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“See? You also haven’t lost your knack for starting arguments out of nothing.” He was smiling as he said it and extended his hand to collect her bag from her.
Adriana knew better than to argue with him, and she handed the bag to him, barely holding back a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted off her shoulder. “Careful, it’s kind of heavy.”
He lifted it as if she had given him a bag of feathers, and Adriana was reminded he wasn’t like most geeks she was used to encountering in the gaming alley. She walked with him towards the door of the convention hall, not missing how some women stopped what they were doing to stare at him.
“Let me guess,” he continued as he led her through the throng of people gathered outside taking pictures. “You registered for theHalocompetition.”
Adriana rolled her eyes at his statement. “Of course I did. That’s like the best part of the tournament.”
“If you say so,” he replied. “I guess it’s kind of nice to know who is going to take second place before the competition starts.”
Adriana frowned, confused. She soon figured it out and burst into laughter. “So, you entered into the competition too. And it would seem someone’s forgotten how I used to set your ass on fire anytime we played.”
“No, I haven’t. I just know I’ve gotten better since then.” He hitched her bag higher on his shoulder and twirled his fingers in front of her face. “You could say I’ve got magic fingers.”
“I hope that magic extends to your ass, so you don’t feel the burn when I set it on fire again.”
He was chuckling as they got to where his Harley was parked. As Adriana climbed on after him, a sudden tremor traveled down her body, and she wondered what was wrong with her. This was just a ride, a means of transportation.
“Kinda surprised that’s the only thing you brought with you for the convention,” he said as he handed her his helmet and watched her put it on.
“I already sent the rest of my luggage ahead to the hotel. It should be waiting for me there. Just wanted to register before the competition closes.”
“And what hotel are you staying at?”
Adriana told him.
“Funny,” Odysseus replied as he turned around and started the bike. “That’s where I’m staying too. Hang on tight.”
ChapterNine
Adriana smiled as she stood at the fringes of a very heated debate on whichFinal Fantasygame in the franchise was the best. Like most geek arguments, it was bound to never end, and she knew none of the debaters would be swayed by the other one’s arguments. Still, it felt nice to listen to true fans discuss the finer points of one of the most interesting disputes in the geek world. She and her brother still engaged in them to this day, and Adriana always enjoyed arguing with him.
“Can’t we all just get along?” she suddenly heard someone say behind her.
The voice was familiar, but she already knew Odysseus was approaching her before he even spoke, had felt him all the way across the room.
“And what kind of fun would that be?” she answered cheekily as she turned around.
“True that.” He smiled at her. “So, how’s the convention so far?”
“Nice,” Adriana answered, barely able to hold back her excitement. “Have you checked out all the people coming to talk, and all the different players entering the competitions?”
He chuckled at her show of excitement. “Of course I have. Promises to be an exciting one.”
They both walked to a seat in the corner, surprised to find it empty. By now, the convention hall was packed with different kinds of people. And while the number of attendees in the room wasn’t super impressive, the elaborate costumes worn by some of the cosplayers took even more space.
“So, how often do you come to these things?”
Adriana looked up at Odysseus, her mind befuddled by how close he was sitting to her. Not that he had a choice since they were closed in by a cosplayer dressed likePac-Man. She somehow didn’t mind as much as she thought.
Blinking rapidly, she suddenly realized he had asked her a question. “Oh, me? Not as much as I’d like to. Mark and I try to switch between each other who gets to go.”
“Mark, your brother. How is he, by the way?”
“Fine,” Adriana answered, remembering how close Odysseus had been to Mark, the two of them bonding over their love for games and comics. “He still asks about you, most often when he wants to annoy me.”
“And why would a mention of me annoy . . .” He stopped as he remembered what had led to their breakup. “He knows about what happened between us?”
