black with pink accents and cat ears. Once it’s positioned comfortably over my ears, I clear my throat and say ‘hi’ in a few different intonations. Finally, I accept the voice chat and let him hear me.
“Hi,” I say cheerfully.
His deep chuckle sets the panties I just pulled on on fire. “Hello, little bee. How was your day?”
He even asks how my day went—totally boyfriend material.
“It was okay,” I reply. “Though I nearly froze on my way home. I’m still not used to the snow.”
“Oh?” he drawls. “Where do you live and where do you come from?”
I hesitate for a moment. I guess there’s no harm in naming multi-million-person cities, though. “NYC now, and LA originally.”
He hums, the sound tickling my ears. “How come you moved then, Bee? That’s quite the change.”
I groan, moving around aimlessly in-game until he appears by my side. Or my avatar’s side, rather. “I went to school here and met my best friend. I couldn’t bear to be separated from her,” I admit.
Seb laughs again, but not in a mocking way. “Sounds like quite the friendship,” he says. “I hope they feel the same way about you.”
“Oh,shedoes.” I emphasize the gender in case there were any doubts. I’m acting so clingy already. “Though she has less time for me these days, now that she’s engaged.”
“How about you?” Seb asks me after a moment of us solving a co-op puzzle with our avatars. “Husband, kids?”
I nearly choke on my own spit. “Don’t think I’d be here for hours every night if I had any of those.” I chew on my bottom lip for a moment. Fuck it. “How about you?”
“No,” he drawls, dragging the word out. “Haven’t met the right girl yet.”
Yesss.
“And what would the right girl be like?” I ask cheekily. The clicking of my mouse is the only sound for a moment, and I start worrying that I put him off.
