Chapter 6

“Oh my God, this one is so cute,” April said as she held up a model pack from the shelf.

You had been in the shop for about half an hour, slowly browsing the store. The two staff that were on had both waved hello to you and called some quick greetings, but there was a Magic event going on and they were fairly busy. That meant you and April had the big retail part of the store to yourselves. You’d already been through the comics and the board games, and now you were in amongst the miniatures and tabletop stuff.

“April, that thing is disgusting,” you laughed. She was holding up a slime demon from the latest release of Battlehammer, its box art painted to be a disgusting vomit green mixed with fluorescent oranges that made you think of dangerous mushrooms.

“But look at his little face,” April said, holding it closer to you. “Imagine painting those eyes a normal colour.”

The model did have a weirdly puppy-like face when you ignored the disgusting paint scheme. “OK, I see it, I just don’t agree with the idea of making a slime demon cute,” you chuckled.

“That’s fine,” she said, putting the box back as her other hand rested on your arm. She reached up and pulled a bigger box from a higher shelf, and you helped her get it down. “This was actually my very first kit.” It was a big battle mech from the anime show.

“You started with one this big?” you asked in surprise.

“Go big or go home,” she laughed. “You know what they say about big power fists, right?”

“No?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Big power pistons,” she giggled, squeezing your arm before pushing the kit back up on the shelf.

You browsed a little more, with April exclaiming over this kit or that one, and asking your opinion on things that were right in front of you, or seemingly pulled out of thin air. Eventually, you worked your way out of the tabletop area and into the decorative statues and random collectables.

“Oooh,” she said, picking up a plastic version of the One Ring. “Let’s check if it works.” She slipped it onto her finger.

“April?” you asked. “April, where’d you go?” You waved your hands around like you couldn’t find her and messed up her hair a little as she laughed and caught your hands with hers.

She pulled off the prop ring and put it back, then turned to you while still holding both your hands. “Ollie, how the hell are you single?”

“Um-” you said, feeling the blood run from your face a little. “I- well, I mean ... I’ve just never really met someone who I liked that also liked me back that way. I’ve always been, well ... like this and-”

“Oh, fuck,” April said, her eyes going wide as she realised how embarrassed you were. And then she did something that you weren’t expecting at all.

April went up on her toes and gave you a peck on the lips.

“I’m so sorry for being a dick,” April said. “I wasn’t thinking that would be some sort of a rude question. But obviously, it was. I just put my foot in my mouth.”