Chapter 19 #3
Sarah 10:05 AM
I need the address and gate code. I’m getting ready to leave the hotel. Did you take care of the ducks?
Nate 10:06 AM
Just sent the location. Code is 4684. Ducks have been handled.
She opened up the map application and entered the address, took a breath, before heading to Nell’s.
Exactly fifty-two minutes later, Sarah pulled up to a keypad.
A metal gate stood between her and the bottom of a long, winding drive.
Once she’d keyed in the code Nate had given her, the gates creaked open, granting her entrance.
She followed the road through towering oak trees decorated in little green buds about to burst with new leaves.
Through a covered bridge and around the last turn, Nell’s house came into sight, and, luckily, no ducks this time.
Nate 10:58 AM
Park anywhere in the circle. Leave your keys. I’ll take care of moving the car.
She followed Nate’s instructions, leaving the keys on the dashboard as she got out and approached the front door, pressing her finger to the doorbell. The heavy wooden door muffled a deep set of bell chimes. As they quieted, Sarah heard the lock turn.
Nell’s steel-blue eyes met hers with shock and disbelief. “Sarah! How—what on earth are you doing here?”
“Had a hell of a weekend, and, to be honest, you’re the only person I wanted to see to talk about it.
I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d swing by.
” Sarah couldn’t help how her smile spread, nor how suddenly that low simmer she had existed at for the entirety of the weekend seemed to evaporate completely.
Was that the effect Nell had on her? The ability to bring an immediate calmness?
“So, can I come in? Or do you want me to beg for it a little first?” she teased.
Nell’s shock gave way to a brilliant smile as she held the door open wide enough for her to enter the house. Morning light hit her body, and that’s when Sarah noticed what she was wearing, as an eruption of refracted light scattered across the opposite wall of the foyer.
“What is with the glittery spandex this early on a Sunday?” she asked, half amused, half genuinely curious.
Nell was dressed in an all-black, sparkling ensemble, her hair braided over her left shoulder in the fishtail style Sarah loved, but there was something familiar about this look that Sarah couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Nell gave her a sly smile. “Do you think you’re ready for that answer?” she asked, meeting Sarah with the same teasing tone she had used first.
Sarah considered her momentarily. “You know what? After the weekend I’ve had, I’m ready for anything.” She couldn’t wait to see what Nell had in store for her.
“Okay, then. Follow me.”
Nell’s hand slid into her own, and she guided Sarah through the foyer, into the kitchen, and up the back steps.
Sarah remembered the layout from her previous visit for Thanksgiving.
As they approached the final door at the end of the hall, her pulse started to flutter at the thought of discovering what was behind the only closed door in Nell’s home.
They stopped in front of the door, Nell studying her.
“The game room?” Sarah asked, her excitement getting the better of her.
Nell nodded. “You can always say no. You have a choice, remember?”
Sarah weighed Nell’s words. There was no way in hell she would be saying no to finally seeing inside this room—the room that had lived at the back of her mind since she first asked about it six months ago.
After the months of the “game” they had played, she could only begin to imagine what kind of stuff lived beyond the door in front of them.
For a moment, worry set in in the form of a question she had to ask.
“Is there anything in there that’s going to hurt me?”
Her question only made Nell smile more. “No. In this room, the only thing that might get hurt is your ego,” she said smoothly, turning the doorknob, pushing the door open.
Sarah had mentally prepared for a lot of things she might see, but nothing had prepared her for what was actually waiting for her on the other side.
Nell held the door open, allowing her to enter the room first. Her mind was trying to process the unexpected sight. Nell watched her closely, and Sarah knew her well enough to know that she was enjoying her surprise.
“I don’t even have words,” Sarah said, stepping farther into the room.
She was met with neon lights from all angles, some pulsating, some steady.
A subdued glow of purple covered them, emanating from faux clouds fixed to the ceiling.
Immediately in front of her sat a deep, plush sectional facing a large curved TV screen mounted to the wall.
The screen was illuminated in all white, except for a small bouncing green diamond.
Mortimer was curled up on the coffee table.
Behind the couch, framing the windows, were built-in shelves packed full of what Sarah was sure must have been every board game ever created.
She walked cautiously in front of them, scanning the names of the games.
Nell’s impressive collection of games seemed to span from vintage to modern and every genre.
“So,” came Nell’s excited voice. “What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”
Sarah turned to face her, still stunned, still processing.
Nell’s face fell. “You’re not excited.”
“No, I am. I’m just—adjusting my expectations,” she answered honestly.
“Were you anticipating something different?” Nell sounded puzzled, and Sarah couldn’t help but laugh.
“Kind of, yeah.”
“I don’t know how I could have been clearer. I told you that this was the game room. That’s exactly what it’s filled with. Games.”
“You’re right about that,” Sarah mused. “But it’s the way that you said it back in November.
” She did her best impression of Nell’s low, sultry tone.
“‘The game room.’ When you say it like that, it kind of feels like it’s going to be a little more red room of pain and a little less purple pixel palace. ”
Nell blinked at her. “Did you want the red room of pain? Because I can probably make that work if that’s something you’re into. Might take a week or two to pull together, but I can make it happen.”
The sincerity in her offer made Sarah’s heart melt as she wrapped her arms around Nell.
“This is perfect. And so, so, so very you,” she said softly into her hair, inhaling that clean, woodsy, smoky scent that was so quintessentially Nell. “And that’s my favorite part about it.” She pulled back, smiling at Nell.
“I’m still confused as to how you thought this was anything but an actual game room,” Nell teased, as she pulled Sarah around the room, explaining all the different gaming consoles, pointing out her favorite games, and even a plaque on the wall that kept a record of Mario Kart wins between Nell and Nate dating back to their childhood.
“If I had known you were this big of a nerd, I probably would have steered clear of you,” Sarah said, bumping her hip into Nell’s playfully as Nell brought her to the desks against the far wall.
Two desks sat side by side, each with an extensive monitor setup complete with ergonomic gaming chairs and headsets, all backlit with neon lights and collectible figurines.
“Are those Hillary Clinton Funko POPs?” Sarah said, reaching for the box on the shelf, a line of little figurines in brightly colored pantsuits.
“Yes, and don’t touch. They are one of a kind.
A gift from Elizabeth Warren. She knows how much I’ve always loved Hillary’s pantsuit collection,” Nell said, as she swatted Sarah’s hand away.
But Sarah wasn’t focused on that. No, Sarah’s attention had been drawn to a black bedazzled cat mask lying on the desk to her left.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered, her fingers tracing the edges of the mask before looking at Nell, who met her gaze with a cunning smile. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Sarah snatched the mask, holding it up to Nell as everything fell into place. The voice, the braid, the sparkly outfit, even this room. It had all been so familiar because Sarah had seen this room before. On her TV screen, every time Lily and Wren watched the Mother Goth live streams.
“When in the world do you have time to partake in your alter-ego life of being Mother Goth, the Sims streamer!?” Sarah asked, her voice filled with the best kind of disbelief.
Nell was beaming now. “I believe I had a rule for that. Time is your most valuable asset; spend it wisely. This”—she gestured around the room—“is how I like to spend my free time. And, you know me, if I can make a little money out of it, I’m going to.
Don’t worry, it all gets donated to reputable LGBTQIA+ foundations that work with at-risk youth,” she added.
Sarah looked at the mask still in Nell’s hand, back to Nell, and then around the room. “You are full of surprises, Nell. I’ll give you that.”
“Oh, trust me, I have plenty more up my sleeve. I’m only getting started. But right now? Right now, we’re going to game together. Here,” she said, pulling out the chair next to her. “I had this set up for you. Your own gaming desk.”
Sarah slid into the chair as Nell tapped a few keys on the keyboard.
“I think you’ll like this game. It’s a farming simulation game and really great for beginners.
Your primary goal is to rehabilitate your grandfather’s farm and help the townspeople.
Turn your brain off and enjoy the vibes,” Nell said, with a wink, before settling into the chair at the desk next to her, Mortimer instantly finding her lap.
They stayed like that for hours, each lost in their game, chatting here and there but enjoying being together without having the pressure of needing to interact if they didn’t want to.
It was a very welcome change to Sarah’s weekend, which, up until this point, had been nothing but forced interactions.
She felt like she could finally breathe.
That afternoon, after lunch had been brought up to the room by one of Nell’s staff, a knock broke through their fun as Nate poked his head inside.
“Ladies,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt, but, Nell, can I speak to you for a minute? It’s urgent.”
Nell rose from her spot and crossed the room to join Nate in the hall.
Sarah turned her attention back to the screen, where she was still deep in the farming game Nell had set her up with.
She had never been one for video games, but she was starting to see that Nell was on to something.
This was the most fun she’d had in a while.
Nell returned a few minutes later and resettled herself in her chair, but Sarah noticed she didn’t return to playing her own game. Sarah swiveled in her seat to face Nell, and that’s when she saw that all the color and life that had been there five minutes ago had seemingly disappeared.
“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked, concern creeping into her voice.
Nell looked at her with those beautifully intense eyes, but instead of crackling with electricity, they were empty.
“My dad died.”