16. Liam
Liam
It's been three days.
Three days of Amy avoiding me like a fucking swarm of locusts ready to rain plague and havoc on her life.
Okay. So, I didn't exactly tell her I was going to be her partner. I thought it would be a cute surprise.
Note: It was not.
She's not happy with me.
Or, did it start when I took her to bed the first day we met? Because she ran out of the hotel room as soon as it was over.
I'm not a man with an ego. Not like Aiden. Even so, I know I'm not that bad. I made sure she came first. I…
…
Okay, so I did things to her at the bar in front of people. Not cool.
And the elevator… Was a little risky. Fair.
Maybe throwing her over my shoulder like a fucking caveman wasn't the best idea, but I didn't want her breaking her adorable ankles to hustle that delectable ass to my room.
And, yeah, I could have been a little more gentle.
More romantic.
Sweeter.
But if she'd give me a chance, I could show her I'd later remembered to grab the rose from the bar. We'd left it on the table in our haste, and they'd kept it for me.
Haven't had a single fucking chance to give it to her. It's just in my hotel room, staring at me from the top of my dresser like a fucking failure.
God damn it.
Every fucking day I'm sitting across from her for hours. I'm obsessed with the anklet she's begun wearing, which is one of the few things I can see of her from around her desk.
I've never been some weird foot guy, but when it's about the only thing you can see of the woman you want to have more than a one-night stand with… You take what you can get.
Plus, she's still wearing that toe ring. It's cute.
Every time I try to talk to her, she ignores me. Even K's noticed, and I can't give them any fucking answers to their questions. I tell them to drop it.
They have me dressed in this ridiculous getup every single day, and my stream's viewers are loving every second of it. I don't stream often anymore, but my name alone brings them in. There are a couple million followers to my name—not that I give a shit.
All they care about is that Trickshot is back from retirement. They haven't seen me in ages. I pop on here and there when I'm bored, but there's no schedule, no rhyme or reason.
They've been waiting for this.
Finishing the burgers and fries I ordered for lunch, I head back early, hoping Amy will too.
Maybe I'll finally get a chance to talk to her. I'm so desperate that I might have to stalk her to the bathroom, but that's so far under creepy that I can't quite take that step.
I'm going to go mad if she doesn't give me a chance to explain soon.
K's on the phone outside the conference room, talking to someone—presumably Asher, judging by the stressed-out look on their face. They change their crown daily, and today it's gold with fake amethyst gems studded all around it.
The viewers love K as much as me, especially when they lean over my shoulder to ask how the fuck I became a professional when I still don't understand how to follow quest markers.
Direct quote.
And my viewers agree with them. Traitors.
RPGs aren't my genre, okay? They play completely different.
I just want to shoot shit.
And in this game, even that's based on action skills and character progression, things I'm not used to having to monitor.
Every so often, I see Amy's little avatar, an elf—because in this post-apocalyptic world, there's still a fantasy element—running around. She's farther ahead than I am, likely due to the fact that she asks pertinent questions and focuses on learning how to play the game.
It's easy, apparently.
All my viewers watch her, too, and they love to point out how much worse I am at adapting.
Well, how many of them could figure it all out while staring at the sexy woman who's determined to ignore you for the rest of your natural life?
"Fuck!"
I push myself away from my desk with a groan as my avatar crumples to the ground again, dead.
"K, this game might be too damn hard for the casual gamer. No way anyone's going to figure out this battle system without serious time investment."
K snorts. "Are you sure about that?"
I glance over at the chat stream, already knowing what I'll see. And yep, there it is:
ZombieHunterHawkKun: lol trickshot ur probably the only person on the planet who cant figure this out
xXShadowAssassin413Xx: I'm not even playing and pretty sure I'd still be better at this than you
Allthegoodnamesweretaken: can't wait for release so we can all laugh at you failing hard
IntawebzNo1H4t3r: is trickshot actually popular or just fun to hate on? lol
Yep. I used to be a pro, the best of the best. Now I'm retired and the butt of everyone's joke. Hah, hah.
K leans over, adjusting their glittering crown. "So which is it, Trickshot? You a beloved legend or a punching bag these days?"
I flip them off.
"Fuck you, your majesty. Let's see you try to master a totally new game in front of thousands. It's not—"
I break off as I see Amy stand up from her desk, stretching languidly. She's been so focused she hasn't moved in hours.
I watch, transfixed, as her tight pencil skirt rides up, exposing a tantalizing bit above her knee.
She reaches for her water bottle, throat bobbing as she gulps it down.
Desire comes unbidden, memories of that soft skin under my hands, that mouth on mine. I shift in my seat, trying to tamp down the sudden rush of heat.
Damn it, I need to focus. Can't let myself get distracted again, especially not on stream.
I clear my throat. "Alright, let me try that quest one more time. Think I've almost got the hang of it..."
I don't bother checking the chat. Not a single one of those fuckers is on my side. They're enjoying watching me fail.
As I click to respawn, I sneak one last glance at Amy. But she's not looking my way.