Page 66 of From Drummer to Gamer

Right?

CHAPTER 15

SIERRA

My eyes almost bugged out of my head, the remnants of my sleep washing away in seconds at what I came into sight.

I stilled for a moment, rooted in the spot before dragging my feet over to Matty, whose brows were pinched in deep concentration while his fingers pumped the buttons on his controller at a rapid pace.

An excited butterfly flew in my heart as I dropped to a seat next to him, but before my ass could touch the couch, his huge hand grasped my wrist and effortlessly maneuvered me to the other side.

Caught off guard, I went bouncing on the couch, and a whoosh of air left my lips.

What was that about?

Even though it only lasted for a second, I could still feel the sting of his touch, weaving through my veins as they ascended straight to my heart.

“Why did you do that?” I muttered in annoyance as I eyed his side profile, so beautifully sharp, almost as if the sun deliberately sculpted the contours of his face.

He shrugged, barely sparing me a glance as his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

I let his weird obsession with seating arrangement slide as I focused on what shocked me earlier.

Matty Evans was gaming. And not just any game. He was playingFantasy Legends—the game that I’d dedicated my entire life to. I didn’t know he gamed. Every day, I learned something new about this man, and at this point, nothing surprised me.

“You play?” I nodded toward the TV.

He side-eyed me like I’d asked the dumbest possible question. “Obviously,” he muttered before he snapped his gaze back to the game, just as the mini-boss started to attack him from every end. He was losing health by the minute, and his moves were getting too sloppy to win this round. My hands itched for me to grab the controller from him and ace this like a pro, but I bit my teeth as I watched him play with fascination.

Because Matty Evans was a fascination.

Even at this crucial moment, he was calm, barely a word out of his mouth as he battled on screen. At times like this, any seasoned or amateur gamer would scream or curse their guts out. But not Matty.

A small sigh left his lips as defeat splashed across the screen, and he set his controller aside and leaned back on the couch as he waited in the lobby for the next game to load.

He was playing solo with NPCs as his teammates. Judging from his skills, he wasn’t a newbie.

“How long have you been playing?”

“Not sure, ten years maybe…since high school.”

I nodded innocently while the next game started. “Is this your favorite?”

“Yes.”

“Are you any good?”

“I’m not bad. Why, do you want to play?”

“No,” I blurted. “I would probably suck at it,” I said, averting my gaze. I didn’t like lying to him.

“I could teach you if you want.”

If only he knew that it was I who could teach him a few things.

“That’s okay,” I mumbled as I watched him play the next round exactly like that last one. He relied too much on his sword, which was a good weapon to have if you had perfect accuracy. Weapons like those did a lot of damage but had processing delays between attacks, giving your enemy ample time to wipe your health down. So unless you could land a hit, it wouldn’t be my first choice of weapon.

It was on the tip of my tongue to voice my opinions, but I didn’t say anything out loud. Instead, I spied his gaming techniques like a noob.