Life returns to the normal grind: work, gaming, sleep, plus the occasional night out. Rinse and repeat. Over the next few weeks, the hurt over the Aaron situation leaves as I rationalise what happened, and my overreaction. I chose to do what I did with no promises from him. We revert to our original relationship as Thor and Sin, but stay polite and focused on game talk. I no longer play late at night. I don’t want the awkwardness if we’re the only two in the guild online. Bonus: for the last month, I’ve slept more because I’m not playing late anymore.

This afternoon, following years of resistance, Erin decides to play.

Erin, whose gaming experience consists of Facebook games.

Sinestre stands with Cole’s character, Tanksalot, and I tap my fingers on the desk. He persuaded me to join in helping Erin with early quests and I agreed, mostly for the amusement factor.

“Where is she?” I ask.

He huffs. “Trying to connect to the chat server. She just spent half a bloody hour on the character creation screen.”

“Are you with her?”

“Yeah. She’s on my spare laptop.”

“Can you tell her to hurry up?”

A muffled voice follows and I strain to hear. Cole impatiently requests she just ‘choose a bloody hairstyle and character name, it really doesn’t matter’.

Tyler snorts. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

A human avatar dressed in level 1 armour materialises on screen:

Teracnire

Human Cleric

Level 1

A new voice joins us on chat. “Hey, guys. I’m ready.”

Somehow, I doubt she is. “Is that your real name spelled backwards?”

“Yes. All the names I wanted aren’t available.”

“Let’s get started,” says Cole. “Just follow me.”

Fifteen minutes later, my character sits on the ground as I watch proceedings onscreen and form excuses to leave.

The zombies in the starter area don’t attack unless you attack them and are ridiculously easy to kill; a simple intro to the game. Ten minutes and six deaths later, Erin finally listened to Cole that, as a magic dealer, she uses spells to fight, and that hitting zombies with her wooden staff won’t kill them before they kill her.

“I’m using magic and I’m dying again!” she complains. “Why am I dying?”

“Because you’re standing in a campfire, Erin,” I say.

Tyler chortles across the chat server. “Man, I should come and watch this.”

Teracnire wails the human death sound and collapses into the fire. “I died again!” The frustration edges further into her voice with each death. I don’t think her game trial will become paid membership.

“Way to spend a Sunday,” I mutter.

“Pardon?” asks Erin.

“I might leave you with Cole. Cole—just kill everything for her so she can level up and find another quest to do. Maybe one collecting flowers, far away from campfires and zombies?” I suggest.

“Where are you going?” asks Cole.

“Tyler needs my help on a quest.”

“I do?” Tyler asks.

“Yes. We need to try and find a new cloak for you before Mr. Hemsworth returns from his weekend off and complains your Dexterity is too low. Again.”

“Right. Yeah. Meet you in Lion’s Citadel, just need to finish up at the trading house.”

“I’ll grab something to eat.”

I head to the kitchen and yank open the fridge. A half-empty pizza box from yesterday evening is propped on top of Erin’s boxed salads in the fridge. Awesome.

After I pick the pineapple from the top—seriously, who thinks pineapple belongs on pizza?—I shove a slice into the microwave where it sizzles as I locate a bottle of soda.

A knock on the front door interrupts my eating and mental planning which quests to do with Tyler. Taking the plate of heated pizza with me, I head down the hallway to greet my unwanted guest.

The door swings open and I peer out. “Hey, Evie.”

The tall, blond, as freaking gorgeous as I remember him, Aaron smiles at me as I drop the half-eaten slice on the plate. Although not dressed in armour to fuel Sinestre’s fantasies, the effect mirrors the first time I saw him. He’s cut his hair since the Con; shorter but still enough to hang onto. I blink at the thought. Evie, stop. Aaron: blue eyes with the unintentional smoulder, the dimples, the perfect face, the huge-ass muscles, the...

“Evie?”

“Aaron?”

“Thought I’d drop by.”

Should I reach out? Stroke him? See if he’s real and not an apparition from Asgard? “From Sydney?”

“No, from Perth.”

“You never said you were visiting Perth.”

He chews on the edge of his lip. “You going to invite me in or not?”

Skillful deflection, as ever, Thorsday. I step back, gripping the plate, and he nods at the congealing slice. “Healthy lunch.”

“You want some pizza?”

“I ate.”

My brain freezes and my social skills drip to the floor. The stammering small talk won’t work here, and despite my attempt to hide this, the pizza isn’t what either of us want to devour.

Crap.

Be mad. Frowny face.

I return to the kitchen and place the plate on the table, my back to Aaron, summoning up a witty retort to his arrival, but none appears. Hairs lift on the back of my neck as he steps closer.

“I wanted to see you while I was in Perth,” he says. “I wasn’t sure if you would since you’ve been odd with me recently.”

I turn and almost bump my head into his solid chest. He is way too close and his warm body too tempting. “Odd? Because I thought our relationship was strictly in game?”

“Four weeks,” he says. “Four weeks waiting for you to log on at night to talk to you.”

“What? You’ve waited to talk to me?” I grab my phone from the kitchen counter and hold it out. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

He wrinkles his nose. “Yeah, I’m crap. I decided if we spoke to each other and you told me to piss off that would be easier online than over the phone.”

“And I suppose online you could also pretend I wasn’t real? Maybe try to date my character instead?”

“Date?” he asks, confusion crossing his face.

“You know what I mean! Log off if you’ve had enough of me or want to avoid awkward conversations. You were very clear the morning after we... the party.”

Aaron pushes hair from his face with both hands, muscles in his arms flexing as he stands with fingers in his hair, looking down at me. “I’m confused.”

“You’re confused?”

“I say I don’t want to take things further, to become involved in a relationship but I’m with you most nights of the week. I listen to how smart and funny you are, while trying to figure out what you think. What I feel. Every time we’re online, I hear about your life and want to be around you. In person.”

“You told me we were one night, basically a mistake.”

His face softens, and voice lowers. “No, the mistake I made was not opening up to you.”

“Oh, right, so you’ve come to tell me everything about yourself, rather than discuss game mechanics and criticise my game play which is our usual conversation?” A thought hits. Game. “Crap. Hang on.”

I stride back to my computer. A pissed off Tyler moans at me through my headphones and I apologise. “Something came up. I have to go.”

“What? Evie, you just told me you’d quest with me this afternoon.”

“Yeah, I have a real-life quest giver to deal with.” Aaron rests against the doorframe and watches impassively.

“Huh? That’s cryptic,” replies Tyler.

“Sorry. I’ll be around later.” Before he can protest any further, I close voice chat and drop my headphones to the desk.

“We’re on a quest?” asks Aaron.

I fold my shaking hands beneath my arms. “I can’t figure out the storyline to follow. Why are you here?” My stomach flips as he crosses, and attempts to hold my face. “Oh, no. Out of my bedroom.”

Aaron shakes his head and backs up. “Yes ma’am.”

I scowl. “Don’t annoy me.”

“You’re not very welcoming.”

“Are you surprised? Jesus, Aaron. I should ask you to leave, I don’t want another game of ‘guess if Aaron can tell the truth’.”

He blows air into his cheeks and rests against the door frame. “Okay, I’ll match what I know about you. I’m Aaron Fletcher, I work in an advertising agency in Sydney but I’m originally from Perth. I live on my own. I’m twenty-six. I rarely socialise outside of drinks with work colleagues and client functions. That’s basic, boring crap and makes no difference to our situation.”

Well, that was bloody unexpected. “Girlfriend?” I shoot back.

He looks me straight in the eye. “I don’t date. Unlike you.”

I tip my head. “Are you jealous?”

“I was, but I noticed you haven’t mentioned any guys recently.”

“Not a topic of conversation for guild chat.”

He pauses for a moment. “Y’know. I kept thinking you and Tyler might get together. I listen to your banter.”

I splutter. “No freaking way. He’s not my kind of guy and I’m not his kind of girl—he prefers tall, attractive blondes. Plus, he’s immature.” I pause. “You always turn things around onto other people. We’re not talking about me.”

“‘Parry’ is the word you’re looking for.”

“At least you admit it.” Aaron half-shrugs. “Why not just tell me all this the first time we met?”

“We spoke about this at the time. I could’ve told you anything I wanted about myself and you wouldn’t know if it were true. But right now, I’m getting the vibe I’ll need to open up if I don’t want you to kick my ass back out the door.”

“Who said you were staying?” Alarm flickers in his eyes and pushes at my resolve. He really wants to spend time with me? “You can take me out. How long are you around?” I scout the room for socks and sit on the bed.

“All afternoon. The flight leaves at eight.” He points at my feet. “Your socks don’t match.”

“‘Ain’t nobody got time for that’,” I say in a mock American accent and point to the floor near him. “Nobody will see my socks. Pass my shoes.”

“You’re not changing into something else?”

I take my sneakers from him and look down at my standard tee and jeans combo. “No.”

“Okay.” Aaron gestures for me to leave the room. “You’re funny, unicorn girl. Time to quest?”

I shake my head at him. “I haven’t decided if I want to keep playing your game. I’m not sure I’m interested in where the storyline leads next.”

He crosses his arms. “No games, Evie. Time to go.”