AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think about you all the time,” I admitted, then wished I could slap myself for being so honest.
He tried to hide a grin. Then he squeezed my hand and leaned back on the bench. “How’s Hopper?”
“I hope he’s okay. Nancy is watching him. I had a dream on the plane that she’d sent him on a quest, and he’d grown legs, but—” I willed my mouth to close.
“Legs? Like a reverse mermaid?”
“Yes!” I cried. “If you’re going to evolve, go the other way.”
“Hopper wouldn’t do something just because Nancy told him to. I’m confident it was just a dream.”
I looked up, fully drinking in his eyes. “You really do get me, don’t you?”
He laughed and shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I think I’m starting to.”
I looked down at our entwined hands. “I really wish you didn’t live in New York,” I said softly.
“Don’t worry about that.” He leaned in close and idly touched a strand of hair near my temple. “Like I said before, if you hadn’t wanted to seduce me, you shouldn’t have done that chicken dance when you beat me atMario Kart,” he whispered.
I stared at his mouth as he lowered his face and kissed me. All the background noise faded, and my heart squeezed so hard, I thought it would break my chest.
When he finally pulled back, the noise rushed in again, and I felt dizzy, light-headed.
“Ana,” he whispered.
“Mm?” I asked. I felt completely wired and relaxed at the same time.
“That security guard is giving us a look. Like this place is for watching fish, not making out like teenagers.”
I looked over and saw him, an older man in a guard uniform looking at us with his nostrils flared. I covered my face with my hands. “We should go.”
Shane stood and offered me his arm again. “We should probably meet the others for drinks. If you’re okay with it, maybe you’d like to come as my date?”
“The Fellowship would make fun of me so hard.” I groaned. “Except Mike. But yes, I’d like that.”
“Fellowship?” he asked tentatively.
“Lord of the Rings. I’ll explain on the way over.” I took his arm, and he leaned down, putting a soft kiss on the back of my hand. Was swooning really a thing? Because my giddiness was getting the best of my balance.
Our return game ofFroggerwas just as bad as before. There were so many lights, occasional bursts of fire, and massive statues that I had trouble focusing on the road. “Do you playAnimal Crossing?” I asked Shane distractedly as we passed a Roman-themed casino.
“Of course,” he said. “Tom Nook is the devil.”
“You’re so right,” I said and pointed to a replica of the Nike of Samothrace. “It’s like all the fake art from Redd’s boat ended up here.”
He laughed and pulled me away from the street again. “All Vegas is Redd’sTreasure Trawler.”
Once back at the Mirage, we made our way through the lobby, past the mermaid statues (in the correct form, with a tail and no legs) that I must have missed the first time, and toward, of course, a sports bar. It was full of televisions, swanky seating, and even an old Airstream trailer at the back. It was all dark wood and sleek, but like everything else in Vegas, it had a bit of an artificial feel to it.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Indiana would love this place,” I said, gesturing to the sign offering over fifty craft beers. “Inauthentic and a bit over-the-top, but still kind of fun. Just how I imagined him,” I said.
“It literally advertises itself as a man cave,” Shane said.
“Ana!” someone yelled from behind us. I turned around, and at one of the elevated tables, I found my group. Evan, Bruce, Allen, and Mike, each with a beer, were waving frantically at me.
“I’m getting you a beer!” Allen said and took off toward the bar.
“It’s so good to see you all,” I said.
