Sidequest for Love by L.H. Cosway

She pointed her fork at me. “Well, it’s lucky you met me. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make Annabelle fall in love with you, and you two will be the most normal couple in the world.”

I wasn’t convinced, but I’d give her a shot. It wasn’t like I had many other options. Besides, there was always a chance that it could work, even if it was a slim one. Afric could turn out to be my very own genie in a bottle, granting me a wish that could make my life normal and boring again.

I returned my attention to my laptop while Afric finished her food. When she was done, she used a napkin to dab her face, placed some money down on the table, then slid out of the booth. I eyed her warily as she approached, reaching out as if to touch me again. I drew back because I wasn’t prepared for the odd zing I’d felt when she’d put her hand on mine a few minutes ago.

“Relax. Your collar is stuck inside your jumper,” she said, clearly noticing my stiffness. “I was just going to fix it for you.”

I reached up and fixed the collar myself. She shot me a crooked grin. “Do you not like being touched or something?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“You just backed away like I have the plague. I know gamers get a bad rap for hygiene, but I swear I’m clean. I always shower before I leave the flat, at least.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just a little …”

“Stiff? Awkward?” she suggested. “We’re going to need to loosen you up before you meet Annabelle. Women like to be touched, ya know.”

My gut dropped. I just couldn’t imagine meeting Annabelle, seeing the disappointment in her eyes when she took me in. Then, I thought about touching her, and my throat dried up. I was a lying piece of shit, and I definitely didn’t deserve to touch someone as angelic as Annabelle.

“Well, I need to get going,” Afric said, interrupting my thoughts. “Text me if you plan on stopping by my flat this week.”

With that, she left. I stared back at my laptop screen, and it took me a long while to remember what I’d been working on.





4.



Afric

“You need to shut up and let me concentrate,” I complained as I sat in my gaming chair several hours into a livestream.

I was trying to pinpoint where the troll was hiding, and TheBigSix was being way too distracting. The troll was a sneaky little bastard. I planned to clobber him with my truncheon, but he kept hiding behind boulders and rocks. The virtual violence was going to win me a whopping two hundred points.

“I didn’t say anything,” TheBigSix argued.

“You’re talking right now, aren’t ya?” I countered. “And when I said you need to shut up, I meant you’re breathing way too heavily. What’s going on over there anyway?”

Yellowshoes gave a boisterous chuckle in the background while TheBigSix protested, “I’m not up to anything. This is slander.”

“All I’m saying is, none of us can see you. You could be going to town on yourself, and nobody would be any the wiser,” I continued to tease.

“I am not … Ugh. Just kill the troll, will you? I’ve got a frozen pizza in the oven, and it’s going to be ready in five minutes.”

“Fine. But you need to learn how to take a joke.”

The troll peeked his head out from behind a boulder, and I grinned as I muttered to myself, “I’ve got you now, my pretty.” I pulled out my truncheon and swung it high in the air before bringing it down on the troll’s head.

“If we ever meet in person, remind me never to get on your bad side,” Yellowshoes said with a low whistle, her husky American accent in my ears.

I gave an evil laugh. “Only the wise know never to cross me.”

There was a knock on my bedroom door and my flatmate, Sarita, poked her head in. “There’s a man at the door for you. He said his name is Neil.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed in excitement. “Send him in.” Sarita nodded and disappeared.

“Who’s Neil?” Yellowshoes asked.

“Yeah, who’s Neil?” TheBigSix added, sounding a little disgruntled. I suspected he had a crush on me. It wasn’t something he’d ever expressed in words, but we’d been online friends for years, and I just got a certain vibe from him. Like whenever I mentioned going out to find a hook up, he’d get all quiet and grumpy about it.

“Never you mind,” I said before I turned my attention to the camera. “That’ll have to be all for today, everyone. I hope you enjoyed my murderous antics. See you all tomorrow!”

I switched off my stream, shut down my computer, and turned to face the door just as it opened. Neil ran a hand through his dark brown hair and cautiously stepped inside like he was entering a radioactive zone. We really needed to work on his demeanour, loosen him up a little. The man was stiff as a board.

“Hi, your flatmate said to come in.”

“Yes, yes, step inside my lair,” I replied, motioning him farther into the room. “I’m so glad you came.”

I stood and led him to my desk, where several haphazard piles of bank statements and receipts were stacked. I liked to think of it as organised chaos, though really, it was just chaos. He eyed them in a weirdly eager way like he was actually excited by how messy everything was. Oh, yeah, Neil was a neat freak. Evidently, he got a thrill out of organising messes, which was probably a good thing considering his job.