Just like they had with me, they showed footage of Odette writing and working on the game with her developers. There was some behind-the-scenes footage of her hard at work. Even though it was footage I’d never seen before, I found myself averting my gaze from the screen back to Odette. I was in favor of the real thing in front of me.
To my surprise, Odette was looking at me again.
In this moment, we didn’t need words; we just silently acknowledged the pull between us. A smile spread across my face, matching the one on hers.
“We’d love to invite Odette Reign herself to accept the award for her and her team.” I shook out of my thoughts and watched as Odette stood. My gaze followed her as she decided not to take the quickest way to the stage, but to make her way around her table to pass by me. My hand shot out instinctively and grabbed hers. She stopped only momentarily and gave me a shy smile before she squeezed my hand and left, making her way to the stage. While I knew Odette didn’t love the spotlight, I was hoping my small gesture would help in some way as she stood on stage collecting another award alone.
“Get me her number.” I leaned in and whispered to Beckett. I couldn’t let her go again without having a way to get ahold of her.
We really were creating a fucking bubble around us.
It was so fucking easy.
At the end of this speech, she’d be whisked away, and we would both be going our separate ways back home. We hadn’texchanged any information, and while I could easily “find” her on social media, I didn’t want that to be our story, where I pretended to stalk her to be able to talk to her again.
“Done.” Beckett made quick work as he kneeled beside Jemma, whispering to her. She was shaking her head no, but in a matter of moments, she was handing Beckett her phone. He typed in a few things before giving it back to her and sneaking back to his chair like nothing had happened.
I listened to her thank all of the players and everyone who had invested time and money into the game. It was all a pipe dream once upon a time, but she was living the life she’d always wanted to and loved being able to give back to those who gave to her.
At the end of her speech, Odette’s eyes met mine one more time before she was rushed off stage.
And that was it.
Jemma stood and made her way to the side door to head backstage to be with her.
“Jemma’s going to text me her number for you.” Beckett stood, and I looked toward the door, wanting to go back there with her, but too many questions would arise.
“Thank you,” I followed Beckett out the front doors, down to where he had a driver waiting for us. With the awards being over and everyone leaving at once, it was easier to leave this way than one of the side doors.
“You’re really serious about this? Keeping in contact with her?” We crammed into the car together.
“I didn’t know how these last two days would go, but if anything, I want there to be a chance. Any chance.” I looked out the window to see Odette walking out with Jemma, linked arm in arm. My hand went to the window, and I knew, in this moment, that I would do anything to be able to see her again.
As much as I’d followed her around for years, finally talking with her, spending time with her, I knew one thing was for sure.
I was starting to fall for Odette Reign, and I didn’t want to stop.
Iopened my phone for the tenth time in twenty minutes.
No new messages.
“Welp.” I tossed the phone to the other side of the couch and looked back at the computer screen in front of me. I somehow managed to write out over twenty thousand words over the last few days of being home from the award ceremony.
While Ryker had been a muse for parts of my story, I was still missing pieces.
I wanted to see him again. Talk to him.
My head hit the pillow behind me as I stared up at the ceiling, willing for a message to appear on my phone.
Something.
Jemma had given him my number, I knew that much, but what I hadn’t understood was why he hadn’t used it yet. The time I spent with this man was like we’d known each other for ages. It was easy with him. Even after Parker showed up, when I looked back at him in the dark theatre, his eyes were on me.
Only me.
“Ugh.” I picked up one of my other pillows and placed it over my head, screaming into the fabric. I’d known this man for a total of a few hours, and I couldn’t get him out of my head. He’d been popping up in dreams, filling the pages in front of me withslight touches from my male character. I wrote down anything I could remember and used all of it.
Bzzzzzz.
