“Do you like it?” I asked, glancing down. It was solid black except for some dark green writing situated on the lower right-hand corner. I’d ordered the thing a week ago after I was sure I’d figured out who her celebrity crush was. Now was the true test.

“I am burdened with glorious purpose,” she read the line, emphasizing the word glorious just the way Loki did in what I guessed was her favorite movie—her Loki-Emblem headphones were a big enough hint. A spark crackled in her eyes as she drew them up to mine. “You’re a Loki fan?”

I grinned. “You are.”

“Yes, that’s true.” She eyed me.

I pointed to the words. “This is your guy.”

Her pink lips popped open before she laughed. “You bought a Loki shirt just to prove that you’d finally figured out who my celeb was?”

I shrugged. “Figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“What?”

“Now every time you look at me tonight, you’ll think of me—hot genius—and then Loki.”

“Placing you above him,” she said, biting down on another laugh.

“Exactly.” I snapped my fingers before motioning to the car.

She sank inside, the perfect smile still shaping those lips. I shut the door and rounded the car, sitting behind the wheel. “You ready for this?”

She smacked her palms on her thighs. “I don’t even know what we’re doing. How could I possibly know if I’m ready?”

I grinned at the light behind her smile, the excitement that had been too rare on her face lately.

“You’ll see soon enough,” I teased, and pulled out of her driveway.

“So what is it about the villain that hooks you?” I asked, trying to take my mind off the nervous energy rushing in my blood.

“He’s…” I spared her a glance as she paused, trying not to laugh at the swoony look that glazed her eyes. I wouldn’t…couldn’t be jealous of a fictional character. “The God of Mischief.”

“That’s it?”

“No,” she said, shifting in her seat to face me while I continued to navigate the roads. “He’s got this incredible backstory. Heart wrenching and complex and he can’t help but crave justice for the wrongs of his past.” She sighed. “Plus, the mischief? The chaos? The way he can’t help but love it? That is something I can totally relate to.”

“I’ll give you that,” I said, turning down another street. “Sometimes I’m calmest when in the middle of a chaotic hack. When I know I’m on the brink of cracking a lock or on the verge of being caught.”

“Exactly!” She snapped her fingers. “God, you say that to most people and they look at you like you’re from another planet.”