Chelsey nodded as she stripped off her leather jacket and tossed it on the counter along with her helmet. “I noticed that too. There must be some event going on tonight.”
Since Red had already taken the seat to my left, Niles took the chair next to him and across from Lee. Chelsey, following close behind, grabbed her designated spot at the head of the table opposite me.
Chelsey jerked her chin toward Miller’s character sheet. “We got someone new?”
Nodding, I stood between the table and the hallway, waiting for Miller to return. “Yeah, his name is Miller, and he’s a friend of Lee’s. He’s a little shy, so take it easy on him.”
“About that,” Lee said, drawing everyone’s attention to him as he fidgeted in his seat. “He doesn’t really know about, you know, us and what we do.”
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I immediately caught on to what he was saying. I’d assumed Miller was a part of the community because I’d assumed Lee wouldn’t invite anyone who wasn’t.
“What do you mean by what we do?” Red asked, still clueless.
“He means he doesn’t know we’re kinky,” Chelsey said, not bothered in the slightest and looking kind of bored. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No,” Lee said firmly. “Miller is a good guy. It might take some time for him to warm up to everyone, but I don’t see an issue happening if he figures it out. Just be yourselves and don’t, you know, shove it in his face.”
Niles laughed, relaxing a bit since Lee had made his unexpected announcement. “Since when do we shove it in people’s faces?”
“Carson, can I have some ice cream? I’ll be good, I promise.”
As one, we all turned toward Red as he lifted his foot and picked at his shoe with his special, sparkly blue pencil.
He finally looked up when the silence in the room stretched on. “What? What did I do? Why are you all looking at me like that? Are you going to tell Daddy? Is that a no to the ice cream?”
Niles and Chelsey laughed as Lee groaned and dropped his head into his palm.
I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye and turned toward it. Miller was standing in the hallway staring at the crowded table with his box clutched to his chest. I waved him forward as I approached, but he didn’t move. I looked down into his box and was a little disappointed that I didn’t see the pink dice, knowing I’d seen him admiring them earlier. He’d picked out a lovely blue set, a glittery black one, and a matte teal one to match his warlock’s colors.
“Guys, this is Miller. He’s a good friend of Lee’s and will be joining us,” I said, introducing him to the room.
Miller froze as soon as everyone’s eyes landed on him. Placing my hand on his back, I ignored his flinch as I gently pushed him toward his seat. “Miller, this is Chelsey. That’s Niles, but he goes by Ni, and Red,” I said, pointing out each person as I went around the table.
I noticed Miller’s body tense at the sound of Niles’s name.
Miller said something, but it was too quiet for me to hear.
“What was that?” I asked, leaning down to hear him better.
“Did you say Neil?”
I couldn’t help noticing how his voice trembled on the name and wondered if this Neil person was the one responsible for his fear.
“Niles,” I said softly, emphasizing the differences in the two names. “His name is Niles, but we call him Ni.”
“Ni?”
“Yeah, Ni.” Ignoring the tightness in my cheat, I steered him toward his seat and took my own at the head of the table. Seeing how nervous Miller was, I leaned over and whispered to him, “Don’t forget, if you need any help, just ask. It’s what I’m here for.”
He nodded once as he twirled his pencil between his fingers.
“Okay, guys, let’s get started.” Perched behind my screen, I read over my notes from our last session. “Last week, the group was approached at the local inn by a man whose son had gone missing. Agreeing to help for a small fee, the party did some investigating and found its way to a small manor house outside of town. You discovered a celebration taking place, and after managing to weasel your way inside, Vaeril,” I said, pointing at Lee for Miller’s benefit, “found a secret passageway beneath the house that led