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Blaise’s hand shot out from the covers, fumbling on the bedside table for her buzzing phone. It took a couple tries, but she finally managed to grab it, pulling it under the covers. She squinted at the bright light, blinking a few times to rid her eyes of the blur. She had a new message.

It took a moment for her brain to process the words on the screen, but when she did, she jumped out of bed, scaring the daylights out of Astra who had been asleep at the foot of the bed. She sent him a sheepish grin before quickly replying to the message and heading to the bathroom to get ready.

GeekCon was held in the Fashion District of San Myshuno and it was the best place to experience the best video gaming equipment. Heriberto was waiting near the entrance when Blaise arrived, sending her a bright smile and a wave.

“Good morning, my dear. I’m glad you could make it,”

“Yeah, I have today off so,” she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. ‘Maybe I should read some dating books, I’m not too good at this.’

The speakers set up around the festival buzzed to life before a cheerful female voice announced, “Welcome to GeekCon, everyone! The Ultimate Gaming Test is about to begin! Head over to the gaming mats to see if you have what it takes to be the best!”

“Shall we?” He smiled, holding his arm out.

She nodded, a determined look on her face, ‘I’ll just have to impress him by winning the challenges!’. Blaise took her place on the gaming rig along with the other contestants, Heriberto hanging out to the side cheering her on.

“Let the games begin!”

She did her best, but when the results rolled in, she only received a score of thirty when she needed at least seventy to move on in the Gaming Contest. She scowled as she stepped off the mat.

Heriberto smiled at her, clapping her shoulder. “You did well, Blaise! Are you sure this was your first time?”

Pride swelled within her at his words and she puffed her chest out. “It was!”

“Hackers, to your computers! The Hackathon is about to begin!”

“Come, let’s do this one together!” His hand slid into hers, their fingers locking as they headed toward the computers, sitting across from one another. “Let’s do our best, my dear.”

“Of course,” her lips twitched up. “Don’t be upset when I win~”

He laughed and it was like music to her ears.

Although she had spoken with confidence, she had no idea what she was doing. She hadn’t even used a computer until just a few years ago when she was taken in by the Villareal family. As the strings of code flew across the screen, she felt her brow furrowing as a headache began to set in.

The event came to an end, and neither of them were anywhere close to the winner. She scowls, excusing herself to the restroom to calm her growing annoyance. She wanted to impress him, but all she did was show him how good she is as failing. Splashing warm water on her face, she took a few deep breaths before heading for the door.

Heriberto was waiting for her and smiled kindly when she approached, holding out a single red rose. “You tried so hard, my dear Blaise. For you, a beautiful rose for a beautiful woman.”

Her fingers curled around the stem of the rose, her heart skipping within her breast. No one had ever called her beautiful before, nor had they ever given her a flower. She felt overwhelmed with emotion and before her mind could warn her not to, she pushed her body forward, her lips colliding with his.

His lips were cold and chapped from the weather, but she didn’t mind. He leaned into her, his hands gripping her waist as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Her fingers gripped the collar of his jacket, nudging him back toward the observatory.

“I want you,” she muttered against his lips.

He took in a sharp breath, the pink on his cheeks a stark contrast to his dark, purple skin. “Then take me,”

Blaise smirked, licking her lips. “You don’t have to tell me twice~”

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