FairyGodLover69: (pun intended)
I can’t help but let a smile spread on my face. My best friend, Helena, is also part of the LARPing club. In fact, she’s the one who got me to join. She plays a healing fairy named Eletha, and she’s always got my back. Unless, of course, it’s the final countdown like tonight. In which case, every woman for herself. Regardless, we always recap our online battles and chat about strategies for next week’s game. And next week, the new guy gets to set the playing field, since he won The Golden Map of Solaris. Damn him.
Speaking of the mystery knight… I type my response.
Faylen_Strong123: Who was that guy anyway?
FairyGodLover69: I don’t know, he joined the day after last week’s re-enactment.
FairyGodLover69: L
FairyGodLover69: A
FairyGodLover69: M
FairyGodLover69: E
Faylen_Strong123: Yeah, seriously. Who does that? I thought Cameron set the game rules to no add-ons?
FairyGodLover69: I dunno, I think the new guy knows one of the Giants.
FairyGodLover69: But did you see his outfit??? I’m blushing just thinking about it! <3
I chuckle at that. Helena has always been boy crazy, and I love it when she sends multiple excited messages in a row. With a smirk, I type another response.
Faylen_Strong123: You know that’s not what he actually looks like, right?
FairyGodLover69: We don’t know that for sure… Guess we’ll find out on Thursday
A single butterfly flutters through my stomach at that, and I have no idea why.
FairyGodLover69: Talk later, babe!
FairyGodLover69 has signed off.
I stare at the dead chat for a minute, wondering why this “Mystery Knight” decided to join our campaign at the final battle, and whether he actually looks like his avatar. I’m not boy crazy by any means, but if that dude turns up on Thursday looking like the guy who chopped my arm off, I might have to fight to keep my knees from going weak.
Chapter Two
Jordan
It’s a beautiful day out here on the grassy green quad nestled between towering brick dormitories. The sun is shining, there’s a slight California breeze, and birds are literally chirping in the student garden. Which is ironically not at all what our battlefield is supposed to feel like.
Luckily, the members of the Tempt U. LARPing club have great imaginations.
Instead of the small grassy hill, I imagine I’m standing on a sweeping mountainside. The shadows flickering over my face as birds pass by overhead are bolts of lightning zapping down on a chaotic battlefield. The towering buildings are sky-high mountains, the birds chirping are the screams of my enemies, and the tall greenery of the student garden is a forest from which an army of Giants emerge.
Helena dances around the field, tending to fallen soldiers in her adorable fairy outfit. She goes all out, just like me, except her ensemble is much more suited to her already slim, feminine, fairy-like figure. She’s wearing a little pouch of fairy dust along with a home-made costume and glittering makeup. Her gorgeous red hair matches her magical aura perfectly. We catch eyes for a moment and share a smirk as she sprinkles some sparkly dust on our friend Cameron, who’s currently a Giant having just lost an eye in battle.
I freaking love LARPing.
So much so that as I conjure my illusion spell and head for the Golden Map of Solaris (or, rather, it’s location on the field marked by an orange cone), I almost forget about my impending doom.
Almost.
Truth is, I’ve been on high alert for the “Mystery Knight” this entire time. We’re basically at the climax of our epic battle, and he’s nowhere to be seen. Does this mean my loss was merely a computer glitch? Maybe there is no handsome knight in shining armor, and there never was.
But just as the thought crosses my mind, the Mystery Knight makes his way onto the quad.
He’s tall and shirtless and handsome as hell. His wavy black hair juts out from the bottom of his silver Barbuta-styled helmet, his red cape flows in the breeze, and even from across the field, his pearly whites dazzle from behind his confident smile. He’s wearing the exact same costume as his character. Like, down to every single chiseled ab. There’s no way he painted those babies on. It’s as if he plucked himself right out of the online match.
Hot damn. Mystery Knight is real.
He heads my way across the field, stopping just a few feet from me, thank goodness. If he came any closer, I might melt from the heat radiating off his helmet’s metal, and the shine of his bare, defined chest.
“You must be Faylen,” the Knight says in a surprisingly deep, yet friendly tone. He takes in my appearance from bottom to top with a smirk, smiling as his gaze lingers over the obviously home-made stitching of my red dress. When his eyes reach mine, his mouth twists into a sexy grin that lights me on fire. It’s a good thing I’m wearing a mask that covers half my face because otherwise, he’d see the hot red blush spreading on my cheeks.
Wait, why am I blushing? And why does he have to be shirtless?
“So, is now the part when I chop your arm off?” he asks.
I open my mouth to say something sassy in the vein of classic Faylen Shelara, but all that comes out is the start of a high-pitched squeal. I snap my lips shut before I embarrass myself. Any more, that is.
He gives me an amused smirk and unsheathes the sword hanging at the leather belt wrapped around his hips. The silver metal reflects the day’s sky in a brilliant show of sunlight. “Don’t worry,” he says with a chuckle when I flinch. Then he leans forward and whispers conspiratorially, “It isn’t a real sword.”
His breath tussles the fake hair at my temples, sending goosebumps down my back and rendering me virtually motionless.
Who is this guy?
I’m about to ask him when the man gently takes my hand in his and holds it up in front of him, revealing the bare underside of my arm as the hefty slits of my dress sleeve pull toward the ground. My skin burns where his hand gently grips mine, and for some reason, even with all these layers of costume, I feel more exposed now than I’ve ever felt naked. He looks me in the eyes again, and I swear he’s looking in my eyes, not Faylen’s. How can that be?
“I’m sorry fair maiden, but you don’t win this battle. Not today.” Before I can correct him on his terminology (there’s no fair maiden here, buddy), the knight holds his sword high as if he plans to bring it crashing down on my arm. I wince, preparing for the final blow, but instead of a dramatic last act, he softly taps my inner elbow with a playful grin and makes a little explosion sound effect.
I stare at him, entirely bewildered.
“So, that’s it, right?” he asks, looking around the battlefield as the other members, now mostly all dead, watch our exchange. “I mean, we finished the game?”
“Uh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “You won the Golden Map of Solaris. You get to create the battlefield and the circumstances of our next campaign. Assuming you’re part of the Tempt U. LARPing club.” I eye him suspiciously, wondering if he’s actually a student or a Greek God.
The Knight (still holding my hand, by the way) smiles at that. “I am now. But I’m still pretty new at this.” He lets my hand go and sheathes his sword back in its holster. “Would you care to help me with my battle plans?”
I blink, in total shock. Is Mystery Knight… flirting with me? Asking me out? I’ve never been asked out before, let alone by someone who looks like he belongs in the cast of 300. “Um,” I start, wondering what to say. This can’t be real. It’s got to be a dream. “It seems like you’ve got everything under control,” I sputter, totally flustered by the gorgeous pecs staring me in the face.
“Speaking out of character,” Cameron the Giant calls from across the quad. Mystery Knight and I turn to him as he continues. “I just want to clarify—did you do the deed yet?”
“Yes,” the Knight calls. “Faylen Shelara died right in my arms.” He winks at me, and I’m entirely bes
ide myself.
“Oh.” Cameron exchanges glances with the other members of the club, Helena included. “We didn’t see you kill her.”
“It wasn’t exactly an epic climax,” I mutter as they all head toward us.
The Knight smirks mischievously at that.
As LARPing club leader, Cameron thanks everyone for showing up and putting on an excellent performance. The group decides to head to Positano’s Pizzeria in celebration of another “successful” campaign. It’s tradition, after all. But this time, I don’t join them. Not because I lost the battle, or because I don’t want pizza (who doesn’t want pizza?), but because I still have to finish that Art History paper.
At least, that’s what I tell my friends.
The truth is, I’m still totally shook after getting asked out by the gorgeous mystery man. And even though I could undoubtedly learn his true identity by just, you know, asking him, I’m honestly scared to. Because once he tells me who he is, I’ll have to reveal who I am.
And I’d much rather be Faylen than Jordan.
So before he, or anyone else, can guilt me into joining the pizza party, I head straight for my dorm, eager to shake this odd feeling from my stomach.
Chapter Three
Michael
Her beautiful, hand-made, red dress sways back and forth as she sashays her hips on her way toward the parking lot. Her curves look so incredibly luscious in that outfit, and the fact that she made it herself makes her that much more attractive. Which is honestly pretty damn hard to do, since I already think Jordan Smith is the most amazing girl I’ve ever met.
She’s cute as a button, funnier than she knows, demanding as hell, and the most creative person I can think of. I joined the freaking LARPing club because of her.
Yeah, she’s pretty special.
Jordan’s in my art history major classes, but she’s never once looked at me. She always has her nose in a textbook or a tome of a fantasy novel. And if she isn’t captivated by literature, Jordan is posting nerdy content on her Instagram about art, books, and the past, comparing history to the stories that live in her mind. Her Pinterest is full of beautiful photos from places around the world she wants to travel to. The same places I want to travel to.
And yes, the only reason I know this is because I’ve been doing some research. But honestly, how else am I supposed to get to know Jordan? If she’d rather be online than at a party, hell, that’s where I’m going to be.
Hence the whole “Gluteus Maximus” outfit and the riding-in-to-steal-the-show thing. True, it’s a bit much, but I knew I had to grab her attention. Luckily, I’m friends with one of the Giants in her campaign. He let me in when I told him my plan to get her attention, and he seemed even more excited about it than I was.
Apparently, Jordan needs to “get out more.” The giant’s words, not mine.
After a quick lesson in the basics of LARPing and online warfare, I made an avatar with a straightforward costume (what’s simpler than slapping on a mask and a cape?) and jumped into the game. How was I supposed to know I’d be literally jumping right into the floating golden thing that everyone was after?
Turns out, it’s exactly what needed to happen to grab Jordan’s attention. When I stole the win right from under her, even her avatar seemed flustered.
But I don’t want to see that white-as-a-ghost character blush, I want to see Jordan blush underneath her beautiful dark skin. I want to feel her soft cheeks in my hands as I kiss those smooth, plump lips. I’ve dreamed about kissing her so often that I can practically feel her lips on mine whenever I close my eyes.
I’ve got it bad for Jordan Smith. And judging by the way her large brown eyes were staring up at me, I’d say she’s got it for me, too.
Which is why I can’t give up just yet.
I may have ended the LARPing club’s campaign when I jumped into the picture, but I’m not going to stop until I give Jordan the climactic ending she deserves.
Pun very much intended.
Chapter Four
Jordan
I’ve spent the last four hours researching “signs that he’s flirting with you” when I should have been studying the historical symbolism of painted glass at La Sagrada Familia.
With a huff, I sit back in my chair and glance out the third story library window. What am I doing? I feel like a middle schooler experiencing her first crush. Never before have I ever felt such a rush of emotions in the presence of a stranger. The thing is, Mystery Knight didn’t feel like a stranger.
The way he looked at me with that twinkling smile made it feel like we’d known each other forever. Which doesn’t make any sense. Heck, neither does this mess of an essay I’ve been working on to no avail.
I roll my eyes at the screen and exit out of Word. Looks like tonight’s going to be another procrastination kind of night. At least until I can get this hot-as-hell mystery LARPer out of my head. And the way I’ve been ruminating on those muscles of his... it doesn’t seem like that’ll be any time soon.
PING!
I glance at my phone (which apparently hasn’t been on silent this entire time in the library—yikes!) to find I’ve received a message in the mobile app for “Quest for Solaris.”
With the utmost curiosity, I swipe the prompt open to find a message waiting for me from “MaximusGluteus.”
MaximusGluteus: Dearest Faylen, I hope you’re doing well this evening. Where art thou now?
My eyes go wide at the screen, and my heart practically pumps straight out of my chest. What is wrong with me? It’s just an unassuming question from a fellow gamer, right?
But I know better.
This is my Mystery Knight, it has to be. And if I answer his message, we’re going to get to talking. And if we get to talking, who knows what will happen? My stomach does a backflip at the thought. Who knows what will happen?
I have half a mind to screenshot this and send it to Helena for advice. But she’s in a three-hour lecture class right now…
I’d better just do what Faylen would do.
Which is probably to, you know, respond.
Oh boy.
Faylen_Good123: Is this the mystery knight who made me an amputee this afternoon?
I hit send and stare at the screen gnawing on my lower lip as a sinking feeling pulls at my stomach. That was totally the wrong thing to say!
Just when I’m about to hurl my phone out the window, he responds, and I blow a deep-held breath out of my lungs that I didn’t even know I was holding.
MaximusGluteus: *smiles sheepishly* Did my ferocious victory not impress you, fair maiden?
A smirk twists up at the corner of my mouth. There he goes again with the fair maiden thing. The Elven queen in me is outraged by the misclassification, but the human in me thinks his efforts are absolutely adorable, and this is all entirely too exciting.
I shift in my seat and glance over my shoulder, making sure no one can see me freaking out right now. There are only a handful of other students in my corner of the library, and they’re all sucked into their own laptop screens. Whew.
I get back to typing, my fingers flying over the screen faster than a Mage’s lightning spell.
Faylen_Good123: The great Faylen Shelara is no fair maiden, boy. I’m a Diamond Class Illusionist and the best warrior the realm of Solaris has ever seen. How dare you maim me, and then make light of such a treacherous act?
MaximusGluteus: *bowing profusely* Ah, my apologies. I told you I was new at this.
I smile down at my phone, picturing the hulking, handsome man bowing down to lady Faylen. This guy is cute and funny. This is fun.
MaximusGluteus: I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask the great and powerful Faylen to go on a date with me after insulting her, wouldn’t it?
My heart stops when I read his words, and my fingers freeze in place. What am I supposed to say to that? Now I really need Helena. I guess I’ll just have to channel Faylen, who’s way better at flirting than I am.
Gulp.
Wow, great work, I think to myself. I guess I’m not much of a Faylen interpreter tonight, huh? Maximus’ typing bubble immediately pops up, then disappears for a minute. Then two.
Uh oh.
Was I too vague? Too sassy? Now I fear he’s never going to ask me out. I gasp when the realization hits me— I actually want Mystery Knight to ask me out! My spine tingles at the thought.
I decide to send another message, one with a more hopeful tone, just in case I’ve scared away the man who’s possibly my one and only suitor.
Faylen_Good123: or Perhaps not.
I stare at my message once it’s sent, thinking, “Crap.” I shouldn’t have texted twice! Now he’s going to think I’m too eager and he definitely won’t respond. Just when I’m about to pull my hair out, I receive a message from him.
MaximusGluteus: Let me give you a night you’ll never forget. Join me under the stars, Faylen. There’s a secluded spot where the breeze is just right, and you can see the moons of planet Zarinthia above the beautiful pink ocean of Corbu.
My breath catches at his beautiful description. I have no idea what location he’s talking about, but it sounds incredible.
Faylen_Good123: This place you speak of sounds almost too good to be true…
MaximusGluteus: Have you already forgotten your defeat from earlier? I have the Golden Map of Solaris, Faylen. I make the battlefield now. It can be anything I want it to be. And I want it to be something you’ll love, something beautiful just for the two of us.
I read his message and melt a little in my chair. How romantic. I let my imagination wander, painting a vivid picture of the two of us, Faylen and Mystery Knight, sharing a sensual evening overlooking the view he described. It’s not until another PING drags me from my thoughts that I realize I’ve left him on read for a full three minutes.
MaximusGluteus: What do you say?
Faylen_Good123: I’ll meet you online in twenty minutes.
Tempt University: Year One: A College Romance Collection Page 20