For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,13

car. A quick check showed it was another message from Kate, saying that she and Adam expected a message when the date was over - or if she decided to make it an all-nighter. Rhaven chuckled at that. She wasn't that brave, but she sent a reply promising to give an update in an hour, and then headed out.

Prescord was a small town. The kind that was big enough to have neighborhoods, but not so large that it had stoplights. They had one grocery store, two gas stations, a single pizza place, and that was pretty much it. Not even a Walmart! But, next to the biggest hotel in town, there was a Denny's, set just beside the highway. Not an interstate, though. Nope, Prescord wasn't even that civilized.

Rhaven turned into the parking lot and found a space in front of the massive windows. Inside, she could see Braden cradling a cup of coffee at a booth near the back. Taking one last breath, she pushed open the door and got out, refusing to look at the mirror. She was Ethan. People here knew her, and while they also knew she played games, they had no idea about anything that happened outside of town - and Rhaven intended to keep it that way.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, she ducked her head and walked across the front of the store, to the doors, and inside. The waitress spotted her and reached for a menu, but Rhaven waved the girl off, then headed for Braden's table. The walk across the dining area felt like it kept getting longer. Her heart was starting to race. Her hands were sweaty. More than all of that, she felt like she might as well be naked.

Because this was not the version of her he was supposed to see. This was not the woman she imagined when she closed her eyes, and now the most amazing man she'd ever met was about to get a full view of who she really was. The ugly version, without all the polish and shine. The version she wanted to peel away from herself and throw into the trash.

This, right here, was Rhaven's deep dark secret.

She wanted to be one of those strong, brave trans women who came out and didn't care if anyone liked it. She wanted to be the kind who figured out what to do when her family and friends cut her out of their lives like some kind of cancer. She wanted to be strong like all those people she read about online, but she wasn't. Nope, she was so scared of losing the last two people in her life that for over a year, she'd done exactly nothing.

And when she rounded the corner, it was all there for Braden to see.

"Hey," he greeted her.

His lips curled into a smile. His eyes dropped down her body, taking their time about coming back up to her face. Then, much too slowly, he gestured to the seat across from him. Rhaven tried to say something back, but her throat was so tense with nerves that she got nothing. Hoping he wasn't offended, she slid onto the vinyl bench across from him.

"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked, having followed her over.

"Coffee," Rhaven managed to get out.

"And menus," Braden said. "Might take us a while, but I think we'll probably eat something while I catch up with my old friend."

The girl smiled at him a little too nicely. "Ok. Then I'll be right back. You two can take your time. I'll try not to stop by too often." But the way she said that was begging Braden to tell her it wasn't a problem.

"Thanks," he said instead. "Appreciate it." Then he turned to Rhaven. "Nice shirt."

She glanced down in a panic before remembering it was her outfit's logo. "Yeah, um, it was clean."

"Looks good on you." Then he leaned back, angling for the corner. "Relax, Rhave."

Her head snapped up at the shortened version of her name. "Uh..."

"That's me trying not to say something awkward," he admitted. "I'm sorry, but you are not an Ethan. Maybe a Chris, or Jordan?"

He'd just listed two androgynous names, and she knew it. The problem was that Rhaven had no idea how to respond, so she decided to just go with the shortened version of her name. "Rhave's not bad. Doesn't sound too girly."

"Better than saying something like hun or babe," he pointed out. "I also asked for a booth at the back,