Chapter 52
Luca
Collect trophies from defeated monsters as proof of your heroic deeds.
The moment everyone has finished taking pictures and Lara has descended the stage, she runs toward me, falling into my arms. I stumble backward, laughing, and our lips meet straightaway.
Loud music comes thumping out of the speakers.
The DJ is back on stage, and several people crowd past us to the bar. GameChanger is officially over.
“I’m so proud of you,” I murmur between kisses, wiping Lara’s wet cheeks. “I hope these are tears of joy.”
She nods with a laugh that makes her eyes shine. “They are. I . . . Luca, I’m so sorry.”
“There’s no need. Everything is exactly the way it’s supposed to be.”
“Desolate Dread . . . You’ll be finishing it at Bytes she’s taking selfies with it. I’m sure we’re about to get new profile pictures for everything from LinkedIn to TikTok.”
“Totally reasonable,” I reply with a grin. “What do you think, why don’t we go celebrate with the others? I’m sure it’ll be another year before we all come together again like this.”
Lara nods just as Akito and Hiroshi pass us holding their gigantic bouquet. Maeve and Sophia follow along behind them, dragging Nat along.
She waves at us, trophy in hand. “You can snog in your room later! Come on, we have reason to celebrate!”
“Nataly . . .” Lara groans. “I’m so sorry about her.”
“I mean, she has a point. The only question is, my room or yours?”
There’s a mischievous glimmer in Lara’s eye. “Since Nat is spending the night in my room and Maleek is probably taking yours, I suppose that leaves us with the gardens.”
“Oh, I heard they have a comfy swing out there.”
“Have you, now? Dear me.” She gives me a smirk, and then she grabs hold of my hand, tugging me over to where the others are.
Maleek has joined us now too, and he’s deep in conversation with Hiroshi.
With a smile, I notice Maeve and Sophia are holding hands as we enter the lounge.
The room is fit to burst with all the exhibitors and guests trying to get to the bar, but the mood is boisterous.
“We’ve got to take a team picture!” Nataly yells over the noise, pointing at Sophia and Lara.
“Duty calls.” Lara turns to me. “Would you mind fetching me a Coke?”
“Consider it done.” I squeeze her hand and kiss her forehead before Nataly whisks her and Sophia away to find a spot in the lounge with good lighting. I’m ordering a Coke for Lara and another gin and tonic for myself when I hear a deep voice to my right.
“Make that two gin and tonics, please.” When I turn, I see no one other than Benji Wilson standing next to me. My hero. “Hey, Luca,” he says. “Got a minute?”
“Sure,” I reply, taken aback. I saw Benji in passing at his booth now and then, but we never did manage to strike up a conversation.
“I don’t know what happened to you lot, but since Hank isn’t here anymore, it sounds like there’s trouble in paradise . . .” The sentence hangs in the air between us, unfinished. Benji lets me decide whether I want to answer or not, but the interest in his eyes is undeniable.
“You could say that,” I reply finally. “We’ve decided to go our separate ways.”
Benji nods soberly. “Honestly, I was pretty surprised that a studio like Bytes & Bits was going to publish Desolate Dread. It doesn’t really tie in with the rest. I don’t know what your plans are now, but if you’re applying for work, I’m sure I could put in a good word for you.
I’m based at the San Francisco HQ, and the American developer crowd is a little different, but it might be interesting for you. ”
“Wow, thank you!” I say. “What an honor. But we’re not giving up on the game just yet.”
Benji raises his dark eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you’ve somehow found Hank’s soft spot and he’s letting you continue?”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Benji inclines his head, obviously waiting for me to go on, but all of this is Sophia’s story to tell, not mine.
All that counts is that Maleek and I will be able to finish Desolate Dread.
The bartender hands us our drinks, and Benji doesn’t press the matter, instead raising his glass.
“Well then. Here’s to your game. To this industry, and to how it can sometimes drive you crazy. ”
“Only sometimes? So there’s hope for me after all.”
Benji chuckles quietly, and then he takes a sip.
“I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of you.” He gives me a quick pat on the shoulder and then gestures vaguely behind him. “I’ll just do a quick tour of the room, congratulate a few people. See you around!”
“See you,” I echo, still gobsmacked that the Benji Wilson has an eye on my work.
I sip my drink, watching in amusement as Shane storms past me, apparently still fuming after the ceremony.
I watch Maeve and Sophia plop down on a sofa, their fingers still entwined.
I watch on as Maleek, Muhammad, Akito, and Hiroshi laugh about something, and I watch as Nataly records another video. And then I catch sight of Lara.
“Hey,” she says, and I wish she knew how beautiful her voice sounds to my ears.
“Hey.”
“Just checking where my Coke has gotten to.”
“That impatient?” I ask with a grin, handing over her glass.
“Well, we do have plans, don’t we?”
“We do?” I ask in surprise.
“Yeah. You were saying something about a swing . . .” Lara puts her drink back down, wrapping her arms around my neck, and the cold condensation on her fingers from the glass sends shivers of pleasure down my spine. Or maybe it’s just her and the way she’s looking at me.
“Oh right, I remember,” I reply in a suddenly husky voice. My hands wander down to her waist without so much as a conscious thought.
“Excellent,” Lara says, her mouth very, very close to mine, but still not close enough. “Because we have something to celebrate.”
I press my lips against hers, breathing in her sigh, melting into her, and the world around us fades the way it only does when I’m coding.
This convention was a complete success, but not because of Lara’s win or my break with Hank.
No, it’s because she turned my life upside down in a matter of days.
Because Lara broke down my walls. Because she’s my game changer.