“That’s true. Though I don’t want to mess anything up between us.”
He steps closer. “You won’t. We can do whatever makes you more comfortable. If you’d rather not say anything, then we don’t have to, it’s okay.”
“Well…”
I stare down at our hands. His thumb is tracing circles across my skin, and that small movement sends electricity racing up my arm and through my body. Part of me loves theidea of screaming the news to the others as soon as they walk in the door, and holding hands during the game tonight, and kissing him whenever he rolls well. But to say that would change the dynamics of the game is an understatement. We’re still not on steady ground as a group. Having the Dungeon Master dating one of the members could throw everything off even more.
“It’s really okay, Hazel,” Max murmurs.
I glance up to find an unflustered expression on his face. He already knew what I was going to say before I could figure it out.
“Yeah? We’ll just…play it cool, then?” I ask. “We don’t need to pretend to hate each other or anything, but we’ll just act the same as always.”
“The same as always?” He smiles. “Then we better start making nachos.”
“Actually, I already have that part figured out.” I lead him into the kitchen and hold up a bag of flour tortillas. “I have two words for you.”
“Missed you?”
“Dessert nachos!”I throw my arms open wide in excitement.
He chuckles. “I thought it couldn’t get better thanmissed you—well, maybekiss mecould work nicely—butdessert nachoshas a nice ring to it. Though, uh, what exactly are they?”
“We cut the tortillas into triangles, brush them with butter and cinnamon sugar, and bake them. Then we top them with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries. I got restless this afternoon, so I decided to search for nacho recipes we haven’t had yet. What do you think?”
He steps up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “That I’ve never been happier I convinced you to let me join your game.”
“I think I could make you a tiny bit happier.” I twist around in his arms so I’m facing him.
“Really?” He gives me a skeptical look. “I’d like to see you try.”
I lift onto the balls of my feet so I can reach his ear and whisper, “Kiss me.”
He doesn’t need more convincing. His lips are on my neck at the same time that he takes a step forward so my back is pressed against the kitchen counter. I suck in a breath. Just then the front door opens with a bang and the telltale sound of nails clicking on hardwood alerts us that we’re not alone.
“Hello!” Nova calls.
Max jumps back from me as Zoinks bounds into the kitchen. My heart races, but an Old English sheepdog is a great distraction. I bury my face in his fluff.
“Oh, you’re just the cutest!” I tell him. “Wait, I have presents for you, buddy.” I grab a shopping bag from the kitchen island and pull out each item for him. “Two squeaky potion bottle toys, a squeaky dragon for him to chew on, and…” I pull the last dog toy out with a flourish. “His ownd20.”
Zoinks starts mouthing and sniffing each of the toys.
Max picks up the d20 and inspects it in awe. “You found D&Ddogtoys?”
“They make dog toys of everything in existence, so it wasn’t too hard. It only seemed fair to include him a little more. Who can play D&D without a d20?”
“I’m mildly annoyed you didn’t getmeany presents, butthese are too cute to ignore,” Nova says with a shake of her head.
Soon, Li and Felix arrive—together—and the oohing and awwing start all over again. It’s a full thirty minutes before we can speak about anything other than Zoinks, but I’m not complaining. No one can notice any changes between me and Max if we’re all too busy fussing over our favorite member of the D&D party.
Nova gives an exaggerated sigh. “You know, if Zoinks keeps getting this level of love on game nights, then he’s not going to want to leave your house.”
I rub my hands together maniacally. “Then my plan is finally coming together.”
Zoinks barks in response.
“I think he’s just anxious to get playing,” Li says with a laugh. She seems much lighter and happier than she did last game, which is a good sign. I sit down behind my trifold screen and glance at my notes for tonight, written in my beautiful calligraphy to make them feel more special. I really want to make the game welcoming for the whole group, and hopefully today is a new beginning for that.
