Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama, #2) (39)

I climb into the car, smiling, but the weight of the dice on my lap isn’t as heavy as the weight of my thoughts. I want more of whatever’s going on between Logan and me, even if I shouldn’t.





Chapter Fifteen





I don’t even knock on Kashvi’s door when I arrive at her house for the game Saturday. I’ve only been coming here for a few weeks now, but it’s starting to feel like a second home. I push the door open—my hands full of jewelry-making supplies for after the game—and say a quick hello to Kashvi’s mom before heading to the basement.

The rest of the group is already there, and they let out a cheer when I arrive.

“Yay, you’re here!” Kashvi exclaims. “We were just talking about costumes—Sanjiv came up with the perfect idea.”

“We came up with it together,” he says.

Ideas for the costume contest at the comic store took over the group chat as soon as we left the diner last night, and it’s been a constant debate since I woke up this morning. We quickly decided we wanted to do a group costume instead of dressing individually, which is great for me since I don’t have any ideas. I’m shocked to hear that we might already have a concept, because this group is seriously picky. By ten a.m. they’d already dismissed all superhero and video game characters.

“Okay.” Kashvi puts her hands out to me like she’s about to announce huge news. “Have you ever heard of the ’80s D&D cartoon?”

I glance around the room in confusion. I don’t know current cartoons, let alone ones from decades before I was born.

“Don’t worry about it,” Mark tells me. “I hadn’t either since it’s ancient.”

“That’s no excuse. We should all know our history,” Sloane says seriously.

“Here, look at this,” Kashvi says, and holds up her phone to a still shot of an animated series. There’s a party of six people dressed vaguely like wizards, barbarians, and fighters. There’s even a baby unicorn. “Wouldn’t it be great if we each chose one character and dressed up together? It would be so meta to have our group go as the original cartoon party!”

“I’d like to point out that no one is going to understand this costume idea. We’re going to look like six people in miscellaneous fantasy costumes,” Logan says.

“The judges will be old and they’ll get the reference. That’s all that matters,” Sanjiv argues. “It’s perfect—we can dress up as the entire party and no one is left out.”

“I already called the little kid barbarian,” Sloane says. “I have an old unicorn stuffed toy I can bring to complete the look.”

I nod and scan the picture. With that character gone, there are three male characters and two female characters left…which does work out perfectly for our group. There’s just one problem.

I point to the two female characters. “These are the costumes we’d need to wear? It’s forty degrees out!” One of the characters has on a very short tunic and thigh-high boots, while the other is basically wearing a fur bikini.

Kashvi grimaces. “I know, it’s totally sexist. Of course the women are wearing the most impractical costumes possible. If you want, I can be Diana.” She points to the one in the bikini. “Assuming my parents let me out of the house.”

“Is that the character you wanted, though?”

“I mean, I had my eye on the thief, but I can do whatever. Or we can scrap this and choose a different costume idea.”

“You can change your costume,” Mark tells me. “We won’t care.”

“You’ll look hot no matter what you do, Quinn,” Sanjiv says.

Kashvi slaps him on the shoulder. “Eww, don’t call her hot!”

He throws up his arms. “I was trying to be reassuring! Come on, am I wrong?”

He glances around the room, looking for support, and my disobedient eyes head straight for Logan even though my brain screams, Don’t look at him!

His eyes are already on me, pupils dark and Adam’s apple bobbing. I flush at his expression. If this is his response to only the idea of the costume, then I’d be better off claiming the character who wears the huge billowing cloak. Although…I pull my lip between my teeth and glance back at the picture of Diana. I’m not walking around a comic store in a glorified swimsuit, but I bet I could make it my own. I have a few pieces that could work, and Grandma might have something in the attic.

Even with my changes, it would still be completely out of my comfort zone. A costume like this draws attention. That’s not something I’m usually up for, but if I’m surrounded by the rest of my party, then it sounds fun. Maybe even empowering.

“Actually, I love this,” I tell the others. “I’ll be Diana.”

“Are you sure?” Kashvi asks. “I don’t want you feeling bullied into it as the newest member.”

The fact that she’d be worried about that only makes me feel better.

“I’m absolutely sure.” I smile reassuringly.



* * *





We start the session right on time, to make sure we don’t lose any impatient viewers, and Sloane uses their gravelly voice to remind us of where we left off, having been captured and taken to a palace.