Despite being C-level,Jay’s cube was almost identical to mine. He kicked off his high-tops and told NOVA to get the game started on the TV that was mounted above his electric fireplace.
“Want anything to drink?” he asked, padding into the kitchen in his socked feet.
He shed his blazer and dropped it on the counter behind him as he opened his fridge to tell me the options.
“Beer? Wine? Soda?”
“Uhm, just a soda is fine,” I stammered, slipping out of my Vans and tentatively wandering deeper into Jay’s home.
He chuckled, twisting the cap off a beer and grabbing a soda for me before making his way to the large sectional and placing our drinks on the coffee table.
“Not a big drinker?”
“Not usually, no,” I said honestly, settling down next to him. I made sure to leave a fair amount of space between us, and his lip quirked up in amusement.
For a second, I thought he was going to say something about how far away I was, but he just snatched up a Nintendo Switch controller and leaned back, propping his heels on the edge of the coffee table.
Adjusting his biohazard ball cap slightly so he could lean back without the brim hitting the couch, he shot me a cavalier grin.
“Do you want to go first?” he asked, offering the controller to me. “It’s single player, but we can switch back and forth.”
“No, you go ahead. I’ve never played this game before. I’ll just watch and learn for now.”
He nodded.
“There’s not much to learn, it’s super low stakes. I just kind of diddle around, harvesting stuff and getting to know the villagers. It helps me turn my brain off.”
“You have a busy noodle too, then?” I teased, and he glanced at me, a strange, sad look crossing his face.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
We sat in amicable silence for a bit as Jay played. Every once in a while, he would explain what he was doing so I could get the mechanics of the game down. He was right, it really wasn’t complicated.
It was fun, though, and I was enjoying the narratives the game designers had made for all the villagers.
As time passed, I slowly began to feel less awkward and stiff. I relaxed into the comfortable couch, and each time Jay achieved a new life event with one of the villagers, I found myself shifting slightly in excitement to read their little stories on the screen.
By the time Jay told me it was my turn to play, I’d somehow ended up sitting much closer to him.
He handed me the controller, and I jumped slightly as I realized how close we were. I could feel the heat radiating off his body where our legs were nearly touching.
“Sorry!” I squeaked, jerking back down to the other side of the couch.
He chuckled softly; the contours of his perfect face were lit up from the warm light of the TV. His chestnut hair had fallen out from under his hat. The room was so full of the comforting smell of his cologne that my mouth watered.
“You don’t have to sit so far away, Milo. I don’t bite.” His eyes twinkled with amusement, his full lips tilting up in a crooked little grin. “Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
My entire body went ice cold with shock.
What?
That was… that wasdefinitelynot all in my head… right?
My mind whirled as I tried to convince myself it was, and Jay was looking increasingly amused at my inability to form coherent words.
I sat there, vibrating with a confusing mix of disbelief and what I was horrified to find was definitelyarousal,when he finally took pity on me.
“Come over here, relax. I won’t touch you, I promise,” he said.
