“Lee’s?” Plenty of people in the area relied on chain places, but Lee’s was a Gracehaven institution, and a love of their doughnuts was one of the few things our dads had in common. When I was a kid, my dad often retrieved a box on Saturday mornings when Milo stayed over, and we’d bickered over our favorite flavors.
“Of course. Picked out a couple. One’s that chocolate-chocolate one you used to love.”
He’d remembered that little tidbit, too, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from beaming. It was a doughnut, not an engagement ring, and going out of his way to get them probably only meant he’d been hungry. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that, but I’m not going to turn down chocolate-chocolate.”
“Eh. I needed coffee and didn’t want to wake Luther by rattling around the kitchen. He worked overnight.”
Poof. A lot of my good feelings toward Milo evaporated at the mention of his bully of a friend. Maybe Milo’s main sin was not speaking up, but Luther and James had been actively awful to me and my crowd in high school. Teasing. Pranks. Showboating. General assholery. Milo wanted me to believe he’d changed, but I wasn’t sure how to trust that when he was still associating with jerks and bullies.
“Luther has gainful employment? And let me guess, James lives there too?”
“Yeah. They both work for a janitorial company. And before you give me a lecture, I didn’t have a ton of housing options after my…accident. Their other roommate had recently moved out—”
“Probably wised up,” I grumbled. Outside the weather was equally bleak, with none of the sunny energy of my summer trip, and I again questioned the wisdom of trying to help Milo.
“Not gonna dispute that. They’re kind of shit roommates. But it was that or keep hogging my mom’s spare room. After Dad died, she found this little garden apartment over by the university. She can walk to work when the weather’s nice. It’s perfect. But small. She would have let me stay, but…”
“You felt bad. I get that. I’m glad my scholarship covers the dorm. But all my buddies were able to afford apartments for senior year, and I’m stuck in the oldest of the upper-class dorms. Still, though, I’d take my hole-in-the-wall over living with freaking Luther and James.”
“Trust me, I would too.” He gave me a little smile as we approached the outer limits of Philly. Somehow we’d killed an hour chatting. And that probably hadn’t been the smartest because now he was even more of an enigma to me—a grieving son and a nice guy who brought me my favorite doughnuts, but also a pushover still relying on Luther and James way too freaking much. But that smile…that was the biggest problem, the way it made warmth start at my toes and snake its way north. It was going to be a long day, and I needed to focus on winning cards, not earning more smiles from a guy I was supposed to hate.
Chapter Ten
Milo
“Whoa.” I stopped short as Jasper and I entered the hotel conference-center lobby. I’d been surprised enough when his directions led us downtown instead of to a strip mall in the burbs or something like that. And now we were surrounded by people. A lot of funny, nerdy T-shirts. Tons of deck bags like what Jasper was toting. More gender and age diversity than I’d been expecting—everything from little kids to clumps of teens to older adults. “This is a lot of gamers. I’d expected a game store like in our town.”
“Bigger tournaments are usually in conference centers like this. They need more room than a single game store can provide. But the local game stores get billing as sponsors.” Jasper joined a huge line waiting to get to the registration table.
“Cool. This is like nerd—”
Holding up a hand, Jasper hardened his tone. “You might want to consider your next words. Poking fun at gamers isn’t going to make me want to win your cards back.”
“I wasn’t going to make fun!” God, was he always going to assume the worst of me?
“Oh?” His skeptical expression said yes. Yes, he was going to make those assumptions.
“I was going to say ‘nerd heaven.’ And it’s a lot of people. That’s all.” Maybe calling it nerd heaven was bad because Jasper didn’t crack a smile. I rambled ahead, trying to figure out how to redeem myself. “I didn’t realize gaming was that popular. This is more than the turnout for some of my college’s home games. It’s impressive.”
“It’s massively popular all over the world. And this is actually a little smaller than some of the regional tournaments. I’ve played in bigger.” Jasper’s shoulders lifted, and his voice lightened the way it always did when he bragged. I wasn’t supposed to find that appealing but it did something for me, his confidence infectious.
“Wow. And you have to beat all of them?” Suddenly, our prospects seemed much dimmer.
“No.” Finally, I got a laugh out of Jasper. “I have to rack up points, then I get to pick things on the prize wall. I’m not looking to make the finals or even place. I’ll let the people trying to qualify for the pro tour worry more about standings at the end of the day.”
“There’s a pro tour? Like, people making their living playing cards?” I’d never considered this before, and I probably should have. Stupid. I was so stupid to think that a couple of lessons from Bruno made me into some badass card-playing genius when there were people out there making real money doing this.
Jasper raised an eyebrow at me. “You name it and people have probably made money doing it. Gaming is huge, man. Vloggers and streamers make good money if they’re big enough names. And the game companies pay too. I have a buddy who works for the Odyssey folks and he’s in heaven, playing cards all day. But it’s work too.”
“And is that what you want to do? After graduation?” As far as I knew from the mom gossip network, Jasper was on some sort of math scholarship. I’d always figured he’d get a doctorate, be an important professor, but now I could also see him going the professional gamer route.
“Yeah. I’ll probably join Conrad at Odyssey this summer, see what they have for me.” Jasper didn’t look all that certain as he shrugged, but then his voice brightened. “I’ve got a ticket to an exclusive launch party next month in New York for their new set. That’ll be my chance to chat with the management people, see if they’re still interested in me.”
The line moved marginally closer to the front. My leg was already tight from driving and the line wasn’t helping, but I tried to be subtle as I shifted my weight around. “I’m sure they will be if you’re as good as you say you are.”
“Oh, I’m good.” He gave me a pointed look that made heat pool in my belly and made me forget all about my leg. “I’ve got other options too. Like, Ned from the hospital foundation has said I could do an internship there this summer, work in finance maybe. But I’ll probably go with the game. Leaving Gracehaven’s going to be so hard, though. Not sure I’m ready, honestly. But graduation awaits.”
“Yeah.” Undoubtedly, that was the right option for Jasper. And it wasn’t his fault that the thought of him in NYC instead of Gracehaven sucked the energy right out of me. He’d be moving on to bigger and better things. As it should be. And I had no reason to let that make me sad. Pushing those thoughts away, I gestured at the crowd around us. “So how does this work?”
“I get registered and my decks get checked out, then I get a schedule of matches. From that point on, I’m pretty busy.” Jasper bounced a little, like this was an excellent development. Him excited was simply too cute and I had to smile at him. “You’re free to watch any of the matches, shop the vendors, or get some casual play in. I brought an easier deck like the ones we use with the kids if you want to try some of those games.”
“That was nice of you.” And it was, made my insides bubble to think about him packing up, thinking about me right as I’d been thinking about him with the doughnuts. Maybe—
“Eh. We can’t have you bored.” Well, okay then. Not a personal thing at all. I frowned as Jasper continued, “Mo
st likely I’ll barely get any breaks. Thank goodness for those doughnuts.”
“I’ll leave around lunch, get you a sandwich and some soda, and bring it back,” I offered. Perhaps he hadn’t meant anything by packing the deck for me, but I was still pleased enough to do him a favor. And he was trying to win the card for me after all.
“Thanks. That would be sweet.” Not that I would be sweet, but the gesture. He undoubtedly didn’t mean it as some sort of deep sentiment. However, my face still warmed at the compliment. I liked doing things for him, far more than was probably smart. It seemed to make me happy in a way I hadn’t been in quite a while.
He fished a ten out of his pocket. “For my food. You got the doughnuts already. And my registration.”
“Least I could do.” After the parking fee we’d encountered, I wasn’t too proud to take his cash. I pocketed the money as we shuffled forward again.
“Jasper! How the heck are you?” A tall Asian guy around our age who seemed to speak exclusively in exclamation points strode over to us.
“Eugene.” Jasper gave him a high five and a big smile. “You playing or watching?”
“Playing! Always! This the new boyfriend? I heard about Rafe, man. Getting dumped sucks!” Even Eugene’s style of commiseration was upbeat. And what was this? Boyfriend? I didn’t have time to be rattled by the wrong assumption because I was too busy realizing yet again that Jasper had had this whole life at college that I knew nothing about. Hobbies. Majors. Future plans. And friends. Boyfriends. Undoubtedly, wanting to deck this Rafe on principle was not the right reaction, but I couldn’t stop the sudden, swift surge of jealousy.
Next to me, Jasper sputtered. “Uh. No. Not boyfriend. This is Milo. We went to high school together. He’s a newbie to the game.”
“Hey.” It didn’t escape my notice that I was Milo-from-high-school and not a friend. Not that I’d expected more, but still. I’d figured after our talk in the car that maybe we were working back toward something again. Clearly, we still had a way to go.
“Newbie, huh?” Eugene sized me up, grin broadening further. “Hit me up in the casual area later! I always try to throw the noobs some tips between real matches. I’ll be gentle.”
My skin heated at the joke, and Jasper was also turning all sorts of shades of pink. I’d been around locker rooms enough not to be fazed by a mild crack or two, but my brain was still spinning around the whole boyfriend concept. My real worry was that Eugene was able to tell the direction of my thoughts, but right then two girls came up and stole Eugene away in a flurry of laughter and perfume. Dude had an entourage. I smiled as they walked away, but Jasper scowled.
“Sorry about that. Eugene’s chatty, but he’s harmless. Should have warned you that I brought Rafe last year.”
Strangely, I wasn’t anywhere near as horrified as Jasper apparently thought I was. If anything, I was still struggling with this weird attack of jealousy—mad at Eugene for knowing so much about Jasper’s life and angry at this Rafe I’d never met because he’d had Jasper in a way I never would.
“It’s okay.” I kept my tone even, trying not to let on that my thoughts kept flitting over the fact that this Rafe undoubtedly knew what Jasper tasted like. Sounded like. Felt like. I shook my head, trying to get a grip. “You…uh…seeing anyone right now? That Conrad you mentioned? I just realized that I kinda hijacked your weekend.”
“You did. I had to trade away shifts at the game store.” Jasper’s mouth twisted exactly like my gut at the reminder of what an imposition I was being. “But no. Not seeing anyone. Conrad is blissfully happy with another friend.”
My surge of relief was almost comical. Yet something about Jasper’s tone made me think maybe I wasn’t the only one with jealousy issues.
“And that’s bad?”
“It’s—”
“Next!”
I didn’t get a chance to find out Jasper’s reply because we’d finally reached the front of the line, and Jasper had to show his ID, get a lanyard with a badge, and move down the line to a security-type woman in an event T-shirt and gloves who inspected Jasper’s decks like they might be laced with actual explosives. I received a different-colored badge since I was simply watching. Finally, after all that, we entered the event space, which was full of rows of folding tables and chairs in the center of the big ballroom and a few vendor booths in the adjacent room.
The room buzzed with a flurry of activity and eager gamers ready to beat each other to a metaphorical pulp. Reminded me of game days for soccer tournaments, everyone all ready to get started. There were rows of tables, not playing fields, and way more colorful hair and nerd humor T-shirts, but the competitive spirit was similar. Later, they’d be dragging from a long day, but this early energy was contagious.
Two weeks ago, I would have laughed at the idea of finding card shuffling sexy, but watching Jasper get set for his first match made this weird mix of pride and awareness gather in my insides, mingling with that energy to bounce on my feet the way Jasper was always doing. He was simply so quietly competent at what he did, arranging his space and cards with practiced fingers. As kids, Jasper had always been the messiest kid in his family, far less ordered than I who had enjoyed sorting his Legos into little bins—but as a gamer, Jasper was methodical, everything evenly spaced and squared with the table. His play mat featured the same Frog Wizard he’d cosplayed as.
“It’s possible your outfit is fancier than the actual one.” I pointed at the picture. “But good job matching the colors and stuff.”
“Thanks. I tried. He probably wears it better, but it’s fun.”
“Nah, you’re cuter than his big warty head.” The light words escaped before I could call them back. Jasper’s eyes went wide and his head tilted. But then his opponent arrived, a younger girl with a serious expression.
Jasper shook his head like he’d misheard me and turned his full attention to the girl and the start of his match. I, however, couldn’t move on that fast, couldn’t stop from obsessing over my slip. I blamed how rattled I still was over the boyfriend revelation. It was yet more proof that Jasper was miles removed from the kid I’d once known. And worst of all was how desperate I was to get to know that person, to uncover his secrets. That sort of yearning was dangerous.
But I couldn’t seem to stop.
Chapter Eleven
Jasper
“Are we sure the new guy is not your new boo?” Eugene found me in the lobby as I took a little break before my next round.
“Milo?” Mildly horrified, I looked up from my phone. I had it out because I’d been texting with Milo, who had gone to retrieve some food. This was a smaller convention/conference center and the meal options inside the complex were overpriced and limited, so I was especially grateful for Milo’s offer to get lunch. But boyfriend? Absolutely not, and that little shiver that raced up my back could go the hell away.
“Yeah!” Eugene laughed, his voice as perpetually upbeat as ever. I liked him and considered him a gaming friend, but he did have an elevated opinion of his own sense of humor. “Tall, dark, and clueless. Just how you usually like them, right?”
“I don’t have a type,” I lied. If my crushes and sporadic dates had tended toward jocks, well, that was merely coincidence. And probably something I should work on changing. I knew better, even if my body didn’t. Not a type and absolutely nothing to do with Milo.
“Yeah, you do.” Eugene had been around enough not to buy my bluster.
“Well, so do you.” I raised my eyebrows because the blond, bubbly friends he’d brought along were both totally his type, to the point that I wasn’t entirely sure which was the current girlfriend. Both wasn’t outside the realm of possibility either.
“Guilty.” Shrugging, Eugene smiled slyly as he leaned against the wall. “And you’re changing the subject.”
“No, I’m not. And yeah, I’m very sure.” Tired of standing, I
took a seat on the floor, hoping that Eugene might take a hint and move along or at least drop this topic, but instead he flopped down next to me.
“He’s watched all your matches.”
No way was I explaining our arrangement, so I merely stretched, rolling my tight back muscles. “He’s probably bored.”
“Nah. He wants you.” Eugene nodded like a guy who knew his way around attraction. Which he did, but he was dead wrong here. “He watches you like you’re a slot machine about to come up cherries.”
Well, that metaphor actually wasn’t inaccurate as Milo was super invested in me paying out. And no way was there anything else in his gaze, his bizarre comment about me being cute notwithstanding. Distracted, I’d almost lost my first match until I’d decided that Milo meant cute in a dismissive way, like I was still a kid or maybe a pet dog, and not cute.
“You really need to stop going to Atlantic City.” I knew that suggestion wouldn’t go over well. In addition to playing Odyssey for fun, Eugene was something of a card shark with a poker obsession.
“Spending money. It comes in handy.”
“I’m sure.” I’d never had money I was willing to risk losing by gambling.
“And here comes your prince now. With food.” Eugene gestured toward the front of the lobby where Milo was scanning the crowd.
I waved him over before answering Eugene. “Just because he cosplays as Neptune doesn’t make him my prince.”
“Wait a sec.” Eugene’s eyes went wide as his nose wrinkled. He wasn’t a cosplay fan. “You’re saying you got him to wear a toga and do that whole costume-brigade thing you do? And you don’t think he’s into you?”
If only. But I didn’t get a chance to set him straight before Milo was right next to us with my sandwich and an endearingly eager expression. “It’s still cold out so I got you cheese steak. Figured you’d need something warm. It’s drafty in here.”
Out of Character Page 7
