Page 47 of Dating and Dragons
“The helmet keeps falling down, but otherwise I think it came together pretty well. You all look great too.”
“They better have a big prize for group costume,” Sanjiv says. “This was more work than any of my Halloween costumes.”
Mark, Sanjiv, and Kashvi are debating a playlist for the drive when Logan’s truck pulls up in front of the house. I fight to keep my expression bland. He’s only another friend, I remind myself. It doesn’t matter what he’s wearing or what he thinks of my costume. This is all just for fun (and the potential for winning free stuff).
Unfortunately, my body takes no notice of my calm and rational thoughts. My heart stutters at the sight of him. I was wrong before—heshould be the wizard instead of the cavalier because how am I going to keep my eyes off him all day? His costume clings to every muscle and line in his body in a way that jeans and hoodies never could. A breeze whips his long red cloak behind him and the effect has me swooning for him like I’m in a Regency romance. It’s only a costume—and not even a well-designed one—and yet I can’t stop staring as he comes around the truck toward us.
Our eyes lock and he misses the step onto the curb. He falls forward to his knees, his cloak getting caught on his boot.
“Oh!” I rush forward to help, but he scrambles and jumps back to his feet.
“I’m fine!” His cheeks are adorably pink. His gaze lingers on me.
“Having inner ear problems?” I ask.
“I think I might be.”
Most of the others are too caught up in their conversation to notice anything, but I’m not sure Sloane is fooled. “Nice cloak,” Sloane calls to him. “Bit of a tripping hazard, though.”
He shakes his head, looking thoroughly embarrassed. “Thanks. Glad to see I’m not the only one who brought it.”
“When it comes to D&D, I take everything seriously,” Sloane replies.
Why do I hear a warning buried within their words? It must be my nerves making everything seem like a bigger deal than it is. Sloane walks into the garage to join the others and Logan steps closer to me.
“You’re going to be cold,” he says quietly. His eyes trail down me again and I’m anything but cold with the heat rushing through my veins.
I tug on my tights. “I’m warmer than you’d imagine. These look sheer but they’re actually lined with faux fur.”
He swallows. “Ah. Smart.” His voice is thick.
“Are we ready to go?” Mark asks. “We should have just enough space, but you’ll have to fight over seats. The back row might make people carsick.”
“I call passenger seat,” Sloane yells, and dashes toward the door.
“Fine, but then Kashvi and I should take the center seat,” Sanjiv says. “We both get nauseous.”
Kashvi makes a face. “We’ve had some very rough car trips over the years.”
My heart thumps knowingly. I guess that leaves…
“Okay, Quinn and I in the back, then,” Logan says. “Unless you also get sick?”
“No, I’ll be good.”
“Me too. Well…” He gestures to the van. “Ladies first, I guess.”
I climb to the very back row and am grateful to see that there’s some space between Logan and me. This ride is going to be tough enough without having my body pressed against his for an hour straight.
The others climb in and Mark puts on some indie rock that’s loud enough to make it difficult to talk.
“How’s the jewelry-making going?” Logan asks once we’re on the road.
“We haven’t had time to do much, but it’s been fun so far. Thanks again for all the dice. That might have beaten out the pancakes as my favorite part of the diner.”
“Don’t let anyone else hear you say that. They’ll think it’s blasphemous that it’s even a question.”
“To be fair, IknowI love fun dice and making jewelry, but I’ve only had the pancakes once. I’ll need to go back to the diner a few more times first—you know, to make sure they’re consistently good.”