“Mitch!” Stephanie exclaimed, answering her phone. “We're home! We made it! Let me put you on speakerphone.”
“Hi guys!” Alyssa yelled. “You both there?”
Mitch also put his phone on speaker and Luke shouted, “Yup. We're both here.”
“I can't believe it,” Stephanie said. “I can't believe everything worked out. Now that we're back home, it all feels like it was just dream.”
“If it was,” Luke replied, “then that was one hell of a dream.”
“No way,” Alyssa said. “That was too real to be a dream. What a crazy adventure.”
“For sure,” Mitch added. “Well, I just wanted to make sure the two of you got back safe and sound. I'll let you go so you girls can settle in. Do the two of you want to get together with the two of us tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Alyssa answered.
“Absolutely,” Stephanie replied at the same time.
“Great,” Mitch said. “We'll meet at Dunkin' at, say, ten o'clock?”
“Sounds good,” Stephanie answered.
The friends settled in, cleaning the messes that the characters left. All of them except Luke, that is.
“You're going out?” Mitch asked, noticing that Luke was getting dressed up as he walked past his bedroom door.
“Bro, look at my phone,” he answered, holding up his cell. “While we were trapped in Bloodfeast, Megan, Melissa, Jessica, Robin, and Stacy all texted me. I'm going out to get me some sweet human pussy. After banging elves and wizards and shit in Bloodfeast, I've been craving some sexy human Boston babes. You wanna come with? I'm going over Jessica's and she's got a hot roommate who's single.”
“No thanks,” Mitch replied. “There's only one sexy Boston babe that I'm interested in.”
“Suit yourself. Have a good night, bro. I may or may not be back tonight.”
“Don't forget, we're meeting the girls at ten in the morning.”
“I'll be there. Don't worry. But right now, it's on like Don Juan!”
Mitch finished cleaning the apartment and got comfortable on the sofa. He pulled out his bowl from underneath the couch, packed it, sparked it up, and put on an episode of Rick and Morty. Though his eyes were glued to the screen, his mind started wandering.
Mitch thought about the wild adventure he'd just returned from and all the crazy things he saw. Eventually, he started thinking about Stephanie and continued to do so until he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, the girls cleaned their dorm room. It wasn't nearly as messy as the boys' apartment, but the female characters did make a little mess while they were there. After they finished, the girls talked for a while and eventually fell asleep.
All four of the friends slept incredibly well that night. Back in their own beds, they were all happy to be home. The only one who didn't sleep in his own bed was Luke. But he slept like a baby after having sex with not only Jessica, but her hot roommate, too. They were all glad to be back in Boston and slept soundly throughout the night.
* * *
“You're late!” Alyssa said to Luke as he walked into Dunkin' Donuts.
Mitch, Stephanie, and Alyssa were already there and had been since ten o'clock. Luke sauntered in about twenty minutes later.
“Yeah, I had a thing – two things, actually – that I had to take care of this morning.”
“So you had a good time last night?” Mitch asked.
“Uh huh. And again this morning,” Luke replied with a smirk. “I'll tell you all about it later.” Alyssa shook her head.
The friends all got coffees and breakfast sandwiches then sat down at a table. They always sat at the same table whenever they met at that particular location. In Boston, there are Dunkin' Donuts on every corner – literally – and they liked to meet at the one exactly halfway between where they lived.
“It's so good to see you guys,” Stephanie said, taking a sip from her French vanilla coffee. “You know, back here in Boston, looking normal.”
“It's good to see you, too,” Mitch replied, looking right at Stephanie. Then he looked to Alyssa and continued, “Both of you. All of you.” Stephanie smiled.
“So I guess we won't be playing any more Bloodfeast MMO,” Alyssa said. “I guess we'll have to find a new game to play together.”
“That'd be cool,” Luke replied as he stuffed his face with one of the three sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches he bought.
“I wonder how our characters are making out,” Mitch said. “It's too bad we never got to meet them.”
“I know,” Stephanie replied. “I'm glad they decided to help us. Otherwise, we'd probably still be stuck in the game.”
Alyssa raised her coffee cup and said, “Here's to our Bloodfeast characters. For helping us get back to Boston where we belong.”
“Here here!” Stephanie replied.
Everyone touched cups and took a sip of their coffees. The friends continued eating breakfast and talking about the wild adventure they'd shared together. They were all having a good time and spent well over an hour chatting. Eventually, the conversation started to wind down and they got ready to leave.
“So what's everyone doing with the rest of the day?” Alyssa asked.
“I was thinking about going to Harvard Square for the afternoon,” Stephanie answered. “Maybe do a little shopping.”
Mitch's heart started beating faster. Even though his anxiety-ridden brain was telling him to just go home, smoke weed, and chill out on the couch, Mitch had a promise to himself he planned to keep.
“What a coincidence,” he said. “I was thinking about going to Harvard Square today, too. Wanna go together?”
Stephanie smiled and replied, “Yeah. I'd like that.”
“How about you, Luke?” Alyssa asked. “What are you up to today?”
“Well, once I leave here I'm going to What Sup to see if I still have a job. I haven't shown up for work in days and I'm guessing my character didn't either while he was here.”
“You walking?” Alyssa asked.
“I was planning on it. Yeah.”
“Then you'll be walking right past my dorm. You wanna walk me home?”
“Sure,” Luke replied. “Whatevs.”
“Cool,” Alyssa said and turned toward Stephanie and Mitch. “Well, you guys have fun. I'll see you back at the dorm, Steph.”
The two pairs of friends went their separate ways. Alyssa and Luke started walking toward her dorm and his work. Mitch and Stephanie hopped on the red line to take a short train ride to Harvard Square.
The whole ride, Mitch was so nervous that he was practically shaking. When in the game, he promised himself that if they ever made it back to Boston, he'd ask Stephanie out. This was his chance and he knew that if he didn't ask her out then, he probably never would.
The T arrived at the Harvard Square stop and they got off the train. As always, Harvard Square was poppin'. Thousands of shoppers, tourists, performers, and others filled the streets.
“Where do you want to go first?” Stephanie asked.
“Before we start shopping, let's go over there and sit down for a minute,” Mitch answered, pointing to a bench a little ways down the street.
“Okay.”
As they walked over to the bench, Mitch's stomach filled with butterflies. He'd fantasized about asking Stephanie out a million times and built it up quite a bit in his head. She walked a little in front of him and Mitch admired her beauty – her beautiful butt, that is - as they made their way to the bench. After sitting down, he turned toward Stephanie and started talking.
“Steph,” Mitch said, his voice a little shaky, “we've known each other for a long time now. I've always considered you a good friend.”
Smiling, Stephanie replied, “I consider you a good friend, too.”
“And there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while, but didn't know how to.”
“What is it?”
“I... Ever since we met,
I... I think you and I...” Mitch said, struggling to find the words to say. “You know, I'm really not good at this.”
“It's okay,” Stephanie assured him. “Keep going.”
“I wanted you to know... I wanted to ask you...”
“Yes?”
Mitch was having a hard time putting his thoughts and feelings into words. He looked at Stephanie, her eyes wide, eagerly waiting to hear what it was he had to say.
Suddenly, Mitch thought of his character in Bloodfeast. When Ethelwulf got scared or angry, he'd shift into a vicious wolf and attack. No fear. No hesitation. No time to think – just act. He took a deep breath and tried to summon his inner wolf. Mitch wanted to just shut off his anxious brain and let his emotions take control – and it worked.
Looking Stephanie in the eyes, Mitch brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, behind her ear. The gesture put a smile on her face but was nothing compared to what he did next. Mitch gently grabbed Stephanie's face and pulled it toward his own. He shut his eyes and started leaning in until their lips met.
The kiss started off slow and sensual, but quickly progressed into something more. Before long, Stephanie and Mitch were making out wildly and passionately in the middle of Harvard Square. They were both swept up in the moment, completely oblivious to the world around them. Mitch's lips set Stephanie's body on fire. And Stephanie's reciprocation had Mitch feeling like the luckiest man in the world.
After making out for quite a while, their lips finally unlocked from each other. They both pulled back slowly, opening their eyes. Mitch smiled, looking right at Stephanie. She smiled right back.
“I've liked you for a long time,” Mitch said, no longer having trouble speaking. The kiss had completely killed his anxiety. “And I've wanted to ask you out for almost as long as I've known you but was too afraid. Well, I'm not afraid anymore, Steph. I want you to know how I feel, even if you don't feel the same way.”
“But I do feel the same way,” she replied. “I've liked you for a long time, too. But I never thought you liked me like that. I've always known that you liked me as a friend, but had no idea you liked me, liked me.”
“Well, I do like you, like you. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met in my entire life. I like everything about you, Steph. You're sweet, smart, funny, and so, so cute. And I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“Yes!” she yelled, throwing her arms around Mitch.
They hugged for a few seconds, which turned into another long make out session. Eventually, it came to an end and they resumed talking.
“So, you ready to do some shopping?” Mitch asked.
“Yup, let's do it!”
“Then later, if you want, we can go chill at my apartment. I don't have much food, since the characters ate it all and I haven't been to the store yet. But we could smoke a bowl and watch a few episodes of Rick and Morty.”
“Weed and Rick and Morty – two of my favorite things!” Stephanie exclaimed.
Mitch smiled and replied, “You're awesome.”
They got up off the bench and after a standing make out session, started walking. Both Mitch and Stephanie felt like they were floating on air. Smiling and laughing all day, they spent the afternoon shopping in Harvard Square, holding hands the entire time. Neither of them had ever been happier.
* * *
“I really hope that Mitch is telling Stephanie how he feels right now,” Alyssa said as she walked with Luke.
“No shit,” he replied. “He's been pining over that girl for a long time. I've tried to tell him time and again that he should just tell her. It's really not that hard to get laid.”
“Mitch isn't trying to get laid. Well, he's not trying to just get laid. I think he really likes her. Even loves her, maybe. I see the way he looks at her.”
“Yeah,” Luke replied. “It's an awful lot like the way you look at me.”
“Pfft!” Alyssa grunted. “Please. He looks at her with longing and desire. I look at you with disgust and contempt.”
“Uh huh,” Luke replied, casually. “Sometimes you do. But I've been with enough women to know the look when I see it.”
“What look?” Alyssa asked, equally curious and annoyed.
“The I-wanna-fuck-this-guy look,” he answered and grinned.
“Ha!” Alyssa yelled, loud enough to draw the attention of a few others on the sidewalk. “You wish, chicken boy.”
“There you go referencing my cock again!”
Alyssa shook her head and replied, “I knew I should've plucked you when I had the chance.”
“Deny it all you want. But I know that deep down, whether you're willing to admit it to yourself or not, you're turned on by my muscular body and don't-give-a-fuck attitude.”
“Whatever,” Alyssa said, knowing there was some truth to Luke's words.
Although she wished it didn't, Luke's cocky attitude and flawless physique did turn Alyssa on. What drove her even more crazy was knowing that he knew the effect he had on her. Whenever he brought it up, Alyssa always got at least a little irritated. She was trying to think of a way to change the conversation topic when they both noticed someone at the same time.
“Is it just me or does that woman look a lot like Larilda, the crazy crat lady from Bloodfeast MMO?” Alyssa asked.
“It doesn't look a lot like her,” Luke replied. “It looks exactly like her.”
On the other side of the street, there was a homeless woman sitting against the side of a building. Her face was almost identical to Larilda's and looked to be around the same height and weight. She was even wearing an oversized sweater, something Larilda always had on. The only thing missing was a half cat, half rat resting in her arms.
“You wanna go talk to her?” Alyssa asked.
“Why the fuck would we wanna do that?”
“I don't know. To see what she's like. I mean, she looks like she could be Larilda's twin.”
“Seven billion people on this planet. Everybody looks like they could be someone else's twin. It's just a coincidence. Let's keep going.”
“Fine,” Alyssa replied.
They continued walking. Alyssa kept periodically looking across the street at the homeless woman until they turned a corner and could no longer see her. She couldn't stop thinking about how similar the woman looked to Larilda. But Alyssa knew that Luke was probably right, that it was most likely just a strange coincidence. Eventually they arrived at Alyssa's dorm.
“Thanks for walking me home,” Alyssa said.
“You gonna invite me in?” Luke asked, accompanied by a head tilt and half-smile.
“Is that what you want?” she replied. “You want me to invite you in so we can get naked and have all kinds of crazy sex all over my dorm room? Is that what you want me to do?”
“You know it!” Luke exclaimed.
“Well that's too bad. Cause the only way you could ever get me into bed is if you used some sort of magical orb. And in this world, no such orbs exist. So I guess you're shit out of luck.”
“Uh huh,” Luke replied. “We'll see. I know you think I'm charming.”
“You pronounced that word wrong. It's pronounced disgusting. Not charming. I think you're dis-gus-ting.”
“Disgustingly charming?”
“Not even charmingly disgusting. Bye Luke. Thanks for the walk. I hope they let you keep your job.”
“Yeah, me too. Later!”
Luke continued walking until he got to What Sup. At first, his boss was furious that he'd missed work. But after a few compliments and a well-placed hand on her lower back, she forgave him and let him keep his job. Then he ended up banging her in the back room.
So the four friends settled back into their normal lives in Boston. They decided not to tell anyone about their crazy adventure into Bloodfeast MMO and back. Who would've believed them? It would remain their little secret, which made the whole experience all the more special.
From The Author
&
nbsp; Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading Inside Out as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, I would greatly appreciate it if you would rate and review it on Amazon.
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Inside Out_Bloodfeast Book 1 Page 16