Page 90 of Hard Rock Desires

“It’s supposed to be a French pastry class,” Grace said. “I don’t know if a plain cake is going to be good enough. We should at least try to make a croissant or something.”

“So is this one of the secret perks of having a girlfriend?” Finn asked with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Freshly baked goods, made with love?”

“Shut it,” I told him as Grace flushed.

I was still wondering whether or not it was too soon to be thinking about things like that, but even if Grace and I were going to have The Talk, it sure as hell wasn’t going to be in front of the band.

“Are you having fun with the arcade setup we’ve got here?” Finn jabbed his thumb at me. “I hope you’re going easy on this guy.”

“She’s kicking my ass,” I said.

“I may have played a few fighting games as a kid,” she confessed slyly.

“You fleeced me?” I asked. “Damn, that’s cold.”

“I’ve never played any of these old-school games, before, though,” Grace said. “I’ve always wanted to play Space Invaders.”

“Here, I can show you,” Finn offered.

He started up the game and showed her the moves before letting her take over.

“These stupid little aliens are fast,” Grace muttered as she frantically worked the controls.

“Over there, get that one!” Finn pointed to the screen.

“I’m trying!” Grace said, then let out a soft groan as the Game Over screen appeared. “I suck at this,” she said.

Finn patted her consolingly on the back. “Youreallysuck at this,” he said sympathetically.

“Thanks,” she said dryly. “One more try?”

“Go for it,” he said.

Chris wandered over with two drinks in his hands.

“Can I come join the fun?” he asked, handing the second drink to Finn like a peace offering.

“If watching me lose miserably is fun, sure,” Grace said, not taking her eyes off the screen.

“You’re doing pretty good this time,” Finn encouraged as he chugged the Sprite-tequila mix.

Grace actually seemed to pick up the game mechanics pretty fast, and soon she was plowing through aliens like they were nothing. The others wandered over as Grace continued beating level after level. They brought the bottle of tequila with them and continued drinking as they watched on in awe.

“Holy shit, I think you’re close to beating my high score,” Finn said with a manic grin. He held out his hand to Chris for the bottle, but I swiped it just before he could. Finn’s eyes were already bright and glassy, and I didn’t want the night to end with him throwing up on the carpet because he got too excitable.

But he was cheering for Grace, and encouraging her. I grinned to myself. They were finally getting along. The alcohol had probably helped ease some the tension.

Maybe Finn’s trip to go get tequila and limes had been a blessing in disguise, after all.

Twenty-Nine

Grace

“Only two more levels,” I said.

“Have you really never played Space Invaders before?” Zain asked.

“Never,” I replied truthfully.