For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,7
fucking effective that Dez is ranting about them. Good rants, but still."
She chuckled, but it was the nervous kind. "You just want to talk to me about my mods?"
"Just? Nah." He paused to make sure she heard that. "Rhaven, give me a chance?"
"You don't understand," she said one more time. "Braden, you won't even recognize me. I can't be the person you want. Not here."
"And you keep not listening to a thing I say," he countered. "Rhaven, I don't care about your mascara. I'm not asking to see you in heels. See, there's this gamer I know, who just happens to be an amazing person, fun to talk to, and who I can't get enough of. I don't care if I have to call her Ethan to see her. I don't care if you show up looking like a guy or a girl. I don't give a fuck about that shit, hun. I like the person. So give me a chance. You pick the place, I'll pay, and if I piss you off, then you can leave, ok? I promise I won't cross any lines. Trust me, I kinda know what it's like to still be coming out."
"And how do I explain this to my dad?" she countered.
"A developer from one of the top games has invited you to talk about the mods you've made," he suggested. "Rhaven, they're good. Damned good. Tell him it's a chance at a side hustle or something? I can get a room at the hotel beside that Denny's, you can meet me for a cheap and crappy dinner, and we can keep it all on the up and up. Promise."
"Why?" she asked, feeling that little bit of hope dim a bit.
Not that she was trying to play hard to get, but Braden kept flirting, and he really was gorgeous. Of course she wanted him to like her. She also wasn't dumb enough to think that a man like him actually would. Typically, when hot guys tried to pick her up, it was because they were setting her up for the "big joke." Usually the one that ended with her being bullied or beaten.
But what if he wasn't like that?
Nope. She wouldn't let herself consider that. Too many times, she'd given someone a chance, and every single time it had ended the same way. Tyler's high school friends had been the worst. The guys in her school weren't much better, though. Sexy men wanted sexy women - not her.
"Why do I want to see you?" he asked, rephrasing the question. "I dunno, because I do? Pretty sure I haven't made a secret of that."
"That's not a reason," she pointed out.
He chuckled. "Well, I'm getting the impression that if I said what I'm thinking, I might just scare you off, but I'll try. Hun, I have a weakness for that whole goth look. I love your sassiness. I like that you're so damned driven, and I can't get enough of this softer side, ok? I love the way you scowl when you're aiming, or how you throw your head back when you laugh. So, if you want me to jump through some hoops, well, I'm over here jumping, ok?"
"I thought that was just at the conventions," she pointed out.
"Only because I'm not usually in Montana, and you are," he said. "And your schedule is shit, so I can't figure out when you're online. Never mind that I'm usually fixing the games instead of playing them. I mean, I just figured this was too good of a chance to pass up." He laughed again. "And it's entirely possible that I volunteered to deal with this call center thing when I heard it was in Montana."
"For me?"
"Mhm."
Well, fuck it. That little murmur of assent made her heart flutter in the best of ways, and she was giving in before she could stop herself. "Ok."
But the word was soft, almost a breath. This was going to be a make or break situation. She'd liked the idea of Braden. Knowing that when she went to a convention, she'd have this hunk there waiting to make a fuss over her? It had been nice, but this would probably ruin all of it. Once he realized what a mess she really was, he wouldn't simply run away screaming. Nope, he'd just vanish, never to be seen again. That was the downside of only knowing people online.
"But," she went on, "I won't look like you think. I mean..."