Chapter 6

Trace Wheeler ran his hand through his shaggy, walnut-colored hair as he stared over the box of plastic wrapped comic books at the small, dark-haired lady. She was engrossed in the section of comics she thumbed through, seriously examining each one, sliding some out a bit to get a better look at the cover. She was actually into comic books. He couldn’t believe his luck. Most of the women he met had just rolled their eyes at him when they found out he was into comics. Of course, most never lasted past the knowledge that he lived with his mother still, but this woman thought it was sweet that he was determined to take care of his mother. “Most men would want their own bachelor pad so they could bring girls home for sex or something,” she had said when he told her. “I think it’s noble that you sacrifice your privacy for the benefit of your mother.” Trace forced himself not to jump up and down. He had struck the motherlode. His friends in the chatroom didn’t believe him. They made him send a picture of the two of them together, and even then they said it had to be a cousin or a prostitute. Now he was the envy of the whole Battle of Dragons gaming world.

He glanced down at the section of Batman comics he searched through, trying to play it cool but knowing he failed miserably. He couldn’t help it. Never in his life would he have thought he would be so lucky. She loved comic books and video games, and she was gorgeous.

He turned his gaze back up at her for just a quick second, soaking in her long, dark hair, so dark it almost shone blue in some places and made her beige skin seem paler than it really was. And her eyes. He loved her eyes, soft, dark chocolate, and almond-shaped. She was a few inches shorter than him with a thin, frail body, and her lips were pouty. The only irregularity to her otherwise perfect body was that she walked with a slight limp due to an injury she said that cost her two of her toes. He had just smiled, saying, “Every masterpiece has a slight flaw.”

They had only been out a couple of times, not often enough for him to try and kiss her or anything. He did hold her hand once, though. It was soft, warm. He slept with his hand under his cheek that night so that he could still feel her warmth. Well, he couldn’t actually feel it, but he could pretend he did. He was good at pretending.

“We could grab a bite to eat after this if you want,” he asked while his gaze was still on the comics, just in case she said no or thought he was silly. Girls always thought he was silly.

She kept her gaze down as well, but he could see her smile. “I would like that.”

He smiled, no longer even looking at the comic books he thumbed through. He couldn’t believe how his luck had changed when he walked into Food Giant’s meat department for some lean beef for his mother. He would never argue about running errands for her again.

He purchased a few comics, adding to his collection, and waited while Giselle Bamford purchased a couple of her own. Seth’s Diner was just down the way, so once they had their comics bagged, they strolled down the sidewalk to the small eatery, enjoying the coolness of the day. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but his nervousness kept him from taking the chance. Luckily for him, however, she wasn’t as nervous. He felt her hand in his before it dawned on him that she had taken it. Glancing over at her, he gave her a sheepish smile. He just couldn’t believe his luck.