“I’m sorry.”
“No worries, I had it good. Well, as good as a big reptile could have.” We share a chuckle, and I take another bite.
“Was school…difficult for you?”
I nod. “I was homeschooled. It’s kind of why I found my way to video games. It was an escape.”
“Same,” he replies with a smile.
“I’m an introverted gamer nerd turtle. But I can’t regret it. It led me to you, after all.”
He smiles and puts his hand over mine. After a quick squeeze, he pulls away, and I miss his contact. “Yes, well,” I continue. “Mama and Papa couldn’t relate to my problems. Much like you, I sank into video games because of the online socialization aspect. It made me feel normal, since my avatar was normal-looking.”
“You…l-l-look…” Loxley seems to be frustrated, and I can tell he’s trying to muster up the words.
“Take your time,” I say.
His eyebrows jump in surprise, then he takes out his phone. He quickly types out the words, “You’re not abnormal. You look great no matter what your form.”
Is it possible to blush and be crazy turned-on all at once? Because that’s what’s happening. “Thanks,” I murmur as I rub my cheeks to try to hide my blush. “You sound like my folks. Trying to act like I wouldn’t cause a huge scene if I walked around with my tail out.”
I laugh, but Loxley frowns. He types out, “I hope one day you can be comfortable in public, but with me, you don’t have to try to be anything else.”
I frown and nod. There I go again, dampening the mood. “I’m sorry. I’m shit at this whole socialization thing.” I shake out my hands and tap the table. “Or dating in general. This is kind of my first date. And I’m hoping this is your first date. Not that I think guys don’t want to ask you out! Far from it. You are really attractive. I just don’t want to sound like a lonely loser virgin. See? There I go again, being self-deprecating and admitting I’m a twenty-two-year-old virgin. Why did I tell you that? And why can’t I stop talking?”
I groan, but Loxley chuckles and puts his hand over mine. “It’s okay, Gordy. This…is my first date, too.”
“Really?”
“Sort of.” His smile falls. “I’ve had…boys, but like…they only hung out with me to…” He shuts his eyes and shakes his head. “Sex only.”
My eyebrows rise. “Oh.”
“No one…l-l-likes getting to know me.”
My heart aches for him. This is the same guy I pushed away the day we met? He’s been through his share of heartache; it’s so obvious. And he still asked me out.
Loxley wants to spend time with me, so let’s make this a happy memory.
Placing my hand over his. “I’d love to get to know you.”
His brilliant smile has my turtle tail wagging under my coat. “The Ferris wheel!”
“Huh?”
He points behind me. Indeed, there is a large metal ride, the perfect place for couples to get closer. Jackpot.
“Me…and you.”
“I’m down, Boysen,” I say with a grin. We swiftly throw away our trash and make our way to the wheel. Tonight isn’t even over, and my face hurts from smiling so much. It’s a problem I could get used to, just like the feeling of Loxley’s hand in mine.
CHAPTER 13- LOXLEY
“AND WITH THESEnew power-ups, I wanna run through another raid during the next gaming event,” Gordy says. He takes another bite of cotton candy as we walk, hand in hand, down the carnival booths. The night is winding down, and I want so badly to get on my tiptoes and kiss his reptilian face.
Gordy makes me feel alive in ways I never thought possible.
“Do you want to join me?” I nod quickly, and he laughs. “Alright, bet. I’m so glad I get to talk video games with you. It feels, like, foreign to talk about it in real life.”
