AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you remember how the episode ended?” I asked.
Kandace ducked her head. “I never paid attention to most of them. I just caught enough to have an idea that they weren’t corrupting Lucas.”
They might have been, though not in the way some people thought. “It ends with Donovan confronting me with all our parents, and us agreeing that even though I spent too much time gaming, the computer, and the internet, weren’t inherently bad. That I could learn so many things from being online.”
Austin did the hand-wipe across the sky thing again. “Brought to you by AOL. Welcome to the World Wide Wow.”
“God, I’d almost forgotten how tacky that was.” I laughed with embarrassment. “But in answer to your question, no. That wasn’t based on me. I’m not sure if I’m offended or flattered that the geeky episode would be centered on my sins.”
Kandace laughed again. “Were any of them based on reality? You probably get that question a lot.”
“Not really.” Austin turned so he could face us, and walked backwards. Somehow he managed to do so without running into anything behind him.
This answer was more my realm than his, at least these days. “The old Hollywood writers, the ones who have been around forever, know which tropes and episodes work. You stick someone new in the writers’ room, and in approximately two-point-seven days, they’ve been assimilated intothis is the way we’ve always done it. The tropes, the jokes, and all of it.”
“Two-point-seven?” Kandace repeated. “Anyone ever make it to three?”
“Not once. Two-point-eight-nine is the record.” I spoke with mock authority. “Hell, I’ve been assimilated seventy-nine times this month.”
Austin snorted. “Would’ve been funnier if you said sixty-nine.”
I faked a horrified-but-half-assed scream. “They’ve gotten to you.” I grabbed him by the shoulders, jerking us both to a stop, and shook him. “Don’t go into the light. The camera light. Watch out, you’re heading straight for a drug addiction that can be resolved in twenty-four minutes, including intervention and character self-actualization.”
“Ahh.” Austin threw his hands over his face and crumbled to his knees. “I can’t stop. They help me diet-stay-awake-ease-the-pain-of-break-up-look-popular. Help me…” He collapsed further into himself.
People murmured and stepped around us on the sidewalk. All two of them. Across the street, someone had their phone out and pointed toward us.
Kandace was blushing red, but her smile was unmistakable. “I have a feeling I won’t be able to go in public with the two of you in the future.”
The two of you. Nope. This was my date with her. Not his. Not ours. I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Not a problem. We’ll ditch the drama queen and go have fun.”
“Yousaid I could join you.” Austin climbed to his feet. “Besides, I still need to see this mysterious keychain I don’t think really exists.”
Once we did that, I could send him on his way and pretend I wasn’t almost having fun out here. I gestured toward the house we stood in front of. “They turned this into a boarding house for the crew. My room is in here.”
Like that, the mood fell flat. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased with myself or disappointed.
Definitely disappointed, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. There was no conversation as I unlocked my room door and let us in. The place was basically a studio apartment, with a bed, a cute little kitchenette, and a bathroom big enough for a shower and a toilet.
I didn’t need more.
I tugged my briefcase from its spot, set it on the desk, and opened it to reveal the keychain dangling from it. The lamplight glinted off the bottle cap, and a pit of nostalgia and longing settled into my gut. “There it is. Proof. Happy?” I closed the case again, before I could start to catch feels.
“Yeah.” Austin’s tone was flat.
Wow, things were awkward in here. I lingered near the bed, Austin was a few feet away, and Kandace stood by the kitchen counter, arms folded and gaze turned on her feet.
Now what?
11
kandace
This wasn’twhat I expected from my evening. Hell, I’d packed an overnight back, fully hoping to spend the night naked in bed with Eli.
Instead, I felt like I should step in and play peacemaker. These men obviously had a painful history—they said as much—but even if they hadn’t told me, it would be obvious. They were each hurting in different ways. The friend in me wanted to help and the businesswoman in me felt compelled to mediate.
At least I wasn’t torn about what to do. I may have never expected to see Joystick again, but he was a lot of fun to spend time with andreallygood in bed and I hated to see him hurt.
