With Erin’s help, I carefully take off Sinestre, ready to become Evie again. Erin’s decided she loves her new TARDIS dress so much she’s wearing it this evening—and possibly on other days too. She steps into my walk-in robe and drags her hands down her face as she surveys the mess.

“Far out, Evie. You have all these gorgeous dresses and half of them are creased on the floor.”

“They fell off the hangers,” I say, picking a forlorn-looking halter neck dress from the carpet.

“Sure they did.”

With a sigh, she pushes hangers along the pole, examining each item.

“This.” She pulls out the new dress I bought from work a few weeks ago. “Nothing says Evie Taylor like zombie unicorns.”

She holds the dress against me and I smooth the material. “It’s a bit short.”

“And? Mine is too.”

“I know, but—” I focus on the dress, aware I’m giving myself away.

“But the hot guy from Sydney is coming tonight?”

“Aaron? He doesn’t bother me. Why would I care if he saw my legs?”

“He might want to see more.” She giggles at me and I clench my teeth. “He looks at you as if he wants to see more.”

“Shut up. No he doesn’t.” Since I walked away from the Con late this afternoon, my stomach has been in knots. In fact, every part of me is twisted into something I don’t think I can unravel soon. I expected meeting Thorsday would involve tolerating his presence, and attempting to bite my tongue if he said anything disparaging.

Instead, I stared at his mouth and wanted to bite that instead. And run my hands along his arms, back, and if possible, lick him inch by perfect inch.

“I probably won’t be out there for long. I’m tired after today.”

She slaps my bare arm. “Uh. No. You organised this too. I need someone to talk to who speaks a language I understand.”

“We don’t speak Elvish! Although Tyler knows how.”

“No. Your jargon. Like, why do they call Cole a tank? He’s well-built, but not exactly NFL size.”

“His character’s role, Erin. He’s a tank. It means he has the monsters attack him because his character has the most health points, while we attack the mon—” I pause as her confusion deepens lines on her face.

“And what does that have to do with spanking? I hear him talk to Tyler about tanking and spanking. Who does he spank?”

I fight laughing at her. “The monsters.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a phrase: ‘tank and spank’. They hit him hard and he can take the damage, like a tank, and he hits the monsters back as hard, Erin. We all do. We spank their asses, figuratively speaking. That’s all it means.”

Erin crosses to lay my dress out on the bed. “Oh. I thought maybe the game had some kinky sex stuff going on.”

“No.” I smile. “Unless you count the jokes people share on the world server.”

“Well, at first I thought he was talking to Tyler about a date—a girl.”

“Oh god, that’s funny. But who knows? Maybe Cole’s into spanking in real life...” I tease.

“I can’t see he would be.”

“You never know what men are into until you’re in their bed, Erin. Or do you know?”

She scowls. “Evie...”

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist that one.”

“Shower. Get ready. Ten minutes and I’m coming to find you.” She inclines her head to the kitchen. “The guys are here but I need a hand getting things ready for the party.”

I bite my thumbnail as she leaves the room. Why am I worrying so much about this? Aaron’s only around for a night.

But one night is all it takes to change everything in Evie Taylor’s world.

* * *

The autumn weather allows for outdoor entertaining, and mismatching tables line our undercover outdoor area, surrounded by chairs. Trays of raw meat rest on a table near the barbecue, which Kai fires up.

I grab a beer and wrap an arm around Tyler, planting a kiss on the side of his head. “You haven’t changed, Star Lord.”

“Don’t need to.” He points at me with his beer bottle. “You did. Mostly.”

I grin as he flicks my Elf ears. “I was going to take them off, but Erin hassled me out of my room. They suit me, right?”

He shakes his head. “Sure, Evie.”

I squint into the twilight, attempting to make out figures beneath the fairy lights. “Is everybody here?”

“Mostly. Did Thor—Aaron say he was coming? He isn’t here yet.”

The familiar sinking feeling for the day returns. “He wasn’t sure.”

“Shame. What do you think of him?”

“He seems okay to me. Haven’t talked much.”

Tyler splutters. “You have! He talked to you most.”

“Talked but didn’t say much, if that makes sense.”

“Reckon it’s funny how he looks like his character. A lot of chicks wanted their picture taken with him.” I don’t miss Tyler’s sly side-glance at me.

“Not really.” I swig the beer. “Blond and tall. That’s all.”

“Huh. Is that why you’re making gooey eyes at him?”

“Was not! All I was doing is objectifying him the way you were those Leias and Harley Quinns.”

“I was not! I respect their choice of dress, why should they feel self-conscious just because guys might leer at them?”

I tilt my head. “I’ve taught you well, young Padawan.”

He makes a derisive snort. “I bet if Aaron was half-naked you’d take a good look.”

“Shut up!”

He points between us. “Double standards, Sin.”

I’m about to delve deeper into the conversation when a new arrival catches my eye. Well, my everything. This morning, I felt like a bug-eyed cartoon character on seeing a sexy toon, and a repeat performance happens now.

Aaron armour-less equals no less fantastical than the human Paladin from Sinestre’s dreams. He holds a six pack of beer in a cardboard holder, and a cautious expression as he scans the room. As he approaches I smile at his t-shirt:

I’m Only Here Because The Server Is Down

A large tattoo runs along the length of his leg, disappearing beneath the black canvas shorts and covering most visible skin. Anybody who sees a tattoo that size can’t help but stare; I’m positive he’s used to people transfixed the way I am. The colours mesh into a canvas containing faces and symbols, wound together on a red and black background. From this distance, I can’t make out anything individual. Either he loves inking himself or he has one hell of a story behind the image.

“I told you I had tattoos.”

“That’s quite a tattoo,” I reply.

“Yup.” He avoids my eyes and holds the beers out to Tyler. “Fridge?”

“Ice in the tub, outside.”

“Cool.”

I chew my lip as Tyler thrusts a beer in my direction. I promised myself no alcohol, but one or two won’t hurt. With a ‘thanks’, I shove my beer into a stubby holder and follow Erin in the direction of the source of my fluttering stomach.

Aaron chats to Spencer, broad back turned in my direction. As I pass, I catch the conversation. Game talk. Of course. Will he talk to me tonight about anything but the game? They stand by a row of unoccupied plastic chairs and I choose one to sit in nearest the dips and crackers, and furthest from Aaron. Bloody teenager, Evie. I dunk a cracker and suck onion-flavoured dip from it. Erin hovers for a moment, scanning the partygoers.

With Aaron’s arrival, the whole guild is present, but the real us. Non-guild friends and partners came too, and half the seats outdoors are taken.

“Busy,” she remarks.

“Mmm.”

“I wasn’t expecting so many people.”

“You know Tyler if you give him free rein to invite who he wants, the more the merrier.”

“What?” She frowns. “This is too loud.” The music blares through the speakers, and Erin heads across to lower the volume. Somebody complains but doesn’t argue with her. I sip my beer, washing the onion taste away.

Marshall sits at the opposite end of the table, chatting to a girl I don’t recognise. Another one. For the first time since we did the deed, I don’t feel the disturbing mix of disgust and anger. I’ve come to terms with how he treated me and the fact I’m as culpable—or gullible.

I flick my look to Aaron’s broad back again. He’s where the feelings are directed tonight and disgust isn’t one of them. Tyler, further down the table, breaks his conversation with another guild member, points in my direction and says something.

“What?” I ask.

“Just saying how awesome you are.” He grins at me. “Two nights ago, both tanks and the other healers dead and you healed us through to kill Varnos. If we kill one more boss and we’ve cleared the dungeon! Reckon we can do that this weekend?”

I shrug and bite back a humble brag, returning a smile instead. Aaron looks over his shoulder and smiles.

Dimples.

Why did he have to have dimples?

“She rocks,” he says.

“Always told you that.” I reach for another cracker and load it with a generous amount of white goop.

“You want another?” Spencer asks us and holds up an empty bottle.

“Sure,” replies Aaron, and I nod.

Aaron pulls out the chair beside me and lowers his large frame into my personal space. Suddenly my stomach doesn’t want onion dip. Or any of the meat cooking on the barbecue, and this is serious because I bought expensive steak.

He nods at my hair. “I didn’t know you were a ginger under your blue wig. That explains a lot about your personality.”

“Auburn,” I reply through gritted teeth.

“Own it. Red hair’s awesome.”

I stare at the cracker in my hand I’ve overloaded with dip, rather than look at him. I really have to eat this.

“Nobody came in costume apart from Tyler, I’m disappointed,” he says and helps himself to a cracker too.

“You didn’t.”

“That armour’s heavy. You should show yours off more—you looked bloody amazing.” He gestures at my clothes. “Although the dress looks cute on you too. I’m getting an inclination you like unicorns?”

Please take your eyes away from where I want your hands. “Thanks.” The dip slides from the cracker onto my dress and I mutter as I rub the mess off with a nearby napkin. “This is why I didn’t wear the costume, I’d ruin it.”

“And you said I could see you without your costume on, remember?” His eyes glint at the memory of our first conversation, one with the meaning closing the gap between acquaintance and can-we-get-closely-acquainted-please.

I place the beer on the table. “How are you enjoying Perth?”

“Yeah. Good.” He focuses on dipping his cracker. “Have you ever been to Sydney?”

“Nope.”

“Melbourne?” I shake my head. “Anywhere but Perth?”

“Not really.”

“So you haven’t travelled?”

I shrug. “Money. Never have much. Tyler’s grandparents have a house down south, plus we’ve camped a few places, but no holidays. Bali’s cheap but I don’t know... The others have been, but I’m not a fan. I’d like to travel Europe one day.”

“Then save.”

“Not at the moment, I’ll wait until some of the gang are ready to go. We half-discuss it sometimes.”

Aaron’s distant look riles me. Either my conversation is boring him, or he’s ticked me off his ‘make polite conversation’ list. He scratches his cheek. “You work in a store, I hear. Must be hard to save.”

“It’s okay. I mostly like working there. What do you do for work?”

“Do you have any plans to do something different? I can’t imagine you working in a shop forever.”

I blink at his side-stepping my question. “One day.”

“One day? People who say ‘one day’ never do anything.”

“That’s a bit judgmental. What’s wrong with wanting to work in a shop?”

“Apparently, not enough money,” he says and swigs his beer.

“And you have plenty, I suppose?”

“Enough.”

“Well, you’re older and have had time to save, or travel, or whatever. I have time. I will.”

“You will. One day,” he says with a smile.

“So, what do you do?” I repeat.

“I’m DPS mostly but occasionally I heal.”

“Are you determined not to tell us anything about yourself?”

Aaron rests back in his chair. His long fingers push at the edge of the label on his bottle and for a moment I’m convinced he’s chosen to ignore me again. Sure, this guy is hot, but second-guessing what he’s thinking hurts my head.

“Why? What do you want to know?” he asks.

“Nothing. Anything.” I huff and drink my own beer. “People chat about themselves when they meet, that’s all.”

“Then really talk to me. Doesn’t matter whether you talk to me when I’m a game character or face to face. Who I am goes beyond where I work and I live. You’ve met me many times before, just not in person.”

“I guess...”

I want to push, to ask what he has to hide, but hell he could be saying this to make himself seem more interesting,

Mysterious.

Attractive.

Gah.

“We have. We already know more about each other than if we’d met and made small talk. For instance, I already knew you’re funny, feisty, and hate arrogance.” He cocks a brow. “I know you’re an awesome healer and a team player, and that you’re a smart girl.”

I stare at my hands. “Right.”

“Now I’ve met you, I know you love liquorice and unicorns, that you lack confidence outside of the game. I’ve discovered Evie is as interesting as Sinestre.”

I look up and wait for his next words, but all he does is drink slowly from his bottle and watch me in return.

“Do I care what you do? Where you went to school? Live? Economic status? No, I don’t,” he continues.

“You.” I interrupt and point at him. “I know you’re serious. Too serious. Obsessive about the game. Happy to cultivate a mysteriousness that may or may not disguise a boring life—“

“—or criminal record.”

“Or that. Who knows?”

“Do you care?”

“Not really. Won’t see you again after tomorrow; we’ll be Sin and Thor again.”

Again, the slow drinking, leaving tension between the words. “Too true.”

A freshly opened bottle appears on the table between us as Spencer reappears and sets one down. “There you go, mate.”

“Great, thanks.” Aaron drains his bottle and picks up the next.

Spencer’s eyes fix on Aaron’s leg tattoo. “That’s some tattoo, man.”

Aaron gives a tight smile. “Thanks.”

“I mean, awesome,” replies Tyler in haste, picking up the same vibe I do.

Aaron has to expect a tattoo that size to draw attention. Since I’ve sat here, I’ve noticed the scarred skin beneath the tattoo. There’s definitely a story behind this he doesn’t want to share.

“Where’re the rest of the guild?” asks Aaron.

Spencer inclines his head. “Inside. Cole brought his laptop and Tyler’s trying to fix his game add-ons for him.”

“Oh? Does he know the best to use for his Assassin? I found a great new mod set last week. Want me to show you where to download them? Should really help with his rotation.” Aaron stands. “I should’ve brought my laptop, I didn’t think.”

“Mmm. Maybe because this is a social gathering?” I say and raise a brow. “Like human to human.”

Aaron grins. “True. Let me organise this first and I’ll come back and be human again.”

The serious players use the opportunity to talk game and inspect each other’s gaming set-ups at every barbecue; I shouldn’t be surprised. But this time I’m perturbed that my conversation with Aaron stopped abruptly, and that his polite interest remains just that. Polite.

Makes a welcome change to our usual attitude to each other, I guess.