Free I Heart Geeks by Aria Glazki, Stephanie Kayne, Kristyn F. Brunson, Layla Kelly, Leslie Ann Brown, Bella James, Rae Lori Page B

And then every time after?”
    “I was eighteen. All I’ve ever wanted to be was an actor. Then I got into the pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon and then actually getting accepted into the musical theatre department, it felt like I was all set up to make my way to Broadway. Everything I’d ever dreamed of was right there for me. Ready to become reality.”
    He brought her hand to his lips again and kissed her knuckles, never letting his gaze waver from hers. Seeing her eyes change form glistening to becoming a deep pool about to break its dam hit home on just how much he’d hurt her ten years ago. She had been devastated. Now she still hurt, but she’d built herself stronger. This new Willow was still his Willow but better, and seeing her stay strong made him proud. It also made him want to hold her. Help her in whatever way she needed.
    “I love you, Will. I’ve always loved you. When that practice stage kiss became real it was like a flashbulb went off and made me realize that you were more than my best friend. You were the one. My one and that scared the piss out of me. But I wanted to be with you.”
    “Then why did you leave me?” she asked slowly, trying in vain to keep her voice even and monotone.
    “Because after a week I didn’t care about the theatre workshops. After two weeks maybe I’d stop caring about Broadway or acting. Everything changed and it scared me, so I ran.”
    “Yeah, you did. Without a backwards glance.” Pulling her hand from him, she stared up at him disbelievingly. “After everything we’d been through, you expect me to forget? Forget that I woke up alone after a week of—” She took a deep, shuttering breath. “I didn’t even find out you were gone until your mom told me when I went looking for you. Knowing that you’d gone and didn’t even say goodbye? It hurt, but so did every week, every day that I didn’t get a call, text, or even an e-mail. A sorry and an ‘I love you’ in some hotel hallway isn’t going to cut it. Not by a longshot.”
    With that parting blow, Willow walked away from him and he didn’t stop her.

Four
“The worst romantic comedies are the ones in which all the man has to say are those three magical words, ‘I love you.’ That’s it. They didn’t do anything to prove it. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture. It can be as simple as a man buying you tampons, because there are few things more emasculating than dithering over which absorbency he should buy while standing under the bright fluorescents of the store’s feminine hygiene aisle.”
    —The Wisp, RomCom Fails, Words vs. Action
    This was a terrible idea, but an unavoidable one. Her attendance to the costume party was not necessarily required, but would be an ideal place to mingle and network. If Willow played her cards right, she might be able to score some freelance contributor work and maybe some guest bloggers on her site. If she was really luckily—because she wanted and needed more fans—she’d meet fellow internet personalities and schedule some crossovers. Crossovers always were the best ways to gain more exposure leading to more page counts and more revenue.
    She plucked a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. It was sweet, bubbly, and tickled her nose. The alcohol also helped calm her nerves. Dressed in street clothes she’d be apprehensive about being around a hundred-plus people in a crowded, humid ballroom. Dressed as Liliah LightBringer—GoldStar’s love interest and the only costume she owned that still fit—Willow had to actively keep herself from fidgeting and pulling her skirt hem lower. The brown pleather skirt was really a skort, but it was still tight and only reached mid-thigh. Paired with the billowy-sleeved green blouse, matching brown pleather vest, and gold ballerina scandals, she’d loved the outfit when she’d first worn it some five years ago; but now, knowing Jack—her Jack—was going to be GoldStar… And her costume seemed like a