Samantha kept glancing over to me but whenever I looked back at her she was staring straight ahead with a weird look on her face. Maybe she noticed the tears?
We went down an escalator from the sky walk into the convention center and what I saw there amazed me even as it filled me with apprehension. The place seemed oddly deserted. Eerily deserted. The convention center was packed yesterday and today was supposed to be even busier, but there wasn’t a single person around. No convention center staff. No attendees. Sure this was just a hall feeding from hotels into the convention center but I still figured it’d be packed like yesterday. Had the thing been called off for today and I didn’t get the memo or something?
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“No idea,” Samantha said. “I thought you didn’t care about the convention?”
I frowned. “I don’t. Let’s go get a cab.”
I sighed and we made my way towards where the actual convention was happening. Surely there’d be somebody there. Only the emptiness continued as we made our way through the convention center. The place was a complete ghost town like. Where the hell was everybody? It was like one of those twilight zone episodes where somebody finds themselves in an alternate dimension or something. That eerie emptiness continued right up to the moment we rounded a corner and stepped into the massive two floor hall that ran next to the Elassa Con dealer hall.
I stopped and stared.
We’d found everybody.
The main concourse was open on the second floor allowing people to walk the halls upstairs and look down on the first floor. Every railing on the second floor was lined with people staring down. All the walls along the first floor were lined with people as well. They were packed at least ten deep running down the entire length of the convention center. And there at the end, near the entrance that opened out onto one of the streets in downtown Indy, a lone figure stood.
I turned and looked at Samantha who was grinning at me. I wanted to punch her in the face. Apparently my desire to punch her in the face was pretty clearly communicated through that look because she held up her hands defensively and took a step back.
“You can still get a cab and leave,” Samantha said. “But I’m going to say my piece. I heard your argument last night and I think he had some good points. I think you’re looking for any excuse you can find to run away from what’s probably the best damn thing to happen to you in awhile.”
I balled my hand into a fist, anger pumping through me, but then I released it. I let out a sigh and all the tension I’d been feeling all morning drained out of me.
“You really think so?” I asked.
Samantha stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. “Just do what feels right Jess. Don’t go crazy over thinking things or thinking about all the ways something could go wrong. Let something go right for a change.”
I sighed as she released the hug and turned to look behind me. There was still a clear path back to the hotel if I wanted to escape. Apparently everyone at the convention had gathered in this hall. Waiting for me. I couldn’t believe there was an entire convention of people waiting for me.
I seriously considered escape, only something stopped me. I turned and looked at the crowd again. At everybody staring in absolute silence, all of them hopeful, and then I looked down at that lone figure standing at the head of the crowd.
He’d gone to this much trouble. I might regret it, I might decide it was the most ridiculous decision I ever made, but I figured the least I owed him was hearing him out if he went to all this trouble. I still couldn’t quite believe that this was all for my benefit, but after everything else that had happened this weekend I could also very much believe it.
So I took a hesitant step forward. No one stopped me. It seemed this show definitely was for my benefit. So I walked down the center of that big group of fans. All of them staring at me expectantly.
I got closer to that figure standing alone. Sean in a nice-looking suit, a single rose in his hand and a hopeful smile on his face. A smile that grew bigger and an expression that grew ever more hopeful the closer I got.
Finally I stood in front of him. I fixed him with my best neutral stare. If he thought all this was going to impress me or pressure me into anything then he had another thing coming, but I was also mulling over everything Samantha said. Was I trying to sabotage this?
Sean got down on his knees and held the rose up to me. I blinked in surprise. I wasn’t expecting that.
“Jessica,” he said, his voice catching for a moment and then he seemed to get control of himself.
He was either the world’s best actor or this was a genuine moment. In a daze I took the rose, still not quite believing this was happening. Still not quite believing I was actually going along with this after all the anger and shouting yesterday. Finally he seemed to regain control of himself and he started talking again.
“You were absolutely right last night Jessica. I haven’t been honest with you. I did it because I was afraid, but I should’ve given you more credit than that. I realize that now I’m going to be completely honest with you from here on out. I want to start over with you.””
I was getting a little overwhelmed myself. I was weak in the knees. Actually, shit. I was losing it. I was falling to the floor only he caught me in his arms and I wanted to sigh and just lean into him, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I owed him an apology.
“I’m sorry for not listening to you,” I said. “I think I was afraid and it was easier to lash out at you and believe my version of reality than admit to myself how I feel about you.”
He arched a sexy eyebrow. “How do you feel about me?”
I arched my own eyebrow. “That’s not obvious? I love you, you idiot!”
He stood and held out his hand. Not the reaction I was expecting but I took his hand and he lifted me up. “In that case we’d better start this out right. Hi. My name’s Sean Taylor. I write books, I’m here with a few thousand of my closest friends, and I’m falling absolutely, totally, irretrievably head over heels in love with you too.”
I launched myself at him. I had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes go wide and then a moment later he was wrapping his arms around me and our lips came together. We were locked in a passionate embrace with thousands of fans erupting and cheering around us. I closed my eyes and I was completely oblivious to the world around me. My entire world was Sean, that incredible kiss, and a wave of relief that was washed over me.
Maybe I was going to get my happily ever after!
I have to admit it felt a little weird to have my love life playing out in front of an audience of thousands, but I suppose I was going to have to get used to that sort of thing if I was going to be dating one of the most successful authors in the world. I pulled away from the kiss and disentangled myself from him, turned around to look at the crowd gathered for us.
Sean held up a hand and everyone immediately grew quiet. I marveled at the level of control he seemed to have over his fans, at the level of dedication they had.
“I want to thank all of you for taking the time to help me out this morning,” Sean said. “I really appreciate it. And I want to introduce all of you to my new girlfriend, and incidentally my new muse who’s got me working on the next book again. Everybody, meet Jessica!”
I looked up at him and blinked in disbelief. His girlfriend? Then I smiled. Yeah, his girlfriend. I liked the sound of that.
Even the worst-case scenario part of my brain couldn’t argue with that. That announcement had a finality to it. I wasn’t just a one night stand. I wasn’t just someone he was having no strings attached fun with at the convention. No, this was a relationship. It was a whirlwind romance, to be sure, but it was a hell of a lot more rock solid than I’d worried it might be.
Once more everyone erupted into applause. Whether for our budding romance or announcing the new book was anyone’s guess.
I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just went with the moment and pulled him into another kis
s.
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Boy Meets Geek Page 18