Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
The trailers began to play. It wasn’t until the very last one that my heart began to crash into my ribcage.
It was Ryan’s game. A mix of action and roleplaying, set in a fictional land that I helped him develop. The main characters were gay, which had caused a huge stir in the gaming world. It didn’t affect sales, though. Dreams of Lilies ended up outselling some of the biggest games out there. It had cemented Ryan as a lead game designer and fulfilled one of his biggest dreams.
I became teary eyed as the trailer ended and the host took center stage. She had a scarlet red envelope in her hands. The room was quiet. The tear of the envelope followed. She lifted out the golden piece of paper and smiled as she read the winner.
“Dreams of Lilies!”
My jaw dropped. Our table broke out into loud cheers and hoots and claps. He’d done it. My baby had won the biggest award in the gaming industry. The screen changed, showing the title with a burst of flowers growing up from the bottom. Ryan was still backstage, having won the award prior to this one.
He came out to a room of standing applause. Behind him were some of the other people involved in making the game, but my eyes were glued to my man.
He beamed bright as the stage lights surrounding him.
The presenter handed over the award as Ryan took his spot behind the podium. The cheering died down as he began to speak. His eyes found mine. He shot me a wink, which nearly catapulted me up through the ceiling.
“Wow,” he said. He looked down at the award as if he were looking at a newborn. “Just wow.”
He lifted his gaze back up and wiped away a rogue tear. “This right here is an absolute dream come true. I want to first thank the amazing team that helped bring Dreams of Lilies to life. I also want to point out that through the success of this game, we’ve been able to raise close to a million dollars for various conservation efforts all around the globe. So thank you!” He raised the award over his head as the room broke out into more applause and cheers. “I also want to thank my parents for being here and being some of my biggest cheerleaders. I also want to thank my incredible partner, Jay.”
I could feel myself melting into the chair. I smiled at him as he found my gaze again.
Proud didn’t even cut it. I remembered us in college, when he couldn’t even fathom a moment like this happening.
My heart swelled to be the size of the ballroom.
“Jay, you have lifted me, pushed me, walked with me, and loved me every step of the way along this journey. I couldn’t have ever done this without you. Thank you. I love you. And I’m so proud of you. Head of a non-profit, making huge changes, and still kicking ass with every acting role you land.”
Now I was the one wiping tears from my eyes.
The music kicked back up and Ryan was lead to the stairs. He strode over to our table wearing the biggest smile, being wrapped up in a hug by his parents. He got a big kiss on his cheek from his mom before handing her the award and stepping around them, coming straight for me.
Our lips smashed together, the rush of the night catching up to us. “Congratulations, baby.”
“Thank you,” he said, green eyes sparkling like a collection of bright stars. Colton slapped his shoulders and Maddy was still clapping for him. My mom also showered him in praise.
This moment felt destined. Written down in stone long before any of us could even picture it.
“Come,” Ryan said, hand twining with mine. “Let’s go get some drinks.”
“Let’s,” I said.
“We’ll be right back,” he told the celebrating table.
He led me away. His pace surprised me. I didn’t realize he needed a drink that badly. But I guess after winning such a massive award, it was a necessary thing.
“How are you feeling?” I asked him as we wove through the tables, random claps and cheers for Ryan rising from the gathered crowd. There were a couple sour faces but they were drowned out by all the smiling ones.
“Like I’m walking on the god damned moon.”
Before we got to the bar, Ryan made a left turn. It surprised me. “Is there another bar?”
“Not that I know of.”
“So where are we going?”
“Taking a little detour.” He smirked, those clusters of stars turning even brighter somehow. Ahead of us were the bathrooms. It all started to make sense. And I started to get hard.
He walked in first. I followed right behind him. The bathroom appeared empty. The stalls were all open. We crossed the white marble floor and went for the last stall. I already knew what Ryan was getting at, and I was all for it.