“You betcha!” Felix replied with an exaggerated Midwestern accent. He and Peggy both smiled at the inside joke, and he caught Jo smiling too.
They picked a large, round table and began laying out books and papers as the last few stragglers filed out.
“Before we dive in…” Jo rubbed her hands together excitedly. Then she turned her palms up, cupped her hands, and motioned her fingers toward herself in a “come here” gesture. “Lay it on me.”
“Uh, what?” Felix said, his mind spiraling to very work-inappropriate places.
“Your name! What did you pick?”
“Oh, of course.” He opened the manila folder he’d put his character sheet in. He wanted to get it right. “Graxalos. Grax for short.”
Jo’s eyes shone behind her rain-speckled glasses. “I fucking love it.”
The hour with Felix flew by. Jo covered as much ground as she could, starting with how to handle rules-lawyer players and then moving on to combat rules: rolling initiative and turn order, monster actions, and how to track damage and health points. She had brought her own copies of the rulebooks so they could reference multiple things at once, and the large reading-room table was perfect for spreading out.
Peggy walked by the open doorway a couple of times, first pushing a cart full of books, and later with some cash in hand that was replaced by chips and a soda on her way back. She never looked into the room, and Jo got the feeling she wasn’t checking up on them so much as reminding Jo she was in a safe space. Truly, librarians were the best.
When their time was up, Felix relaxed into his chair. He interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on his head. His lips tightened, and his face scrunched up momentarily, like he was in pain. Not the first time he’d done that tonight, she’d noticed.
“Any homework for me this week?” he asked.
“I’ll go over spellcasting with you next week, so maybe read through that part of the rules. Chapter nine. You can email me with any questions. I also want to do a trial run game with you. Something quick that we can do in about thirty minutes.”
“That’s a good idea,” Felix said. “I’m still a little fuzzy on how everything fits together.”
Jo bit her upper lip and fiddled with her pencil. Just say it, Jo. Just ask. You’ll feel better if you do.
“Hey, speaking of email,” she blurted unceremoniously, “I hope I didn’t come on too strong or something.”
She’d been beating herself up about it for days. She had tried—really tried—to keep things work-friend level, but then he’d asked about her name. It was impossible for her to talk about that without making it personal. It was all her awkward childhood memories and the way she met her best friend wrapped up in a single word. And Felix hadn’t written back. She’d checked her email every morning, every break at work, every night, and nothing. Normally, she’d keep quiet about this kind of thing, but Felix was starting to feel like a real friend, not just a work friend. (A very hot friend whose shirt buttons were currently straining against his broad chest, but still.) If she’d made it weird, it would be better to clear the air and move forward. Get a fresh start.
“What are you talking about?” Felix asked, his voice gentle.
“You didn’t email me back, so I thought my story about my name might be too personal for our…” Jo gestured between the two of them with both hands. “Our working relationship. If it was, I’m sorry.”
“It’s your name, Jo,” he said, slowly lowering his hands to his lap. “Of course it’s personal. I asked, and you answered. I didn’t respond because your email ended with something about seeing me Friday, which seemed like the end of the conversation.”
“Oh.”
“And I didn’t have any questions for you, so I didn’t start a new one.”
“Oh,” she said again, not sure what else to say. It was so obvious now, and she felt stupid for assuming the worst.
“I’m sorry my silence troubled you.”
“No, it’s all good,” Jo said, shaking her head. “I kind of got in my head about it, you know? Trying to make friends in a new town, good impressions, all that.”
Felix tilted his head and smiled. “You want to be friends? What happened to ‘our working relationship’?”
“¿Por qué no los dos?”
Felix’s eyes lit up as he raised his eyebrows in delight. “¿Hablas español?”
“What? No. Sorry, it’s a meme,” Jo said in a rush. “You speak Spanish?”
“I am Spanish.” He seemed more amused than disappointed, which Jo took as a good sign for the whole “let’s be friends” thing. “‘Why not both’ is a meme?”
“Yeah. I thought… I mean… Can’t we be both?”
He nodded, a slow, steady drop of his chin until he was looking up at her from under his brows. “I’d like that.”
Christ, his eyelashes. She was almost jealous of how long and thick they were. Jo had never met a man who made hair—all hair, everywhere—look so good.
“Cool,” she managed to say.
Felix stood to pack up and winced again.
“You okay? You look like you’re in pain. We could have canceled tonight if you’re not feeling well.”
“I’m just sore,” he said. “I worked out a little too hard this week.”
“What do you do to work out?” Jo asked.
“Boxing, mostly.”
Her jaw dropped as the pieces slotted into place. “Oh my God, of course you do, Mr. Grounded-in-Reality. A real-life pugilist.”
