Atlas set his controller down, giving me a sideways glance. “You’re playing us, aren’t you?”
Kael snorted and took a swig of his beer.
Atlas glared at him, his mouth hanging open. “And you knew about it, didn’t you?”
“Dude, I have seen her make a grown man so mad, he threw a controller at his own TV,” Kael said.
And that was the last party I went to at Mark McGinnis’s place. His fragile masculinity was a giant red flag.
Atlas nudged me with his shoulder. “I’m impressed, baby.”
“Thank you. I think I’m done playing for now if you guys want to play something else,” I said, sitting my controller on the coffee table.
“Are you sure?” Atlas asked quietly. It was sweet that he wanted me to feel included, but I could only whip so much ass inMario Kartin one day.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Fallon hopped out of his recliner and started messing around with a few of the consoles in the entertainment center. “Okay, are we thinkingCall of DutyorHelldivers?”
There was a unanimous agreement onHelldivers, and for the next thirty minutes or so, Cyrus and I watched the three of them fight for their lives on an alien planet. It was actually pretty entertaining—not enough to make me want to try it, though.
Cyrus sighed and stood up. “I’m going to get started on some snacks,” he said, shuffling toward the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?” I asked, already following behind him.
He’d been quiet for most of the evening, a silent observer rather than a participant in game night, and I wanted to get to know him better.
“Oh, that would be lovely. This lot never helps.” He quickly corrected himself. “Except for Atlas, that is.”
“I could see that.”
“I was thinking of putting together a charcuterie tray. Is that all right with you?” he asked. “Atlas didn’t mention any dietary restrictions, but it could have slipped his mind. I’d hate to serve a vegan a platter of salted meat.”
I laughed. “I’m not a vegan so we’re all good on that front.”
He opened one of the kitchen cabinets, using his tentacles to pull a large wooden serving tray off the top shelf.
“They’re so handy,” I said in awe. I regretted it the moment I said it, worried it might come off as offensive.
“They are quite handy. You know, for when my hands are otherwise occupied.”
I laughed again. Cyrus didn’t say much, but when he did, he was pretty funny.
He opened the fridge, grabbing packages of meat and cheese with his hands and tentacles. “Would you like to start arranging these and I’ll set to work on the fruit, crackers, and spreads?”
“Sure. I think I can handle that. No guarantee it’ll look fancy, though.”
“You’ve seen those three in there, right? It’ll be gone before anyone can even worry about how it looks.” He paused for a second, thinking. “In fact, you better make yourself a plate right now. They’re like a ravenous pack of hyenas.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
After I set aside a plate for myself, Cyrus and I worked in companionable silence while we assembled the board.
“Atlas seems quite taken with you,” he said out of nowhere, taking me by surprise.
“Does he?” I asked. I knew Atlas was into me. He’d made that pretty clear, but hearing it from one of his friends really drove the point home.
“Indeed,” Cyrus said. He folded a piece of prosciutto into a rose and placed it on the tray.And here I thought we weren’t concerned with how it looked. “I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time,” he continued. “Maybe since I’ve known him.”
