Page 65 of From Drummer to Gamer

He nodded, sighing as his gaze roamed over the room.

“How long do we stay here?”

“Till it ends,” he replied before his concerned eyes reached me. “But if you’re tired, I can arrange a car to take you home. I’ll make sure Raphael gets home with me.”

And miss sitting here with him? No, thank you.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not tired, plus I’m having so much fun.”

“Really?” He cocked a brow in disbelief. “You’re sitting here alone, eating.”

“Exactly.” I grinned. “I love free snacks, and I should be here till they stop serving them. Because…” I gestured toward the pretty girls, in their tall, lean figures, who hadn’t touched the food. “They don’t seem to be eating, and I don’t want the food to go to waste.”

“I could ask them to pack it for you if you like.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind eating here. I’ve never been to anything like this before.”

“Sorry that we couldn’t be better company. I can’t believe your brother left you alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’d rather stay alone than have Raphy bleed my ears to death.”

He nodded, and a moment of comfortable silence passed between us. I knew he was taking a breather before he had to go out to the wild again.

A warm feeling swept over my heart space that he was spending that time with me rather than anyone else. His entire family was here tonight, but he chose me instead.

It was a far reach to think that way, but even with just crumbs from him, I’m going to be overthinking it. I couldn’t help it otherwise.

“Hewould be proud,” I whispered softly. “I know he’s not here anymore to tell you that, but he would be so very proud of how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished.”

He inhaled sharply before sliding his rounded gaze to me. “You really think that?”

A smile curved my lips. “Yes, I have no doubt.”

I watched as his throat worked a swallow. “Thank you for saying that.”

The smile never left my face as we went back to staring at the crowd.

And we spent the rest of the night just like that.

Matty would go make rounds with the people for a while and always came back to me to continue our conversation before he left, eyeing me among the masses to make sure that I was okay every five minutes.

And it repeated the entire night.

It was a heady, heady rush.

The earlier chemical reaction in the elevator, coupled with his protective tendencies, was making the innocent crush in my heart grow into something more dangerous.

Something else, like feelings about him that I shouldn’t really be feeling.

But could I help it?

If there was one man who ticked all the boxes in my head, it was him.

And if there was one man I wanted, it was him.

He would be the perfect, perfect boyfriend… if only it were written in the fates for us.

But fantasizing in my head doesn’t hurt anyone, right?