Inspired by Night: - a sexy new age romance Read Online Free PDF

with that constantly turning up all the time? She’d scare everyone away until there was only her left.’
    I wandered into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and sat back down on the sofa.
    ‘She was pretty, though. I mean, crazy stalker tendencies aside, why aren’t you into her?’ I asked, curious.
    Steven took a long drink of his beer and sighed, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. He leant back into the sofa and looked at me.
    ‘I’m a nerd, Olly. I did a degree in video game programming, I take computers apart for fun, I have the entire DVD collection of Star Trek and I sometimes sit around my house wearing a Stormtrooper helmet,’ he explained.
    ‘I can see why she likes you so much, you are a catch.’ I clinked my bottle against his and took a sip. He pulled his tongue at me and I realised he thought I was teasing him, when I was actually being serious. Best not to think about that too much, Olivia Jones.
    ‘It’s a bit different at uni – you start off living in a student house or halls with a random set of people and it doesn’t matter what you study, you just bond over the shared experience. I also worked behind the bar at the student union so everyone knew me without knowing I was this big nerd. And then someone in their wisdom decided to make The Doctor all handsome and sexy and easily accessible to a mainstream audience. For the first time in my life, no one was calling me a speccy twat any more. All these apparently popular girls were hanging around the computer rooms looking for their latest fashion accessory to hang off their arm.’
    ‘OK, but that doesn’t explain why we’re sneaking round the streets of Camden trying to lose a girl who’s apparently really into you.’
    ‘She knew me from the student union, and she had a thing for me, that’s all. But she was studying fashion design, she likes Take That, she watches The X Factor .’ He paused to check my reaction. I nodded. ‘You see? I can’t have a conversation with her, we have nothing in common; she wants to be out partying every night, she wants to be meeting celebrities. I want to play video games and drink in old man pubs. Do you want to know what my fantasy is?’ he asked suddenly. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged, inviting him to continue. ‘I fantasise about having a girlfriend who opens her door to me on a Saturday night and says, “You know, I don’t really feel like going out tonight, can we just stay in and play Lego Batman ?”’
    I glanced sideways at the Lego Batman cover on the coffee table and laughed.
    ‘Wow, I actually am spending this Saturday night playing Lego Batman , and that is why I don’t have a boyfriend. You know, if you were a few years older I’d probably be stalking you myself!’ I smirked at him.
    ‘If you spent your weekends playing video games you wouldn’t have to stalk me.’ He looked at me then, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, his eyes exploring my face. I felt a prickling sensation creeping up the back of my neck as his words sunk into my mind. Shit, he was going to try to kiss me. I started to panic and, breaking away from his gaze, I pushed myself off the sofa and busied myself in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and wiping down the sink. He watched me for a few minutes before joining me in the kitchen.
    ‘Is it my age?’ he asked.
    ‘I’m sorry?’ I feigned ignorance at his question, but my heart rate increased slightly. Were we really having this conversation? I supposed it was better now so we could pretend we didn’t remember it when the hangover kicked in. Monday was going to be awkward.
    ‘Cards on the table time, Ols. I like you, you’re cool, you’re funny, beautiful, nerdy, you don’t over-think things, except maybe now you’re definitely over-thinking whether or not you should let me kiss you.’ He smiled and moved closer to me, raising his hand to touch my face.
    I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to go