Round 20

H ow was the date?” Shaun asked, leaning against my desk the next morning. “Neema said you weren’t interested, and she can’t understand why.”

The date started and ended with me thinking about William. That was why . And I had no doubt every date with anyone else would end in the same way.

But I couldn’t tell Shaun that.

“I’m not attracted to him.” I shrugged, taking my seat and setting up my laptop.

Shaun nodded. “Pity. He’s great—smart and kind. Perfect for you.” He tutted and changed the subject. “What about the year-end party? Are you coming solo or do you have someone in mind?”

I hadn’t even thought about that—or about how Patrick accompanied me every year. “Maybe I’ll skip it.”

“You arranged it, and the theme is right up your alley.”

Superheroes and Villains . And while it may seem like I had a hand in that, it was purely coincidental. “Maybe I’ll come alone, then.”

“I mean, we’ll be there. Neema’s planning on wearing her Supergirl costume.”

I grinned. “That’s lingerie.”

Shaun returned my grin. “I know.”

An email notification pinged on my laptop, and my heart stopped.

Board Game Competition Submission: Winners – Round 1.

Shaun leaned over my shoulder and read it before I could swipe the window closed. “You’re not going to open it?”

“William needs to be here.”

“Oh.” Shaun froze, his eyebrows dropping low while he seemed to process my answer. “Makes sense. He worked pretty hard on it. So… you’re coming over after work?”

I nodded. “But I have to finish all of this.” I pointed at my screen.

His jaw dropped. “That’s impossible.”

“Markham assigned it. I think he’s testing me.”

“Using you.” Shaun shook his head, grumbling under his breath. “Well, I’m here as long as you are.”

I turned my focus to the first item on my to-do list, but that contest email burned away bits of my fingers with each key I tapped on the keyboard.

Late that afternoon, when I desperately needed a break, I stepped away from my computer and went to the kitchen. Most of the office lights were off, but a few of the automatic sensors detected my presence as I walked by and turned on. The others remained off, seemingly not knowing I existed… or maybe I just didn’t meet the height requirement. I swung my arms high, and a few more lights came on.

Popping a coffee pod into the machine, I waited with my cup in place while the machine hummed, the scent of the coffee making my taste buds come alive.

Footsteps echoed behind me, and I called over my shoulder, thinking it was Shaun. “Coffee?”

“Sure,” a familiar voice answered, but it wasn’t the one I expected.

I spun around and faced Mr. Markham, who stood close enough for my head to snap up to meet his gaze.

“Mr. Markham,” I stammered.

“You look beautiful in black,” he whispered, his voice thick and low.

A chill raced down my spine. I retreated a step, and the edge of the counter stabbed into my back. “This is inappropriate.”

“Oh, Rose. Don’t be such a prude.” He stepped away and then added with a jovial lilt, “It was only a compliment. I am a man, and I have eyes.”

Leaving my cup where it was, I sped back to my desk, where Shaun waited. No part of me wanted to tell him—no part of me even wanted to think about it.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m ready to leave.”

Shaun walked over. “Everything okay? Is it Patrick? Did he finally contact you?”

I shook my head, caving at my mother’s vague warning. Shaun and Neema were as worried about it as I was.

“It’s not that,” I said, but I didn’t want to tell him what had happened, so I added, “I just want to read the email.

Let’s go.”

Luckily, that won him over.

If Shaun noticed my silence during the walk to his building, he chose not to say anything. Each step that took me farther from our office lifted the nausea swirling in my stomach. The second we entered the safety of their apartment, Shaun told Neema and William about the unopened email in my inbox.

While he spoke my heart was raging in my chest, but I wanted to forget Mr. Markham’s compliment. That was all it was… right?

William’s eyes grew wide, and he sucked in a deep breath while I retrieved my phone from my bag.

“Okay, last chance for bets,” I deadpanned, but no one laughed. I handed my phone to Shaun and whispered a soft prayer.

Surprised, a smile lit up his face. “Can I read it out loud?”

I nodded and sat beside William. It was only when he slipped his hand between us and grazed my thigh with the backs of his knuckles that my shattered nerves settled back into place.

Shaun cleared his throat and read from my phone. “Hello, everyone! Thank you for your submissions. We loved seeing the passion and creativity poured into each and every game you created. Unfortunately, there can be only one winner.” He pulled in a deep breath and took a moment to gaze at each of us dramatically before continuing. “The following five board games will continue on to Round 2. Congratulations to the following people, in alphabetical order.”

I inhaled, and the sound of oxygen entering my lungs was the only sound in the room. Shaun stilled, and Neema was quiet for the first time in her life. Even William was, quite literally, sitting on the edge of his seat.

“A Princess’s Tale, submitted by Alia Ghoor.”

Okay.

“Cats versus Dogs, submitted by Lester Hanning.”

Okay.

“Overpower, submitted by Rose Marie Jones.”

I jumped to my feet and pointed a finger at him. “Don’t lie to me, Shaun!”

“I wouldn’t lie to you about this.” He beamed at me and pulled me in for a tight hug.

“Don’t lie to me,” I repeated, unsure of why I was crying. It didn’t take much, but even for me, it was excessive.

Neema sprang up and joined the hug.

Shaun glanced at my phone over my quaking shoulders. “Kaleidoscope, submitted by Anita Peterson.” He grinned. “And you know what? No one cares what the last game is because you’re winning this!”

A harsh sob erupted from somewhere deep inside me. I was entirely overwhelmed. The past few months had been too much, and this… this was something that held my heart for a lifetime.

Shaun spun us around, and my gaze met William’s.

Told you . He mouthed the words through a huge smile, following it with a wink. His hands were fisted and crossed over his chest as though he were stopping himself from grabbing me and pulling me into him.

I wanted to be there. I wanted to thank him for all the hours he’d spent helping me perfect my game. I even wanted to tell him about Mr. Markham.

I stopped my thoughts right there.

I’d been in a relationship with Patrick for so long that I didn’t know what to do in this situation with William. Had he signed up to hear about my every trouble?

My stomach curdled at the thoughts racing through me.

We never went out.

We never discussed what we are.

All we’d done was kiss.

I needed to get ahold of my heart, but… I dared a glance in William’s direction, and the mere idea of defenses fell.

Shaun cleared his throat, pulling me from my stupor. “Okay, where was I? A follow-up email detailing Round 2 will be sent to the five people mentioned above.” He scrolled through my emails. “Let’s see… Ah-ha!”

I settled onto the couch as Shaun took the seat beside me and opened the next email.

“Congratulations!” He beamed, his voice bright. “We decided your game was worth playing, so that is exactly what we’ll do.”

The four of us looked at one another as he continued.

“We believe we need to play the game to know if it’s the one for us. That is why we’d like for someone, not you, to come to our offices and play your game.”

My mouth opened in protest, but Shaun held up a finger.

“Why not you?” he continued reading, and by the tone of the language used, it felt like a casual conversation. “Well, the creator of the game tends to become a bit overbearing, trying to explain things mid-game, and that’s not how board games are played.”

I blew out a breath. Fair point.

“So, send us the details of someone you trust with your precious prototype, and we’ll get them here and get us playing,” Shaun said.

William.

That was the first and only name that came to mind.

My head snapped up, only to find his eyes already on me.

“In short, you will be judged on the following criteria: How long it takes to set the game up, deciphering the rules, game enjoyment, game difficulty, and game length. The rest will be explained on the day of. Good luck.” Shaun turned to me, his blue eyes wide. “It’s signed by Dudley.”

Much as I tried to wipe the smile off my face, I couldn’t.

“I’ll go!” Shaun and Neema volunteered together.

I cut them off. “No. I want William to go. If he…” I looked at him. “I mean… if you want to.”

William’s eyes lit up in a way I’d never seen. He nodded, and that smirk found its way onto his face. “I, too, think I’m the best option.”

Shaun made a comeback, but I didn’t hear it. All I knew was my game had made it. My game was good enough for them to want to play.

My fingers navigated to my mother’s contact details, and I hit dial.

And like always, she answered immediately. “Hey, Rosie, your cheeks are looking particularly rosy this evening.”

Before I could get the words out, Neema hopped beside me and shouted, “Aunty A! Rose’s board game made it to the next round!”

My mother screamed, and a few seconds later, my father ran into the room swinging a spiky branch around.

“What’s going on?” he yelled.

“Rosie’s game won!” my mother shouted.

My dad cheered in the same way he did when his favorite sports teams scored.

“This round !” I shouted, trying to lower their enthusiasm. “I won this round ! There’s another round!”

“It doesn’t matter, baby. You won this round. You won. You’ve proved to yourself you created something of value.” She beamed with pride.

I blinked the tears away. “Don’t make me cry, Mom. I’m not alone.”

“Where is my darling Shaun and that beautiful brother of his?” she asked.

I passed the phone to them, and they greeted my mom like young boys talking to a school principal.

“Goodness, you two are gorgeous,” she shouted at them.

Shaun and William blushed in response.

“Rosie,” my dad called.

I took the phone from Shaun’s outstretched hand and held it in front of me to see his face. “I’m here, Dad.”

“I want you to know, when you were eight years old and you asked me if I thought your game was good, I wasn’t lying when I said it was. You’re brilliant, baby. I wish you took a moment to admire your own brilliance the way you do for others. Not only for this game, but in the way you live your life. You’re the strongest person I know, my Rosie, and you make me proud every single day.”

My dad was a man of few words, but when he chose to use them, he used them at full impact.

And even though he had no idea what had happened at work, it was as though he knew that, tonight, I needed to hear that.