Page 37 of The Crafting Con

“Yes, please,” Hiro replies, taking the lead. “And if you can let Ren know his cousin Hiro is here, that’d be great.”

“Will do.” The woman pulls five menus from the stand and leads us over to one of the booths, which are wide enough to easily fit six people. Bailey and Zeke slide into one side, and Hiro quickly fills the remaining spot next to them, once again leaving me and Ava to sit together in the most obvious way possible. I barely refrain from rolling my eyes while sliding into the booth beside her.

“This place is seriously amazing, Hiro,” Ava says, taking the menu I pass her while she looks around.

“I know, right?” Hiro gestures toward the balcony on the far side of the hall. “There’s even two private rooms upstairs you can rent. One in a dungeon theme, the other as a dragon’s treasure lair. They’re super cool.”

“Awesoooome.” Ava nods toward the stage. “And it looks like there’ll be live music? Please tell me we’re talking bards.”

“Only the most authentic minstrels for this place,” Hiro confirms. “Costumes and all.”

Ava grins along with him. “Sweet.”

Bailey leans across the table. “Declan, you and Hiro are musically inclined. Any chance you’ll take up the troubadour life and grace The Dragon’s Den with your talents?”

I make a face before hiding behind my menu. “Hard pass.”

“Are you kidding?” Ava nudges my arm. “Just think of all the action you’d score up there. Women love musicians.”

“Is that why you said yes to Tyler’s jazz-tastic promposal? And here I just thought it was because he’s a hot jock.” The words tumble out before I even realize what I’m saying, and I instantly want to call them back. Things were so much easier when we both simply ignored Tyler’s existence, but now it’s out there, front and center. With the three stooges looking on, no less.

Her eyebrows scrunch together, her attention fixed on the menu like it holds the answer to the Da Vinci Code. “That was…” She sighs. “Let’s just say I’m not the best at saying no. Especially not in front of a crowd.” She sets her menu down. “I think I’ll order the Rings of Sauron. Hopefully it comes with more than one.” Her mouth tilts up in a crooked smile, and I bite my tongue to keep from asking any follow-up questions, because she’s clearly trying to change the subject. But man do I want to.

Thank God my friends have zero respect for boundaries.

“So you and Tyler aren’t, like, dating or anything?” Bailey asks, glancing between us with a calculating gaze.

“Um, no,” Ava replies. “Just prom. As friends.”

Just friends?

Heck yeah.

Never mind that—technically speaking—Ava and I are “just friends.” Knowing that Golden Boy and I are on equal footing is enough to buoy my spirits straight up to the ceiling. And as Hiro skillfully guides the conversation toward discussing what game we should all play, I make a decision.

I’m not going to play it safe and pretend I only want to be Ava’s friend anymore.

I’m going all in.

Game on.

CHAPTER 15

AVA

Six days until OA Con

I’m almost one hundred percent certain that Declan is flirting with me. Or, like, ninety-eight percent. But still. The likelihood seems pretty high, because honestly—no one’s hands accidentally brush that many times over the course of an hour, even if they are stealing onion rings and fries off each other’s plates while trying (and failing) to be Bond-level stealthy.

And let’s not forget the knee bumps.

The bench we’re sitting on is wide enough for three ample-sized humans, and yet Declan’s knee has bumped mine no less than seventeen times. I know, because my entire leg starts humming every time it happens. And once I almost spilled my entire glass of Unicorn Blood (7 Up and maraschino cherries) across The Settlers of Catan tiles while attempting to build a road out of sheep (I had to trade eight of those suckers for a measly pair of brick and wood).

To top it all off, there’s this subtle difference in the way he says things, like if I only listen close enough I’ll discover some kind of hidden code woven between the words. And the closer I get to unraveling it, the more wildly my heart flutters about my chest. It’s confusing and a little unsettling, but also exhilarating.

Could I do it?

Could I make the leap from friends to more than with Declan?