“We tried,” Morgan says, setting down a couple of gift bags.
Ooh, presents!
“It’s the thought that counts,” I offer, leaning in to give Gia a hug.
Dex slides the pizza next to the gifts and other boxes, and suddenly the table looks so small.
“We at least come bearing gifts,” Dex says.
“Good. I’m starving,” comes a deep male voice right behind me, making me shiver. Especially when he then stands beside me, almost brushing my shoulder with his.
“Shoo, you. It’s my birthday.”
“What? You’re not serious?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Dead.” I glare at him.
“Why?”
“You forgot my birthday.”
“Pfft. Whatever.”
We then dig into the boxes of warm, fatty, greasy and gooey Heaven on Earth. Sitting around the living room with my best friends, I’m content. How can you not love birthdays when you have friends like these?
The girls pass gifts over to me, though we always talk about how they aren’t necessary. They all know me so well. Fun fandom items for my desk at work, a gift card for Skyline Comics, and a new set of colored pens and a notebook.
I head for the kitchen and Bernie pulls me aside.
“Hey, I wanted to let you know that I invited Mason, but I guess he couldn’t make it,” she says sadly.
“Oh, well, he’s been really busy at work. Thank you for thinking about him though.” I’m equally sad and touched. I’m touched that she thought to reach out and invite him. I’m sad because my boyfriend isn’t here for my birthday gathering. I mean, I gave her the whole, “he’s busy at work” excuse, but is it really an excuse if that’s his go-to line every time he is late or cancels plans?
I can’t lie, I’m also relieved because I’m not sure I would have been up for a tension-filled birthday dinner tonight.
Mason has made it clear over the past few weeks that he does not think highly of the gamers. And it really makes me sad, because I love them all so much. No one wants their significant other and their closest friends to hate each other. It’s why our group works so well.
The look on Bernie’s face leads me to believe there is something more she wants to say.
“What, Bern?” I ask.
“Well, he didn’t actually tell me he wouldn’t be here,” she says twisting her hands together.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when I texted him, I told him who I was and invited him to dinner. He replied asking why I was inviting him and not you. I told him it was a surprise. He never replied. It said that he read the text. So, I kinda just left it at that.”
Well, that burns.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Thanks for thinking about him though.” I clap a hand on her shoulder.
I slip past her and head to the bathroom. Moments later, I’m standing at the sink wondering what the heck I’m going to do with a boyfriend who can’t be nice to my friends. I dry my hands and decide to text him and ask him why he isn’t here. I’ve never been afraid to call people out before when they are jerks, why hesitate now?
I slip into my room where I tossed my stuff earlier, snag up my phone and call him.
Surprisingly, he answers rather quickly. I don’t wait for pleasantries.
“Why didn’t you come to my surprise birthday party?” I ask.
He sighs into the phone, “I don’t have time for immature surprise birthday parties, Ruby.”
I gasp. There is always time for surprise birthday parties and no one is ever too old for one either.
“I disagree. They didn’t have to invite you, but they did because you are my boyfriend. And you didn’t come.”
“Ruby, I’m taking you to dinner tomorrow night. I’d prefer it to be just us. I even have a gift for you.” The annoyance in his voice is clear, but he tries to throw in the comment about the gift like it will make everything better.
Ugh. I mean, he’s a busy guy, and he is taking me out tomorrow, but still, he could have been here tonight.
“Still, it’s kinda shady,” I reply.
He chuckles darkly. “Yeah, okay, Ruby. I’ve got to go. Pick you up at seven tomorrow,” he says right before hanging up. I can feel frustrated moisture building up in my eyes.
I toss my phone on the bed and contemplate falling face first onto it as well. But I decide against it. I have company I’d much rather spend time with than lie here in my confused state of mind. It seems like my boyfriend — who should have been here — is only making my life more stressful. Now that I think about it, I’m not entirely sure I really want him here anyway.
Pushing open my bedroom door, I swipe away a stupid tear from my cheek. I’m barely paying attention as I run into Link. A startled gasp escapes my lips.
“Oh my god, you scared me, you creeper,” I say clutching my chest as if it will slow my rapidly beating heart.
Link tosses his hands up in surrender, but laughs, “Sorry, sorry. I was going to knock.”
I immediately wonder if he heard my conversation and hope like hell he didn’t notice the tear.
He just stands there for a second, looking at me. Assessing me.
“Link?” I question.
That’s when I notice the card he’s holding. He sees me looking at his hand. And it seems to snap him out of whatever haze he was in.
“Here.” He shoves the envelop toward me. I take it from him and see my name scribbled across it in black ink. I have to hold myself back from running my fingers over his masculine handwriting, so instead I flip it over and open it.
“I thought you forgot my birthday,” I say, peeking up at him.
A boyish grin crosses his face, the cocky smirk nowhere in sight. “I’d never forget your birthday, Rubes.”
I smile back in reply. I pull the card out and it’s really a rather basic birthday card. It’s white with a big birthday cake on the front and a banner above it that says “Happy Birthday”.
I open it up and see tickets sticking out. His messy handwriting is the only thing written inside.
Ruby,
You deserve these. No matter how hard they were to get, it was worth it. It will always be worth it.
In return I just ask to see you in your birthday suit.
-Link
I snort at the last line. Ladylike, I know.
Flipping over the tickets, my jaw drops as my heart starts to pound with excitement. I’m holding in my hand two VIP tickets to the Gail Simone signing at Comic-Con in two weeks. Gail Simone is only the most amazing comic book writer ever. She’s only one of the most influential women in the comic book industry, the writer of my favorite series, Batgirl and DC’s Birds of Prey. She’s pretty much my idol.
“Oh my god, Link,” I breathe. I can’t believe these tickets. He doesn’t reply. “How did you know?” I ask, looking up at him. He’s only a few inches taller than me, but I still have to tilt my head up to look him in the eyes.
“Because I know you, Rube.”
“These had to have cost a shit ton of money. I don’t think I can accept these,” I say, thrusting them back at him.
“Well, I got them for myself, to be honest. I just thought you’d use the other ticket.” He shoves his hands into his pockets so he can’t take the ticket back.
Suddenly I have the urge to throw my arms around him and hug him. So, I do. I do it a bit forcefully because I hear a soft Hmph escape his lips. A second goes by and his arms go around my waist.
“It’s not a big deal, Rubes.”
“It’s so a big deal, Link. Thank you so much,” I say, laying a quick kiss on his cheek. I pull away to walk back into my room and set the tickets on my dresser.
I head back toward the door and smile up at him. He’s not standing directly in the doorway so I’m able to step out into the hall, but he doesn’t move.
He just stares at me quizzically for a beat or two.
He leans in close to my ear and in a low, husky voice, his
breath hot against my ear, “He doesn’t deserve you, Ruby. I would try my damnedest to never make you cry.”
Then he turns and stalks down the hall.
What?
Is he saying he deserves me? We’ve only ever talked about the potential for a relationship once, and it was a while ago. And we decided that we’d make better friends than lovers. It hasn’t been brought up since. Does he want more? Still? After nearly two years? I shake my head loose of the Link-induced fog and plaster a smile back on my face before I rejoin my friends.
The rest of the night, Link acts like his normal, cocky, infuriating, smartass self. It’s like the gift he gave me and the forward-as-hell comment he made in my ear didn’t happen.
But it did. And I can’t stop thinking about it.
His brazen statement sticks with me over the days following. His words are on my mind during my date with Mason. He hands me a gift card to some stuffy, high scale story on The Mile, so I can buy more of the dresses he likes me to wear so much. It’s a generous gift, more money than I would ever expect to see on a gift card. He likes the blacks, whites, and grays. Sophisticated, he says. Which is utterly ridiculous coming from the mouth of a local sports reporter.
Link’s comment is still floating around in my head when I’m back at Mason’s, unable to feel the heat between the sheets like I used to with him. And I wonder just how blind I’ve been to not have noticed that perhaps Link has always wanted more than what I’ve been willing to offer. It’s clear now, after tonight, that I might be starting to believe his words, that a little voice in my head and heart is telling me Mason might not be the one.
Chapter Eleven
Ruby
“So, how freaking excited are you to meet your idol in like, five days?” Bernie asks standing next to me as we flip through the bins of comics. Recently, she’s been coming with me each Wednesday to pick up my weekly obsession. She always buys a couple while we are here. She’s trying several series out and I’ve made sure she’s getting a good mix of everything from DC, Marvel, and Boom.
“Oh my gosh, so excited. Every time I think about it, I realize I’ve started bouncing. You know how I bounce with excitement.” I pull out a Boom! Studios comic that I think she might enjoy. “Here, try this one.”
“Oh, this reminds me. You know how I told you about that comic book app, Webtoon?” she says, taking the comic book and flipping through it.
“Yeah, is it any good? I still need to download it.”
“Well, I’ve only found two that I’m into. But oh my gosh, Ruby, I’ve been binge reading them. The first one is in the romance category, but it’s called Roommate Assassin and the other is called Let’s Play. And take a wild guess at what the second one is about?”
“Hmm, gaming?” I laugh at her enthusiasm.
“Kind of, more like game development but it features a popular YouTube-like star.” She’s moved on to another row now. I don’t think she really knows what she’s looking for.
“Oh, that’s cool,” I tell her.
“Yeah, you’ve got to check it out. Both of them are wonderful. Both artists are going to be at Comic-Con next week so I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
I nod toward the front as I think we are both ready to check out. She follows.
“Well, that’s cool. Looks like I’ll have to read them before then,” I tell her.
We pay, leave and head back toward The Bar. It’s not a long walk but we talk about all the things we are looking forward to doing next week at the Con. This is the first year we are all going together. I always go, and the team and Link have gone the last five years. This will be Morgan’s third Comic-Con. It’s hard to believe that she’s nearly a pro at going now as it seems like just yesterday that I took her on her first airplane trip. But this year, Gia is also going.
I used to go with my brother, but two years ago, he got a promotion with his company that sends him to a big industry trade show each year and it always seems to coincide with SDCC. While I miss our trips, I have to admit I do have a bit more fun with my friends. Bernie and I are rooming together because the couples are each getting their own room and since she’s the only chick on the team, she always gets a separate room anyway. But she was happy to have a roomie this year.
We get to The Bar and immediately the familiar scents of beer and fried food hits me in a welcoming surprise. Like, I never expect to smell the fried food goodness but am always comforted by the aroma when I arrive. Strange, I know.
We slide into a small booth near the front. One of the weeknight bartenders waves to me as I survey the room. At half-past six on a Wednesday, the place isn’t very busy. There are a few business types sitting at the bar watching the TVs affixed to the wall. One has a sports channel on, the other the local news. I look away in fear I’ll catch Mason’s sports report. I’m really not in the mood to see him tonight. Even if it’s only on the TV.
“So,” Bernie draws out the word, “how are things going with Mason?” She’s got the menu open on the table, pretending to figure out what to get. She always gets the same thing: the buffalo chicken wrap with a side of fried pickles.
I let out a sigh.
“That good, huh?” she chuckles.
“Yeah,” I say just as Trish, one of the servers stops at our booth.
“Hiya girls. I brought you Diet Cokes. Is it just the two of you tonight?” she asks, placing the cups down in front of us. We really are regulars here.
“Just us,” I tell her and order a plate of loaded cheese fries with a side of ranch.
“Let me guess, the buffalo wrap and fried pickles?” she smiles down at Bernie.
“You got it, dude,” Bernie confirms.
Trish is off to put in our order after telling us it won't be long.
“Are you going to elaborate on that yeah and sigh?” Dang, I was kind of hoping for a change of subject.
“I mean, things are fine. We see each other more than before, we talk more, but I don’t know,” I trail off and take a hearty sip of my drink. I don’t continue, and Bernie just looks at me expectantly. I roll my eyes. “Ugh. Fine. Girl talk.”
“Yes, and don’t hold anything back. Talk to me.” She gently spins her straw around in her own drink.
“I guess, I just don’t know if I’m really feeling it anymore,” I tell her honestly. It’s a hard pill to swallow.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I really didn’t like how he treated you guys at the party and ever since then, I feel like I’ve been watching my step around him.”
That whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Explain.”
“Well, if I bring up the guys, or gaming, or streaming with Link, or even my job, he seems to get annoyed. He clearly doesn’t think highly of the video game industry. So, I try not to bring that stuff up. But then I realize that I’m purposefully not talking about well, my life, to my own boyfriend.” I shrug in defeat because I just said that out loud, and it sounds as bad as I thought it would.
Bernie looks sympathetic. “Unfortunately, not everyone understands the video game craze. Granted, it’s been around for a long while now, but those people do exist.”
“I know.” I lean my forehead down on my hand to massage away the impending headache this is going to give me. “So how did I happen to find myself with one? What are the odds?”
She chuckles, and I hear someone approach. I look up and find Trish there with our food.
“Jeez, that was freaky fast.” I stare at the plate of streak fries covered in melty shredded cheese and bacon as it slides onto the table before me.
Trish laughs and moves on to the table of college-aged guys who just came in.
“So, what are you going to do?” Bernie asks before taking a huge, unladylike bite of her wrap.
“I don’t know, Bern.”
“You going to break up with him?” she asks through the food, and to be honest, I’m only seventy-five percent sure that’s what she said.
My f
ace scrunches in distress because I don’t know. I really don’t know.
“I’m worried that I liked him more before we took our relationship to the next level than I do now.” And now it’s there – the thought I didn’t want to give voice to — just hanging out in the world.
“Ouch.”
“I know, I kind of can’t believe I just said that.”
“But it’s the truth?” she asks leaning over and dipping a pickle in my ranch.
“Yeah.” I slide my bottom lip to the side and bite it as I realize it is.
“You going to break up with him, then?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“I think maybe you have to, if you’re not happy. If you can’t even be yourself around him. If you don’t really even like him that much.” Dang it, she has a point. I mull it over. She continues her grand slam into pointville. “I mean, what did he buy you for your birthday? A gift card for new clothes. New clothes you won’t wear but that he wants you to wear.”
“I get it. And you’re right,” I concede.
“Maybe, at the very least, you should talk to him about it. Right?”
I just nod my head because she is so right. I make a mental plan to talk to Mason about this next time I see him. Maybe he doesn’t realize he’s being a jerk. You’re supposed to have an open line of communication with your significant other, right?
We eat in silence for a few minutes while my brain and my feelings wage war with each other. The more I think about Mason, the more I realize that I might not have such strong feelings for him like I initially thought. My head tells me that it’s because we are still new to this “next step”. That I have to give my feelings time to grow, to blossom. But my heart is telling me that it’s just not going to happen.
“So, not to change the subject, but I’m going to segue this conversation into one about our favorite YouTube star,” Bernie says after wiping her mouth free of buffalo sauce.
I cock my head. “And why’s that?”
“Well, we’ve not talked about the elephant in the room yet.”
I look out to the floor at all the tables, then twist at the waist and look behind me. My eyes are wide in mock surprise. “Why? Is said elephant here? In this room?”
Game All Night Page 8