I shook my head. Our time was up that Sunday. A nice set date that would leave December open for Clover’s aunt to rent it out.
“Alder’s having a big gathering. You should come. It’s the house I was raised in until we moved to Billings.”
“No kidding?” I’d see where a young Clover ran around, attached at the hip with Poppy.
“I can show you the space under the stairs that Lily always used to hide in during hide-and-seek, and I would get so upset because it scared me.”
“She was playing dirty?”
“My siblings were the dirtiest.”
“I guess I have to go. If any of your nieces and nephews rope you into a game of hide-and-seek, I have to be there to go under the stairs.”
Her brows lifted. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course.” There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for Clover. She just had to ask, but after what happened in the hotel, she hadn’t asked for a thing.
Clover
* * *
Pokémon matches included a mix of mostly guys of all ages. This tournament was for adults and held in a rented room. Participants came from all walks of life, but most of the clothing they wore had some sort of fandom on it, and dark colors were a favorite.
The whole thing was sponsored by local game shops and another group. I hung out by the snacks, watched Van play, and made small talk with some players. When he laughed, all my insides lit up. When his brow furrowed in concentration, I couldn’t tear my eyes off him. People responded to him, opening up and joking around. There was nothing about this hobby I found dull or repulsive if he enjoyed himself like this.
One girl, just a little younger than me, was there with her girlfriend, and she was a nurse. We chatted about school and where we’d lived before ending up at the gathering. It was a few hours of people-watching and light socializing aside from that.
I needed the reprieve after riding in an enclosed cab with him. We’d been sleeping on either side of the pillow wall. Did he want to cross it, or did he decide the hotel was the first and only time we were messing around?
I didn’t want more. I shouldn’t want more.
I did though. Badly.
Each night that went by, I was minutes away from hiding in the bathroom again. But I couldn’t risk falling over and summoning him. What if he laughed the second time? What if he was disgusted that I had to get off again?
Had he done his thing in the shower since then? I could’ve been a massive libido killer.
Acting like everything was normal was both a blessing and a curse. Still, his growl from the night he helped get me off rang through my head at least hourly. Twice an hour. Every second.
Van rose from the table, nodding and smiling at the guy across from him who had to be in his early twenties. They laughed, and then Van’s gaze went directly to me, landing on my skin like the sun’s summer kiss.
I waved, and he wandered over. “Ready to get something to eat?”
People still filled the tables. Did he get out? How did that work? “Are you done?”
“Yeah, I’m getting tired of sitting.”
I rose, but my gaze jumped around the room. “Feels a little unfair that I got two nights of fun, and you only got a few hours.”
His smile was reassuring. “I’m not keeping score, Clover.”
I believed him. Could it be that simple? He did something over the top for me and didn’t expect exactly the same or more for himself? “Okay.”
“Where do you want to eat?”
On him. I’d like to climb right onto his lap and get a mouthful of him. Mind out of the gutter, Duke! “This is your weekend. You pick.”
“Chinese.”
