“Do you want a drink?” Afric asked. “I’m getting one.”
“A drink sounds good.” Strangely, her nervousness about bumping into her ex made my nervousness about flirting fade a little.
Afric grabbed us two Red Bulls, and several people waved to her. She said hello, but she didn’t stop to chat with them. Instead, she led us over to sit on a bench. I took a swig of the tangy-sweet drink. “I probably shouldn’t be having this. It tends to give me heart palpitations.”
“Right?” Afric agreed. “It’s good for staying alert during a gaming marathon, though.”
“Ah, I see how that could help,” I replied just as three blokes appeared in front of us. Two of them carried some sort of handheld gaming devices, their eyes intent on the screens as their thumbs pounded the buttons. The third was a dark-skinned guy with close-cropped hair and a beard who seemed to be eyeing Afric intently. He had a nose ring and wore a black hoodie with a skull design and ripped jeans. I was ninety-nine percent certain this was her ex.
“Afric. It’s been a while,” he said with a smile.
“It has,” she replied, lifting her chin. “Hello, Dev.”
“I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”
“Nope. Just been busy. My stream has been gaining a lot of new viewers.”
“Really? I went to tune in the other day, but you were offline. It actually feels like you’ve been streaming less,” Dev commented, and Afric’s shoulders tensed. She didn’t reply right away, and some instinct pushed me to come to her defence. Without fully thinking it through, I slid my arm around her waist. I heard a small, sharp breath escape her, and I was acutely aware of the curve of her hip under her loose shirt before I glanced at Dev.
“That’s probably my fault. I’ve been keeping her busy,” I said. “I’m Neil, by the way.”
Dev’s attention finally came to me, one eyebrow shooting up. “Oh, hey,” he said, then glanced back at Afric. “He doesn’t seem like your usual type.”
She shot him an arch look. “Maybe I decided to change my type.”
Dev narrowed his gaze. “Maybe you did.”
A short silence fell. Afric shot a look at Dev’s friends, who were still completely absorbed in their devices. “Do those two ever shut up? I can barely get a word in.”
I chuckled quietly, and Dev scowled, not responding to her joke as he replied, “I better get going. The tournament is starting soon.” He motioned to his two mute gamer friends to follow him.
“Break a leg,” Afric called after him, making a rude hand gesture to his retreating back before grinning up at me.
“That was the best. Thank you for pretending to be my boyfriend. I can’t believe I didn’t think to suggest it earlier. Dev was so pissed off.”
“He was?”
“Oh, yeah. He always goes all quiet and frowny when he’s angry.”
“Well, I’m glad I could help you put it to your ex,” I said before realising my arm was still around her waist. I carefully removed it, but not without again noticing she was hiding some devastating curves under her baggy clothes. I filed the information away under the heading: Things I didn’t need to be thinking about.
“I know how awkward it can be seeing someone for the first time after a break-up,” I went on.
“The bloody gall of him, too,” she exclaimed quietly, turning her body towards me on the bench. “One of the reasons he broke up with me was because he said I gamed too much, and now he has the cheek to comment that I’m not streaming as often as I used to.”
“That is kind of shitty,” I agreed.
“He said he wanted a girlfriend who was into normal stuff. In other words, he wants someone who will cook and clean and dress up nice, while he sits on his arse gaming all day and being treated like a prince.”
“Sounds like you’re better off without him.”
“Oh, I definitely am. It’s crazy what a few months will do to give you clarity on a person,” Afric said as she blew out a breath. She fell silent a moment, looking around. “There are fewer women here today than there normally are. I’m sorry. I know I promised you people to practice flirting with.”
“Don’t apologise. I’ve actually been a nervous wreck thinking about it. I hate flirting.”
“Me, too. It’s such a performance. Whatever happened to just having a natural conversation with someone?”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “I think once you have a connection, the flirting just becomes a part of the conversation without being forced.”
Afric nodded and folded her arms. “Will you still stay and watch the tournament with me? It’s fine if you want to leave.”
I stared at her, a weird tug in my chest. Funnily enough, I didn’t feel like leaving. I actually wanted to stay and hang out with her. “Sure, I can stay for a while.”