My phone vibrates next to me, and I have to ignore it until I get to a point in my game where it's safe to pause. I have yet to get hurt and I want to keep it that way. I press down on the red start button once it's safe and check my phone.

Tariq the Magnificent: Not a chance, Blue.

I stare, trying to figure out how to win this argument. I had texted after we got done at the shelter, saying I'd drive to his house.

Me: Why not? It's out of the way for you.

Him: Because I said so

Me: Do I look like a ten-year-old?!

Says the girl playing her vintage N64.

Him: Yes

Me: I DO NOT!

Him: C u at 6

Me: Gr8 I'll leave in fifty

Him: Don't

Me: Ur right thirty, I need gas

Him: U do that and u'll regret it

Me: How so?

Him: Do u rlly wanna know?

My eyes narrow, wondering what to do. Knowing Tariq, for the small amount of time that I have, he'll come up with some kind of horrifying punishment.

Me: Don't be late.

Him: That's my girl

Me: .... I'm not ur girl

Him: Love u 2 Blue

My stupid heart flutters.

Me: You're an idiot.

Him: Your idiot

Me: You have an hour sir

I drop my phone down in my lap and lean over to grab my remote to get back to work. I'm having a hard time remembering where to find all the stupid Gold Skulltulas in the stupid water temple.

I hate the water temple...

And my need to play the perfect game.

My roommate is out, like always, and I'm free to play, while simultaneously listening to my girl, Celine Dion. I sing along with her, ignoring the time as I battle Morpha. For being the hardest temple, this boss is the easiest. I use my longshot and at the same point I strike my sword for the final blow, I belt out, "You're here, there's nothing I fear!"

A knock comes from my door.

Crap!

I lost track of time!

I grapple up, tripping over something and opening the door. Tariq runs his hand over his beard with a lopsided grin. "Don't be late, huh?"

"Sorry, I—"

"Wait, is that an N64?" He struts into my room and when I turn around...

I gasp in horror at what's on the screen.

Or lack of what's on the screen, seeing how... It's black. My eyes dart down, and I realize to my horror, I had pulled the Nintendo wires out of the sockets.

"NOOOOOOOO!" I yell out.

Tariq jumps at my outburst, but I push past him, covering my mouth with my hand. I'm about to explode because I didn't save through the water temple and now I have to start all over.

I'm fuming as I spin hotly on my heel, glaring right up at the criminal. "You sabotaged me!" I shout pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"I'm sorry, I did what now?"

"I was playing the perfect game, the perfect game on Ocarina of Time, and you caused me to trip over the wires."

"And here I thought I was about to witness a girl sobbing to the end credits of Titanic while singing with a Kleenex shoved in her face."

"Why on earth would you think that?"

He swirls his finger in the air as Celine finishes out My Heart Will Go On. "You've surprised me once again, Blue."

"I don't care," I say "My perfect game has been ruined and all because of you."

He plugs the wires back in and moves to my couch, plopping down on it. He's so big that he pretty much takes up the whole thing, making me bite back a laugh at how ridiculous he looks sitting in it.

"How did I ruin it?" he asks as he restarts the game.

I whip the controller right out of his hands.

"You should've texted me to let me know you were here, but no you had to distract me by knocking, and the worst part is, I didn't save and now have to start all over at the water temple." I end my rant, panting a little.

Tariq's smiling like a mad man. "Not my fault you didn't think to save."

"It's not that I didn't think to save. I didn't want to."

"Explain please."

I sigh, tossing him the controller, and start packing up my bookbag so we can go. I'll have to start my next attempt some other time.

I need a breather.

"Look, not saving adds a whole level of suspense to the game and seeing as how I've played it so many times, I like to add that bit of tension. Sometimes I don't save at all."

"You're a masochist."

"I am not." I scoff, zipping my bag shut. "And I'm ready to go."

"No, you're not."

My eyes narrow in suspicion. "How so?"

"Because you're bringing this." He unplugs my system and looks around my tiny alcove. "Do you have more games?"

"We're going to be writing a closed reading."

"Yeah, and it only has to be two pages. We'll play after."

"Excuse me, but what makes you think you can take my most precious treasure?"

He stands and without hesitation he takes the hem of his shirt, pulling it right off. I'm face to face with beautiful olive skin, the most defined abs, and chiseled pecs I've ever seen with a perfect amount of dark hair that shows his masculinity and travels down to an unknown destination. I'm frozen in shock and true appreciation for this man's physique.

"Come on, this is a joke, right?!" I laugh in disbelief and embarrassment.

At that precise moment, the door swings open and Tracy walks in. She looks up from her phone and her jaw hits the floor at the sight before her.

"Uh! This is not what it looks like." I motion for Tariq to put his shirt back on, but he stands there looking calm and as if this is completely normal.

"Hey there Tracy. Mind stepping out for a little bit so Blue and I can finish up."

"TARIQ OUT NOW!"

He holds his hands up. "Fine, but only if you pack this up and bring 007. You do have that, right?"

"Of course I do." I quickly stuff the Nintendo and grab the games that are stored in my ottoman. "It's only one of the greatest games ever."

Tracy is still staring as Tariq slowly puts his shirt back on, content with me adding the Nintendo to my bag. He passes by a wide-eyed Tracy with me darting right behind him, utterly mortified.

"I'm going to kill you," I hissed.

Tariq takes out his phone and starts texting. "Beau, if I don't make it home tonight know that I've been murdered by Elodie Mitchell. Please take this text as evidence linking her to my disappearance."

I punch him in the arm. "You're definitely not my best friend and never will be."

Both Tariq and I sit on his floor with our laptops open. Our closed readings are almost done, but neither of us can concentrate because both of us have our eyes on the gaming system.

"I mean one game wouldn't hurt," Tariq says as he clicks on his backspace key.

"If you're like me once you start you won't stop."

"What if you think of it as us rewarding ourselves for getting this far?"

"On a two-page paper?" I barb with a lift of my brow. "That's due tomorrow."

He concedes and we get back to work. I don't know if my closed reading is good or not, but I want to finish it and be done.

Needing a distraction, I look around Tariq's place. It's nice, really nice. He has a kitchen, a big bedroom with a gorgeously tiled bathroom attached to it, and a whole entertainment area, which is where we are sitting now. He's on the couch and I opted for the floor with my laptop on his coffee table.

I was nervous about coming at first, but Tariq made sure the coast was clear and that the guys were in the rooms, not parading around in unmentionables. If I ever come here alone, I'm using the egress window.

"How many more sentences do you need?"

"A couple," I answered. "You?"

"Same."

I sigh. "Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures. Go to each period and adjust the font size to fourteen. She won't notice and that way we can hopefully wrap it up in one sentence."

"That's diabolical."

I grin and adjust my periods then type one last sentence. I slam my laptop shut, knowing that the paper wasn't my best work, but gosh darn it, I want to play!

Tariq jumps up, shutting his laptop and grabbing the remote. "Let's do this."

"Which 007? I have both."

He gives a sexy snort. "GoldenEye."

"Man after my own heart."

He grins. "You forgive me then?"

"Not a chance."

Tariq gets up and strolls over, picking up his phone. "You start up and pick a place where you'll find your demise and I'll order the pizza."

"Doubtful. You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, Araneo. Believe it or not, I've done blogs and used to have millions of followers."

I can hear the phone ringing as he stares at me with surprised wide eyes. "Seriously?"

"Most definitely."

Tariq orders and soon we're fighting to the death... well Tariq is.

He hasn't been able to shoot me once.

"I'm not used to these controllers. I forgot how uncomfortable they were."

"Excuses, excuses, my friend."

I kill him once again and delight in the beautiful guitar riff and his screen going red. He drops the controller, rubbing his hands in frustration over his face, and then scratches his scruff.

"Say it." I grin victoriously as I lean back on his couch, sipping my soda.

He rips off his beanie and throws it in my face. "Never."

"Hey! You almost made me spill soda all over your couch."

He snatches up the controller. "Again." I laugh and decide to humor him. "I'm going to kill you this time."

"Don't get ahead of yourself buddy. Why don't you try getting a shot on me first."

''Shut up."

We play another round with Tariq cursing and throwing the controller down. "Someone's a sore loser."

"How are you so good?" He turns to me with frustrated brows drawn together. "Are you screen cheating?"

"That's just insulting."

"Hey! Who ordered pizza?" Beau shouts from upstairs.

Tariq immediately guns it. "Don't you dare or I'll sick Blue on you!"

I giggle and wait only for Tariq not to come down alone. Beau, Winston, and a new guy come stampeding behind him.

"Is it true?" Beau asks excitedly. "You have an N64 and you're playing GoldenEye?"

I straighten and my nerves kick in. It's weird how I've gotten so comfortable with Tariq. I push the thought away as all the guys sit down around the couch. We all dig into the pizza, and after much arguing, I let the guys play a round without me.

"Eat that, Topher!" Beau yells.

Apparently, the guy's name is Topher.

The game ends with Tariq finally the winner. "Okay, now for the real challenge. Topher since you were last, give your controller to Blue."

"You sure about that?" I quip.

"I'm taking you down this time and with more people playing I have a better chance."

"Is that why you brought them down here?" I ask. "Or is that you need backup?"

Beau turns to me kneeling. "Please marry me."

I stare as if actually contemplating it. "No."

He places his hand over his heart. "My first rejection. I don't know how to take this."

I get up. "I think Tariq has some ice cream."

"Nah ah." The next thing I know Tariq tackles me to the couch, pinning me down with his butt on my lap. And boy is it a nice butt, heavy but nice. "That stash is the only comfort I have from your tyranny."

I smack his head. "You know what? You boys need to be taken down once and for all. You want to ramp up the tension?"

My body wiggles from under Tariq until I'm free and I stroll over to the light switch and flick it off.

"What's happening?" Winston's voice cuts through the dark.

I grab the controller and sit down.

Cave.

One hit kills.

Odd Job.

Karate Chop.

Tariq looks over at me confused. "What's going on?"

I snap my fingers at him and the others. "You guys pick your men whoever you want, but you have to do one-hit kills and throwing knives for weapons."

They do as I say and the game begins. There's a lot of yelling and cursing as I attack from the shadows scaring all the crazy big hockey men.

"This is the most intense game I've ever played!" Beau shouts.

Tariq is gripping his controller as his eyes search for my character. "I swear to God Blue you're an evil genius."

I pop out and karate chop his butt. "You're welcome." I smile evilly. "And now it's getting really late so I'm heading out and taking my N64 with me."

The controller drops and Tariq digs his fingers into his silky ink locks as the guys shout protests.

Geez, men are loud.

I start packing my bag and fish out my phone to book an uber. The second I blink, my phone disappears from my hands. Tariq shoves it between him and the couch cushion. "You're not leaving here tonight until I defeat you."

"You're seriously holding my phone hostage," I state with bored eyes. "How old are you?"

"Seven."

I cross my arms. "You can't beat me, Tariq. Give up already."

His hand disappears as he shoves it between the couch and the cushion only to reappear with my phone in hand. "Three more rounds."

"No. Now hand it over so I can get back to my dorm."

He flips it in the air then catches it. "Nope." His thumb taps it to bring it to life and my confidence falters.

Oh crap.

He makes a tsking sound. "Told you to put a passcode on this thing. Let's see into the private life of Big Blue here boys."

I lunge and fast.

Why?

Because after my haircut a week ago Heather and I had a little too much fun taking selfies and the idea of Tariq and the guys seeing said selfies puts me into full-blown panic mode.

I'm on Tariq's lap and we're fighting over my phone as the guys holler picking teams and holding bets. I can't beat him though. He's too quick, strong, and surprisingly quick for someone so huge.

"This is an invasion of privacy!" I yell.

Tariq is laughing. "What do you have on this phone that you don't want me to see?"

There is no personal space right now. It doesn't exist as I am twisted and outmaneuvered by Tariq every time I get close to freeing my phone from his clutches. I can't think about how my skin blazes to life every time he touches me, or how it seems like said touch lingers a little too long and squeezes that god-forsaken hip.

Before I know it, I'm pinned. It's not sexual in the slightest, but more like Tariq has used a wrestling technique on me. I'm huffing, panting, and totally out of breath. My chest heaves up and down as he leans back putting pressure on my legs that are pinched between his thighs and calves.

"Dang it, Blue lost. How much do I owe you, Win?" Beau asks.

All I can focus on is the man hovering above me, not winded in the slightest. The smirk on his face makes me practically growl in frustration. He swipes his thumb and I try grabbing my phone but he easily lifts it out of my grasp. His eyes widen and my face heats up instantly, knowing he is looking at the pictures.

No, they aren't inappropriate.

They're just... us being silly and making those dumb duck faces girls do with the chests sticking out a little, along with some really stupid faces. We did it as a joke, now I regret it.

"Fine!" I relinquish angrily. "Fine. You win. Three more rounds, that's it!"

Tariq smirks and drops my phone right on my stomach. He slowly gets off me and I frantically grip my phone, turn on the screen only to see that the pictures hadn't been pulled up. I grapple up and smack his arm.

"What did you think I was looking at?" Tariq asks.

"You're unbelievable!"

I snatch the control as the other guys laugh and actually exchange money. While they're busy, I start setting up the next round. Tariq shifts closer to me until his arm and thigh are pressed against me. He leans in, whispering in my ear with that deep voice that makes my insides twist and blaze, "You should wear that lipstick more often."

Yay! I did it!! Double update! I have gotten into a groove lately with writing Elodie and Tariq's story and so I'll be hopefully updating twice a week from now on :) So are you all loving the tension developing between Elodie and Tariq?

Hit that star if you are!

Love you all and I am so blessed by all of you taking the time to read this story

Much Love,

~ LivingRed