Page 11 of Gamers' Omega

Beck glanced at me. “Are you ok with birds?”

I blinked. “I guess?”

He chuckled. “Pico’s my budgie. He’s little but flighted, and some people don’t like a bird flying around.”

“Ummm…” I shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it. I’ll let you know if it’s a problem?”

He nodded. “Good enough. He’s friendly, but will probably land on you to introduce himself.”

“Ok.”

Beck eased past and strode down the hall toward what appeared to be a living room.

Somebody tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Tony holding a pair of slippers. “They’re clean. We’ve got a few pairs for guests, and always wash them after.”

“Thank you,” I replied, taking the slippers and putting them on.

“I’d better go check the seasonings,” Freddie said, squeezing past and veering off into what I assumed was the kitchen, leaving Ian, Tony, and myself in the hall.

“Do you want me to get you a piece of mail for the address?” Ian asked. “Or do you want me to just tell you so you can text it to a friend?”

A slow smile spread across my face. I might have been nervous in the parking lot, but now that I was in their home, all the nerves were gone.

I felt safe.

“I don’t think I need to text anybody,” I replied.

He studied me for a few seconds. “Are you sure? We won’t be offended.”

I chuckled. “I trust you. Just don’t make me regret it.”

Ian laughed. “Do you want to see the guest room first or chat in the living room while we wait for Freddie to finish dinner?”

“Chat.”

He motioned down the hall, and I headed that way, but I froze when I got a look at the living room.

Beck was sitting on the largest U-shaped couch I’d ever seen, with a small green and yellow bird perched on one finger. The bird chirped and trilled while he murmured to it.

A dark fireplace was next to the couch. I briefly wondered why nobody had started a fire before realizing that it probably wasn’t safe with a bird flying around. Then my eyes fell on the bookshelves.

“Oh… my… God…” I laughed, unable to tear my eyes away. The shelves were jammed with a mix of games and game books.

Ian chuckled. “Yanno… everybody has that response.”

I smiled. “That’s a small fortune in games.”

Beck turned to me. “Gotta know the games to lead them.”

I shrugged. “Makes sense.” I motioned to the wall. “May I?”

“Go for it,” Tony said as he stepped around me and strode over to the couch, dodging a matching ottoman as he walked. He plopped onto it and held out a finger, which Pico flew onto. “We’d either play a game or watch something on television after dinner anyway. If you see something you want to try, we’ll do that.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Nonsense,” Beck argued. “You’re a guest. The least we could do is let you pick out the entertainment.”

“Pico,” Tony said, turning his attention to the bird. “Were you a good bird while we were gone?”