They stood there for a second longer, the phantom of what she wanted to say, what she had almost said, still lingering between them. She suspected that he had wanted to say the same three words to her. In a way, she was relieved he hadn't; she didn't know how she would react.

Her downstairs brain was taking the opportunity to reassert itself. She found herself wanting nothing more than to ignore her hunger, rip off his clothes and keep hitting the pleasure button until they both died of starvation. The silent, lustful look on Scott's face said he was thinking along the same lines.

Anna broke the silence first.

"If we don't leave right now," she said, grabbing her room key, "we're going to end up either back in that shower or in my bed."

Scott smirked as he took the opportunity to caress her butt. "You're wrong if you think I see a problem with that."

She dodged his hands as she backed toward the door. "Your stomach has spoken twice. Focus on pancakes."

"Right. Pancakes." He nodded solemnly, then ruined it by grinning. "And maybe bacon. And coffee. Lots of coffee."

"God, yes. Coffee." 

“That was definitely the reaction I was looking for.”

They stepped out into the hallway, this time a little more put together, though still very much radiating that unmistakable sexual afterglow. They dipped back into his room briefly to grab his shoes before reentering the hallway.

Anna reached over and took his hand without thinking. He didn't say anything. He just tightened his grip slightly.

The elevator ride down was quiet. Anna leaned lightly against his arm, watching the numbers tick down.

When the doors opened, the lobby greeted them with soft morning light and the low hum of early risers. A couple sat in the corner of the lobby with laptops. Someone in workout gear walked past with a protein shake.

"Do we stay here or go out?" he asked, looking toward the dining room with its continental-style breakfast already laid out.

Anna tilted her head, thinking. "Hotel pancakes are either amazing or a crime against humanity."

"High risk."

"But it could be high reward."

He nodded. "I like those odds. Plus I'm not keen on getting too far from a bed just yet."

She grinned as she felt herself blush.

They each grabbed a plate and moved down the buffet-style line. It was early enough that the dining room was more or less empty. Different from cheaper hotels, all the food was made in the kitchen and not reheated packaged food. More importantly, it was hot and fresh. 

They found a small table near the windows. The sun had finally pushed above the skyline, making the fluffy clouds in the sky glow. Anna tucked one leg under herself in the chair, noticing that he had grabbed almost identical food to hers, though in greater quantity: pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon, eggs, and coffee. He had even spread peanut butter and syrup on his pancakes as she had. The only difference was that she had put half and half in her coffee and his was black.

She worried for a second that he had simply grabbed what she had grabbed and not what he had wanted. This spiraled into a worry that he was trying to change himself to fit her. It was almost exactly what she had been guilty of in past relationships.

She caught Scott staring at her like she was the most interesting thing in the room.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, not even trying to hide his smile.

"That wasn't nothing."

"I'm just..." He hesitated, seeming to search for the right words. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're actually sitting here with me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?"

"I don't know. Somewhere unreachable, existing purely as a series of pictures I overanalyze."

She laughed. "Wow. That's both flattering and slightly concerning."

"Yeah, I've accepted that about myself. I overanalyze."

She hesitated before asking the next question, unsure if she wanted an answer.

“Do you always put peanut butter and syrup on your pancakes, or did you do it because you saw me do it?”

“I didn't see you do it until after I started doing it. I've been doing it since I was a kid.”

“Me too.” She smiled.

“I thought I was the only one,” he said.

She took a bite of the pancakes. Her eyes rolled up as she chewed.

“Okay, this was worth it,” she said as she swallowed.

“Confirmed,” he said, chewing his own. “Not remotely a crime.”

They ate a few more bites and then Anna spoke.

"So," she said. "We need to talk about something."

Scott straightened slightly, wiping syrup from his mouth. "That sounds ominous."

"It's not ominous," she said quickly. "It's just... pragmatism."

"Pragmatism?”

"Yes. Like... what happens now?" She gestured between them. "We've gone from 'awkward eye contact and mutual stalking' to..." 

She waved vaguely. "This."

"That's a fair question," he said slowly.

She watched him closely, searching his face for any hint of hesitation as he thought quietly. She didn't see any but still felt the need to clarify.

"I just don't want this to turn into one of those things," she admitted. "Where it's amazing for, like, a day... and then weird."

"It's already weird," he said with a smile. "But that doesn't have to mean bad-weird. I haven't regretted a single moment with you so far and I meant what I said last night. I really do want to get to know you better.”

He paused for a beat, “I think I'm going to like you a lot. But as much as I have stalked you online, I also have to keep in mind that you are not your social media profile.”

She couldn't have said it better herself. They both seemed to have decided to be cautiously optimistic they hadn't made a mistake.

"I don't think this is going to be a one-time thing if that's what you're worried about."

"I'll admit I was," she said, nodding. "I don't think I am anymore."

"Good."

She felt better having talked it out a little and felt something quite apart from the storm of lust the two of them had left upstairs.

"Also," he added, "I feel like it would be a waste of all that stalking."

She laughed again, her tension dissolving.

"True. We've invested too much time."

"Exactly. We're in too deep."

Their food called their attention back, and for a moment, conversation gave way to the serious business of eating. They ate, talked, and laughed. It was mostly about stupid things; work, games, and the weird overlap of their interests that neither of them had realized before.

They both realized that while Anna was not as nerdy as the mega-nerd that sat before her, they both shared a passion for her favorite video game: The Legend of Zelda.

"Here is something you probably didn't come across in your stalking."

She searched through her photos and finally came across what she was looking for.

The picture had been taken last Halloween. She had a long, flowing golden-blonde wig, partially braided along the crown. Her ears were pointed, giving her an elfin look. She was wearing a fitted, royal-blue tunic layered over a white undershirt. Around her waist was a brown belt with decorative patterns and a small pouch attached. Her lower outfit consisted of skin-tight, dark leggings and sturdy brown boots with straps and reinforced toes. She was holding a small tablet with a glowing, bright blue eye-like center.

"Oh my lanta! That's Zelda! You're Zelda!"

"From the best Zelda game ever," she confirmed.

"We will have to agree to disagree on that one."

"Careful now. Them's fighting words," she said in mock offense. "Let me guess. Majora's Mask?"

"Solid, but no," he said, his eyes never leaving her picture. “The story is what means the most to me. And the best part of the story is the beginning.”

“Skyward Sword? Ugh, those controls were such trash.”

“Hey, it was fixed in the HD remake.”

He was still staring at the photo. The look on his face was equal parts admiration and desire. His eyes narrowed at her with a conspiratorial grin. "Do you still have this outfit?"

She paused, trying her hardest not to grin. "Excuse me, sir, but it almost sounds like you are making a boyfriend-level request. You may need to wait until you progress further in the storyline."

Scott leaned back in his chair, folding his arms with exaggerated seriousness. “Locked by story progression, huh?"

"You betcha," she said, sipping her coffee. "Minimum experience points required."

"I feel like I've gained a lot of XP in the last twelve hours."

She choked on her coffee a little, laughing. "Okay, fair. You did speedrun some major milestones. Quite well, I might add."

"Exactly. And looking forward to what else the storyline has to offer."

She bit back another grin. She had been thinking the same thing.

He smiled, pausing for a beat before continuing in a softer tone. "So... what level does holding your hand in public fall under?"

Her fingers, which had been resting near his on the table, stilled for a second.

"Free trial," she said lightly, though her voice had softened. "But limited access."

He reached out anyway, lacing his fingers through hers. Neither of them pulled away.

Their conversation drifted from jokes to quieter things: childhood stories, awkward teenage phases, the strange paths that had led them to this exact morning.

Anna found herself watching the way he listened. Not just hearing her, but actually listening. Responding. Remembering. It was... new. He somehow seemed to be immune to the quirks in her personality that had been relationship enders before.

"Okay," she said eventually, pushing her empty plate away. "Important question."

He raised an eyebrow. "More important than pancakes?"

"Debatable," she admitted. "But yes. What are we doing today?"

He pretended to think deeply, tapping his chin. "Well. We could go back upstairs..."

She pointed at him. "So tempting it's probably not the right answer."

“I agree,” he said, holding up his hands defensively. “I want to get to know you better and going upstairs is only going to reconfirm sexual compatibility.”

He continued, leaning in slightly, "We could do something fun that doesn't immediately lead to us getting sweaty and naked again. I want to take you on a real date."

“I'm on board. What did you have in mind?"

He glanced toward the windows, where the sunlight was now fully flooding the parking lot outside. "We're in a city with decent weather, good coffee, and, if I remember correctly, a shopping center within walking distance. They have a game store/arcade combo I want to check out."

Her eyes lit up instantly. "Are you asking me out on a nerd date?"

"Oh, yes,” he confirmed solemnly. “With a healthy dollop of geek thrown in.”

She leaned back, pretending to weigh it. "Hmm. Public outing. Potential witnesses. The risk of me liking you even more..."

They both smiled.

"Okay," she said. "But we're setting some ground rules."

“Such as?"

"Rule #1: We both have to be the most honest versions of ourselves. No acting like the person we think the other wants to be with.”

“Okay, full transparency. Got it.”

“And we are not allowed to disappear into a corner and start making out like teenagers."

"...that feels targeted."

"It is targeted," she said. "At you."

"At me? You seduced me, if I recall."

"You have a face and body that makes poor decisions very appealing. For reference, see the court's transcript of last night."

He laughed. "And you don't?"

"No, I absolutely do," she admitted. "Which is why we need rules."

"Alright," he said, holding up his hands. "Rules accepted."

They stood, gathering their things and headed towards the door. As they walked out of the hotel together, Anna bumped her shoulder lightly into his.

"So," she said. "After the nerd date... what's next on our itinerary?"

He glanced down at her, a slow smile forming. "Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Whatever keeps you from going back to just being pictures on my phone."

Her chest tightened in a way that had nothing to do with nerves this time.

"Careful. That already sounds like you might break rule #1.”

“No, no. I'm going to be myself. I meant I just hope you end up liking what you find.”

“Nice recovery.”

He squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I thought so too," he replied. "You know, you're dangerously easy to like."

She blinked, caught off guard.

"Well," she said after a second, "you're annoyingly easy to feel comfortable with."

"Annoyingly?"

"Yeah," she said. "I had a whole plan to be completely and unabashedly myself, like, really show you my freak flag flying high."

"And how's that going?"

She gestured at herself. "I showed you my snack abomination and my embarrassing photo album within, like, twelve hours."

He nodded. "Yeah, you really committed to the strategy."

She smiled.

"I'm not as scared as I thought I would be, though," she said.

"Me neither. And I haven't seen anything that is going to send me running. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Reserve judgment. There is more flag-flying coming."

Two hours later, all romance had taken a backseat to carnage. They were beating each other violently, blood flying in sprays. Insults and curses flew between them as fists drummed against flesh. She uppercut him twice before he blocked and responded with a leg sweep.

"You fucking asshole."

"Don't hate the player. Hate the game."

Leg sweep again. She recovered and leapt, flipping over him. He tried to get her with a spinning bird kick, following her as he flew through the air.

"Oh, I've got something for yo' ass," she said.

She tapped furiously on the buttons as she manipulated the joystick.

'Hadouken!' The game shouted. 'Hadouken! Hadouken!'

"Ah, fuck!" Scott threw his hands in the air as the energy balls struck Chun-Li and she crumpled dramatically on the screen.

'Ryu wins!'

She jumped up and down as she giggled with glee. "Who's my beeyotch?!"

He shook his head with a wide grin, watching her do her victory dance. She knew it was dorkiness beyond reproach. She didn't care.

"Best two out of three," he said, still grinning as he watched her.

"That was two out of three."

"Then best three out of five."

She grinned. "Moving the goalposts now?"

"Adapting strategy," he corrected. "Very important distinction."

"Or..." she said as she stretched her arms up and rested them on his shoulders, falling into him slightly and making sure he could feel her firm breasts against him. "You could just admit that you are, in fact, my beeyotch."

He stared into her eyes in a way that was threatening to weaken her knees again. He nibbled his bottom lip as he smiled.

"I'm your beeyotch." He leaned in and kissed her in a way that made the world around them go quiet.

She made a mental note that while he was competitive, he wasn't a sore loser. It wasn't the end-all be-all of boyfriend attributes but it was higher on the list than she thought previously.

They were in a place called "The Upright Cabinet." Anna had passed by it more than a dozen times and had no idea it was a geek mecca. The front of the store was more akin to a video game, comic book, and collectible store. However, in the back was an impressive array of coin-operated games from the 1980s all the way to the present day. The two of them were tucked into a slightly dim corner of the game store, standing shoulder to shoulder at an old-school arcade cabinet where Anna had just schooled Scott on Street Fighter 2. Around them, many other coin-operated games were abuzz with lights and sounds, but neither of them had paid attention to anything else for the last forty minutes.

"Fighting games are obviously not my thing," he said as they began to walk slowly through the arcade.

This place would fill up quickly but they had gotten here early enough that there were only a couple of other people. One was a teenager playing Galaga and the other two were a couple of women taking turns on a pinball machine in the corner.

"What's your flavor of choice?" She said as she took his hand.

"Oh, action/adventure, turn-based RPGs, the occasional first-person shooters... for me it's more about the story than the genre."

"What about racing?" She interrupted.  She directed his attention to the opposite corner of the arcade. There was a large dark green cabinet with a picture of a couple of American muscle cars. On the outside of the cabinet was a medium flat-screen showing racing game footage next to a small door.

She hurried ahead and opened the door, revealing a small room with a bucket car seat and steering wheel in the center. Projectors were mounted to the ceiling and were pointed at the white walls which were showing a 360-degree view around a car as seen from the driver's seat.

"Damn!" He said after a low whistle.

"You any good?" She asked

"The cops haven't caught me yet."

"Then let's make it interesting. The loser buys lunch and the winner picks."

"A hollow bet since the company is paying for the food," he said, smiling.

"Well, we can always add a little something later, but if you don't think you can beat me..."

He smiled as he narrowed his eyes at her. "You're on."

He moved into the cabinet and closed the door. Within a few minutes, he had picked his car and one of the more difficult tracks that zigzagged through a virtual city. She watched on the screen outside the cabinet as the race started. 

It was apparent to Anna almost immediately that Scott wasn't just good; he was really good. He was drifting around corners and speeding past the other cars with ease.

"Well, this won't do," she said with a wicked smile.

She looked around to make sure the coast was clear and then slipped quietly into the cabinet. He glanced at her briefly and then his focus went back to the race; one lap down and he had just pulled into first place.

She moved to stand beside the chair and began to run a hand over his broad chest.

"You're dangerously close to breaking our new rule."

"I'm just seeing if you can perform under pressure," she replied as she leaned in and began kissing his neck. "It was a stupid rule anyway."

She could see a growing bulge in his pants as he let out a soft moan. She giggled, running her hand down his body to meet it. It twitched strongly in reply to her touch.

She ran her hand over the growing length, stroking it through the fabric of his pants. Even though his attention was on the race, his hips still moved up involuntarily to meet her strokes.

"What about the door?" he said as she heard a crashing sound and the seat jostled to simulate impact. He had hit the car next to him.

If anyone opened the door, all they would be able to see was her standing next to the chair. Her body would block the line of sight to what she was doing.

"Anyone could catch us," she lied.

She didn't stop. In fact, she became more passionate with her movements, grinding her breasts against his shoulder. She moaned softly in his ear, causing him to twitch harder against her hand. It felt like it was trying to break through his pants to meet her grasp.

The seat jostled again accompanied by another crashing sound from the game.

"You know," she whispered lustfully, nibbling at his ear as she did, "I loved having your cock inside me. I'm having a hard time waiting until I can feel you inside me again... making me whimper and moan... begging for it."

He was at the final turn and hit the brake too late. He sideswiped the barrier, slowing the car for a fraction of a second. He uttered a low growl that was a mixture of frustration and lust.

She leaned in close to his ear. "I especially loved it when you came in my ass."

A red Dodge Charger pulled ahead of him in the last few seconds, passing the finish line as the checkered flag waved. His time flashed on the screen showing he achieved 2nd place.

"Cheater." There was no anger in his voice. There was only quiet humor.

"I don't remember stipulating no outside interference."

He cocked an eyebrow as he replied with a grin, "Noted."

She found his expression slightly ominous as he climbed out of the seat to let her take it. His pants were doing nothing to hide his impressive erection.

As she picked the same car and track, she vaguely registered that he was facing the door but wasn't stepping out.

The race was beginning. She revved the engine a few times, noticing that the seat vibrated with each roaring from the tailpipe. Haptic feedback. Nice. 

She hadn't noticed that Scott was beside her. As soon as the light turned green, she slammed her right foot down on the gas pedal at the same time Scott's large hands pulled her left knee to the side.

She yelped but refused to take her attention away from the race.

"What are you doing?" She said in a breathy whisper as her skirt pulled up higher on her thighs with the movement.

"Pressure testing. Facilitating outside interference." His hand ran across her breast, down over her stomach and began to rub the front of her panties. She started to breathe heavily.

The first turn was coming up. She almost hit the brake too late, drifting around the corner and missing the wall by only a couple of feet.

"Close one," he said as he slipped his hand inside her panties and began to rub her clit. She hated how wet she was getting.

"W-what about the door?"

"Locked."

With a brief look, she saw he had wrapped his belt around the handle and catch of the door. No one was going to accidentally find them. She was at his mercy.

'Focus!'

His fingers slipped in just before the next turn. She whimpered as he found her spot, giving it a couple of quick rubs. She hadn't been quick enough with the brake this time and the car sideswiped the car next to her. The chair rumbled in response to the impact, making his fingers shake inside her. She powered out of the turn to catch up while fighting to stifle a moan of pleasure.

"You are going to have to step up your game if you want to take me down," she growled.

"So be it," his deep voice whispered in her ear as he nibbled softly at the lobe.

Quick as a flash, he moved around her, kneeling between her legs and pulling her forward in the seat. She gasped, her foot leaving the gas pedal for a split second before she regained control.

Maybe it was because she wasn't expecting it, or the adrenaline of both the race and possibly being caught, but when he roughly moved her panties to the side and dove into her tongue first, she thought she was going to orgasm immediately. She found herself with one hand on the wheel and one running through his thick, sandy blonde hair. She was panting heavily.

"Is-- is that all you've got?"

It wasn't. His fingers slipped back in to replace his tongue. His tongue took up the duty of total and complete clit-worship. His other hand had slipped inside her shirt and was gently playing with her nipples.

She crashed into the side wall again. Two cars passed. She was starting not to care.

'Damn, he is good at this.' She was speeding toward the finish line in more ways than one.

She regained control of the car. Only one lap to go. She slammed her foot on the gas as she hooked her leg over his shoulder to drive his face deeper into her. She didn't remember telling her leg to do that.

She weaved through the competitors, passing one of the cars that had passed her.

The angle had changed, giving him the access that he needed. He was driving his fingers into her quicker as she tried desperately not to moan. Her muscles began to twitch; a precursor to the building orgasm.

Right as she was about to round the last corner before the straightaway, he slipped a finger slick with saliva into her anus. She whimpered and shook as the orgasm began to take hold. Her hips and legs began to shake as she grabbed his head and began to grind against his mouth.

Her time flashed on the screen next to a bronze "3rd place."

He looked up from between her legs, a grin plastered on his smug face. "Who's my beeyotch?"

She leapt up from the chair, pushing him quietly against the back wall. Her hand was through his zipper and pulling out his hard cock within moments.

She knelt in front of him, holding it an inch in front of her mouth as she looked up at him and whispered, "I'm your beeyotch."

She immediately took him into her mouth, stopping just short of activating her gag reflex. He moaned, clearly trying to stifle it as he bit the back of his hand. His other hand went to her head, running fingers through her hair.

She began to stroke the shaft with both hands, bobbing her head back and forth on his dick.

"I-I hear something," he said.

There was a voice coming nearer.

"... there's an exploit where you can dupe items in your inventory if you get your companion to pick them up. But..."

The voice faded away as the person passed by. Anna redoubled her efforts, twisting her tongue around the head and tasting his precum. She was finding this to be even more exciting with the possibility of being caught. Scott seemed to agree as his dick got even harder in her mouth.

She found herself doing things specifically to get a reaction from him that he would have to bite back. She began to finger herself as she stroked him, running her tongue along his length occasionally in long licks. She moaned, looking up at him with his cock in her mouth. The look on his face was unadulterated lust.

"I'm close," he whispered as his dick began to twitch.

She made a split-second decision; there was no other place else for him to come. Her hands were a blur on his shaft. Her cheeks indented as she tried to suck the very life out of him.

He grunted and gasped, quietly as he could as the first shot touched her tongue. Subsequent shots were much smaller; with all the sex they had been having, he was low on supply. It was salty with a vaguely sweet taste to it. She swallowed it down without a second thought.

Knock, knock. "Is anyone in there?"

They quickly righted themselves, putting parts, panties, and underwear back into place. 

Anna tried to open the door, but Scott's belt was still around the handle.

"Hang on," she called through the door. "The door is jammed."

She quickly unwrapped the belt and handed it to Scott. Scott pushed it through the loops as quickly as he could.

With a glance to make sure he was good, Anna opened the door. Just outside were two young women, eighteen or nineteen, one wearing a Nirvana hoodie and the other a Machine Girl t-shirt. They both looked like they were about to say something until they saw Scott behind Anna and they paused. 

"How was it?" Nirvana girl said through a widening grin.

"It was... intense," she said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear like nothing unusual had just happened. "Quite the machine."

The girl in the Nirvana hoodie snorted as she glanced at Scott. "Yeah, I'll bet."

Scott coughed into his fist, trying and failing to look composed.

"Top-tier immersion," he added.

The two girls exchanged a look, then burst out laughing.

"Respect," the Machine Girl shirt one said, stepping aside. "We'll, uh... give it a minute before we go in."

"Appreciated," Anna replied, flashing a quick grin as she grabbed Scott's hand and pulled him away before the situation could get any worse.

They didn't make it far before they couldn't help it anymore. They burst into laughter.

"Oh my god," Anna whispered, half-laughing, half-groaning as she covered her face. "We are bad people."

Scott leaned back against a nearby cabinet, shaking his head. "We absolutely are."

She peeked at him through her fingers. "We said we had rules."

"We did," he agreed. "But at least we only broke one of them."

"Spectacularly. I've never done anything like that outside of idle fantasies," she said before laughing again.

He chuckled under his breath. "You're trouble."

"A little. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely," he said without hesitation.

That made her heart skip a beat.

They stepped away from the arcade, moving back to the store section, walking hand in hand.

"So," Scott said, quieter now. "Lunch is still a thing, right? Or did we completely derail that plan?"

"Lunch is definitely still a thing," she replied. "I'm starving."

"Good. Because I'm picking."

She winced playfully. "That sounds dangerous."

"It is," he said. "And fair warning: it might hurt a little.”