I tugged everything on. Black and red striped leggings, covered by a black and red tutu that only came a quarter of the way down my thighs. The furry bikini top looked loose, but used a swimsuit top as a base, so it would stay in place, even though it covered my boobs and nothing else. I completed the whole look with ears that matched the top, furry boots that came halfway up to my knees, and red lens sunglasses with gold rims.
The only mirror in this place was the one above the bathroom sink, so I had to use my cameras to get a good view of myself. As I spun in front of the webcam on my laptop, and watched the screen, I had to admit I looked pretty adorable. I’d fuck me.
Maybe I wanted Elliot and Link to find me after all. See what they were missing out on.
Nope. Didn’t care. If Elliot was going to continue to be a right stubborn arse, I was going to break his heart, and figure out how to be Bad-Ass Bitch Fallyn all the time, not just online.
I yanked my coat over my outfit, requested an Uber, and walked down to the main road to wait. I’d heard Elliot leave early this morning, the same way he did yesterday, and I didn’t have any reason to emerge from my room and see him off.
My driver didn’t seem in the mood to make small talk, and that was fine with me. I got to the convention center long before the show started because I wanted to ease myself into the crowds, and my media pass let me in early.
There were a lot of industry professionals scurrying around when I walked in the building. Some I recognized from my work. Others, it was clear what they were doing from the hand trucks and pallets they were pushing around. When I saw Link walking toward me, my stomach did a disconcerting little swan dive into my shoes.
He didn’t meet my gaze as he approached, and while he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would ignore me, I wasn’t taking that chance. I summoned my next boost of boldness for the day and stepped in his path. “Hey.”
“Hey.” His smile was thin.
That was disheartening. If he were with any co-workers, I wouldn’t dare approach him. Given how Elliot reacted to me, I didn’t suspect they’d be any better. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” He didn’t sound enthusiastic, but talking was a start. He jerked his head toward one of the rooms across from the exposition hall.
I followed him into a large conference room, the only light coming from under the door.Please let him still be the sweetheart I know online. “I know you heard it a few days ago, but—”
“You’re sorry. I get it.”
I frowned. How was I supposed to explain myself enough to make this right?
“We’ve worked hard on this game. For more than six years, we’ve poured our souls into it. Monday was our day.” There was an underlying passion in Link’s words that his cool demeanor couldn’t mask.
“I know. I’m…”Sorry. But Elliot was right about one thing—I did it on purpose. What they saw, the video, was my brand. My living. “Did you work with Chloe and Jordan at Rinslet?”
Link’s scowl was terrifying. Not because I thought he’d hurt me, but I had a feeling it wasn’t an expression he wore often. “I did,” he said.
“You know who they were in public.” They had faced the internet’s love of gossip head-on, and embraced it. They were brash and bold in public, they never shied away from a story, and they kept Rinslet in the spotlight in the best-worst possible way.
“I also know who they are in private.” Link didn’t look impressed with my statement.
I fucked up taking the bait when Elliot called the other night. Things got out of control when I made the bet. Apparently, Elliot could push buttons I didn’t know I had. But even when Link was being guarded, he was listening. I just had to say this right. “That’s my point. I’m not her. I’m not the woman in the videos. But I need her to exist for the image I’ve built up.”
“But you want to be her. You bet Elliot that very thing.”
“I don’t want there to be such a stark difference. Online Fallyn can do and say things I would die before I did in public, and I don’t like that fear.” Was I telling him too much? This almost stranger? But he wasn’t really a stranger, and I couldn’t stop. “I’m not a heartless cunt, though. She’s a persona, and mean girls get clicks. I promise you I’m not mean. I have limits. There are things about your games I bring to you instead of posting them online. I’ve been working with Nigel for months…” I wasn’t a bad person.
“And Elliot isn’t a soulless corporate asshole with a face but no heart.”
I cringed. “Are you sure?”
That was a thought I maybe should’ve kept to myself.
“I know what you do. I wouldn’t be this kind of upset, if he hadn’t been in the video. You shit on him on our big day. Don’tsay it wasn’t personal, because his name and face were all over that video.” As Link talked, passion bled into his words.
He cared, and I was on the wrong side of that.Fuck. “I was going to edit him out.” That was true. It had just slipped my mind. “I meant to repost without the references to him.” Why was it so important that Link wasn’t mad at me? “Please. Give me a chance to prove to you who I am. I fucked up. People fuck up. Elliot’s never made a mistake?”
Link clenched his jaw.
“Please?”
He shook his head. “I don’t forgive you for the video, but I also don’t hate you. I could still go either way.”