to the song playing on the radio. “I like this song.”
Lee’s sudden change in topics didn’t surprise me. He had the attention span of a gnat.
“Anyway,” he said, sipping his latte. “We got everything figured out, so it’s not a problem anymore. On to the next one, right?” Out of nowhere, he lifted his hand and smacked his palm against his forehead. “Damn it. I can’t believe I forgot about replacing Jack.”
“Jack?” Lee had never mentioned a Jack before.
“Huh? Oh, umm, Jack was a part of my D&D group. He got a really good job offer in another state, and now we’re down a sorcerer. Carson told me to ask around to see if I could find someone to replace him, but I forgot, and we’re meeting tomorrow. Well, I guess it’ll be just the four of us then.”
“Wait,” I said, still hung up on his first sentence. “You play Dungeons & Dragons? You?”
Lee grinned sheepishly as a blush stained his cheeks. “Yeah, I play with some friends every Saturday. I know it’s nerdy, but—”
“No,” I said, interrupting him. “I don’t think it’s nerdy.”
He raised a brow and looked at me unconvinced.
“Okay, it’s a little nerdy,” I admitted. “Okay, maybe more than a little.”
He laughed, relaxing against the counter once more. “Hey,” he said, snapping his fingers and then pointing them at me. “You wouldn’t want to join, would you?”
“Me?” I lifted a hand and pressed it to my chest, both surprised and flattered by his offer.
“Yes, you, silly. It’s surprisingly fun. Besides, don’t you read all those fantasy books? It’s just like that, but you get to be a part of it.” He pouted his lips and gave me his best puppy-dog eyes. “Please.”
“I don’t know,” I said, wanting to say yes and no at the same time. “I don’t know the first thing about playing.”
Lee lifted his drink and used his cup to wave away my concern. “Carson, our Dungeon Master, is a really good and patient teacher. Trust me, if he can teach me how to play, he can teach you, no problem,” he said dryly.
Laughing with him, I felt myself waver. Maybe it was time I got out to meet new people.
“And we’re all really cool,” he sang, trying to sweeten the deal. “Okay, we’re all kind of weird, but still cool.”
“It does sound like fun.” I still wasn’t convinced, but I was swaying more toward yes than no.
“So, you’re in?” Without waiting for my reply, he whipped his phone out of his pocket.
Clenching my hand around the towel I had draped across my shoulder, I watched in confusion as his fingers rapidly danced across the glass surface of his phone. Suddenly feeling out of control, I felt my heart explode in my chest. Little black spots wavered in my vision as I heard the zipping sound of a message leaving for parts unknown.
Everything was happening so fast.
I shuffled my feet, trying to regain my balance as it felt like the world was shifting out from under me.
His phone chimed, telling me someone had answered.
I reached out and grabbed the counter as my knees threatened to buckle.
“Carson says to be at his place an hour early to roll up your character sheet and to go over the basics.”
I focused on Lee’s face and tried to make sense of his words.
Lee finally glanced up from his phone. “Mills?”
His face instantly shifted to that of concern. I focused on that emotion, using it to ground myself.
Lee is my friend, I said, trying to force myself to believe it. Lee cares for me. Lee would never put me in a situation that would harm me. Lee cares for me. Lee is my friend.
“Miller, are you okay?”
I watched as his hand approached my face and forced myself to suppress my instinctual need to flinch. His fingers pressed against my cheek as he lightly stroked my skin.
“You look really freaked out right now, and your cheek feels all cold and clammy.” He cupped my chin, forcing me to maintain contact with his searching gaze. I knew he saw too much, but I was helpless to stop him.
Nodding, he stroked his thumb against my cheek in a slow and steady motion. “It’s okay, Miller,” he whispered, his voice soft and too understanding. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I know I can be a little impulsive and pushy.”
“Thank you,” I replied quietly, believing he actually meant it.
Dropping his hand and his gaze, he lifted his phone and shook