“Okay…” Jo replied warily. While she waited, she glanced at the sky. The rain was coming down harder now. Dark, gray-green clouds were gathering ahead of her. It had been overcast at the motor vehicles office, but not like this. She seemed to driving into a storm.
Through the phone, there was the sound of a door closing. “Can you handle some real talk right now?” asked Aida.
Jo’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Uh-huh.”
“After Jeremy,” Aida began, and that’s how Jo knew it was serious. Aida never said his name. He was always “the asshole.” Her heart beat a little faster; her fists clenched a little harder. “I want you to find someone who understands you. Someone who gets what MnM means to you and why you devote so much time to it. Listen to yourself, babe—you can’t wait to GM again? You swore that you were going to take a break when you moved. Now you’re teaching someone how to play, inviting him to a con—which I had to talk you into going to, by the way—and helping launch a public game program!”
“Jesus, Aida,” Jo interjected, not even trying to hide the hurt in her voice.
“I’m not guilt-tripping you, Jo, I swear. Please don’t misunderstand me. I think what you’re doing is awesome. I’m trying to help you see that MnM is always going to be part of you. You can’t stay away from it. And you shouldn’t have to. You love it. You’re brilliant at it. If Hot Librarian isn’t cool with that, fuck him. If he runs screaming from Indi-Con, I’d rather you know now before you go through a lot of hurt again.”
Jo went quiet, digesting that as the rain pattered on the metal and glass around her. Teaching Felix MnM had given her a kind of joy she hadn’t felt in years. It was wonderful, sharing the game with him and remembering the thrill of learning it herself back in college. It was even better to be free of the guilt and the shame that the man she loved refused to be involved in one of the biggest parts of her life.
Tears sprang to Jo’s eyes as her swirling thoughts coalesced on Jeremy. What if… what if she hadn’t stopped going to conventions and public games because she was burned out? What if she hadn’t actually been burned out at all? What if she had stopped because it wasn’t worth it anymore? Not with how much Jeremey hated them, the way he made her feel bad about wanting to go.
What if she didn’t have to hold back anymore? What if she could let herself fall in love with MnM all over again?
“I forgot to tell you,” Jo said quietly, blinking away her tears. “I signed up to GM a few games at Indi-Con.”
“That’s awesome,” Aida replied. “I’m so proud of you.”
“And you really think I should invite Felix?”
“I do. Not as a boyfriend test or whatever—that’s gross. But if you really do like him, it couldn’t hurt to learn as much about him as possible, including what he thinks of MnM on that scale.”
Jo sniffed and cleared her throat to keep herself from full-on crying. What the hell had she done to deserve a best friend like Aida? “Can I ask a favor?”
“Anything.”
“If Felix comes to Indi-Con, will you ask Trey to help keep him company?”
Aida chuckled. Her fiancé didn’t play MnM very much, but he sometimes came to cons with the group to get in a game or two. “Are you kidding? Trey would love an exhibit hall buddy.”
“You two are the best.”
“I know, babe.”
“And, um, on that note, I think I need to go,” Jo said, looking skyward again. “I think it’s starting to hail. I should focus on driving.”
“Oh, damn, yes, you should. I’ll see you next week at Indi-Con.”
“Can’t wait. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Jo carefully drove the rest of the way into Ashville, keeping a close eye on the time. About a mile outside of town, the rain and hail suddenly stopped. The wide Kansan sky was still hidden behind a thick, low ceiling of cloud cover, but she seemed to have made it through the worst of the storm.
That’s weird, she thought. But then again, she hadn’t done much driving outside of Ashville. Maybe rainstorms here were really localized.
After a quick pit stop at home to get her things, Jo finally made it to the library with two minutes to spare. She sat in her car for a brief moment to steady herself. It had been a wild day, with wild emotions and wild weather. But now, she got to spend an hour with Felix, playing her favorite game and letting go of the stress and distractions. And at the end of their lesson, she would invite him to come with her to Indi-Con, a prospect that was equal parts nerve-racking and electrifying.
“Here we go,” she muttered, stepping out of the car.
The wind immediately whipped her flyaways around her face. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she found herself shuddering. She grabbed her tote bag and purse and hustled to the shelter of the library.
Felix’s head snapped up when she entered. The wind caught the door, and she had to haul it closed with both hands. He was on his feet by the time she turned back around. Jesus, he looked good today. His shirt was a little rumpled, more disheveled than he usually was at work. His hair was mussed, as if he’d been running his hands through his black waves. She didn’t hate it.
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming,” Felix said, gesturing toward the windows that framed the front door and the dark clouds beyond them. He seemed to be breathing a little heavily.
“Because of the rain?” she said with a smile. “I may be from California, but I’m not made of sugar, you know.”
Felix squinted at her, looked out the windows, and back to her. “Did you get my email?”
“No, sorry,” Jo replied. “It’s been kind of a long day, and I didn’t think to check it. Why? Is something going on?”
“There’s a tornado watch, Jo.”
“There’s a WHAT?!”
Felix was kind enough not to shush her in the library.
9
“Holy shit,” Jo breathed. She grabbed the front of her shirt in her fist, pressing her knuckles against her racing heart. “Do we need to get underground?”
“It’s just a watch,” Felix said, far too calmly. “That means we keep an eye on the sky and the alerts. We only have to shelter if it’s upgraded to a warning.”
