Level Me Up (Gamer Boy #1)

by Lauren Helms

  "So, Mike's Pizza is only about twenty minutes from here," he says, starting the car.

  "Good, because like I said, I’m so hungry I could eat a cow," I reply. I can make fun of myself. Sometimes.

  He laughs, “I like a girl with a healthy appetite.” He shoots me a quick glance and with a boyish grin adds, “I mean, as in food. I like a girl who has a healthy appetite for food.”

  I can tell he didn’t mean that in a sexual way, but the fact that he tries to cover it up makes me smile. Then there is a sudden twitch deep in my belly that immediately has me thinking about what it would be like to have his hands all over me…

  Calm down, Morgan! We are only five minutes into the date, I tell myself.

  I mentally curse away the blush and lean in toward him and with a sly and flirty smile, “I knew what you were talking about, Dex.”

  About thirty minutes later, we find ourselves sitting at a table for two in the center of the arcade. We ordered our pizza and drinks at the front counter and then snagged up one of the only available tables left. I expected a lot more family and kids, but there are a lot more college-age groups here. There isn't much light, but there’s enough over the eating area.

  The outside walls are lined with arcade games, and there are several rows of more games toward the back of the room. The table is small but clean and is set with everything you'd find on the table of a pizza place; crushed red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese stashed to the side. Our numbered card is put in the tall card holder in the middle of the table. Our drinks come out in clear plastic cups, but it looks like we’ll be using real plates and flatware, not paper and plastic.

  "So, what do you think?" he asks.

  "It's like a big kid Chuck E. Cheese! I've already spotted the skee-ball machines," I say a little giddy. "I used to beg my parents to take me to Chuck E. Cheese when I was a kid. I just hope the pizza is better here!"

  "I promise, the pizza is amazing, but I remember the pizza being pretty good at Chuck E. Cheese’s, though. Although, I'm an equal opportunist when it comes to pizza. I've never met a pizza I didn't like," he says.

  "Hmm, you've got a point. Pizza is pizza, and pizza is good."

  "Remind me sometime to tell you Link's thoughts on pizza and sex," he says as the breadsticks he ordered arrive.

  Dammit. That twitch of electricity deep in my belly is back, and now all I want to think about is sex with Dex. And this is our first date. I can tell that he’s thinking about it too—he’s staring at my mouth. I bite my lip as I try to hide my smile, and he lets out a slow, steady breath.

  "So how did you and Link become friends? Was it through the video game scene?”

  He seems to snap out of his daze on my lips and smiles at me like it's funny that I just called it the "video game scene." I don't know what else to call it, though.

  "No, Link has been my best friend since, like, kindergarten. We grew up together. We spent our time playing video games, and so it's always been our thing."

  "What about Simon, did you know him before you joined the team? Actually, how did you get on a professional video gaming team?"

  "I didn't know any of the team before we started playing together. We all get along really well, which is actually why we all live in the same apartment building. It's vital for teams to get along and have good relationships. We have to practice a lot so we spend a lot of time together."

  "That’s cool. You live with Link and Simon. But Link isn't on the team."

  "No, he was on the team for a while, but he wanted to focus on other things. And to answer your other question; I was contacted by our manager, John. Do you remember him from the club? He reached out and said he was starting a team and wanted me on it. He also reached out to Simon, and then the three of us found Ben and Bernadette. Link joined at that point, more out of the need to round out the team."

  "When did you all became a team? Did you guys always plan on making it a full-time thing?" I ask as the pizza is brought to our table, and oh my God, it looks amazing. We each grab a piece, and he continues.

  "Not at first. To start, we were not all here in the same area. So it was more of a digital thing. We entered some tournaments, met up a few times a year, but when we started winning a lot and gaining momentum, we began seeking out sponsors. By the time I graduated from college, we had some pretty big sponsors and were able to make this a full-time thing."

  "I don't know a lot about video games, so I hope you don't mind all my questions, but it seems that you lead a pretty interesting life, Dex.”

  He looks at me with this really thoughtful smile, cocks his head and says, "I can’t complain, but there’s always room to make it more enjoyable. Also, you can ask me anything—whenever you want." I blush, look down at my plate, and realize that I need another piece. I've already consumed a few breadsticks and a slice of pizza. I still have room for at least another one of these massive pieces of amazing pizza.

  "So, you told me that you and Gia moved here from Indiana after college. Do you still go home and visit your family?"

  The bite of pizza I'm chewing slides down my throat like a heavy rock. The family question. I hate the family question. It always makes for an awkward moment of that sympathetic look on the other person’s face. I take a drink to wash away the pizza before I tell him, "I don't go back home much at all. Once or twice a year, maybe. My dad and I aren’t really close anymore. He works… a lot."

  "You aren’t close anymore? But you were at one point?"

  I inwardly sigh. "Yeah, before my mom died." I see the instant sadness in his eyes. "When I was sixteen, she died of cancer. My dad didn't handle it well. He threw himself into work. I was on my own a lot. Well, if it weren't for Gia, I would have been on my own. When I went to college, I thought he would realize that he missed me and want to be around more, but his work habits didn't change. I didn’t go home much. That's when I decided that I didn't need to stay in Indiana. I could go anywhere I wanted. Since Gia is a writer, she could freelance anywhere, so we moved here, to Chicago. I actually really love it here."

  I don’t know when he did it, but his hand is resting on my knee under the table. It was like my body was in its own little world while I was sharing. Now it's playing catch up, and those little butterflies are awake, and I don't want to him to move his hand.

  "I'm sorry to hear about your mom, Morgan. And I'm sorry you don't get to see your dad much, but it sounds like you are very lucky to have Gia, and for selfish reasons I'm really glad you are here in Chicago." He says this all with the most genuine look on his face. He gives my knee a squeeze and removes his hand.

  Now I’m cold. The warmth of his hand is gone, and now my knee is just cold, and the butterflies go still.

  "What about your family? Do you see them a lot?"

  "Yes, I'm from Naperville. It's about an hour away from the city, so I see them often. I have an older brother, Wade, who lives in Chicago, too. We go home and spend the day with our parents at least once a month." The look he gets on his face when he talks about his family melts my heart.

  "That's great. Are you close to your brother?"

  "Yeah, he's a couple years older than me, so we get along pretty well," I smile at the thought of a sibling, I always wanted a little brother or sister. I've finished my last bite of pizza, and I look around. There are not many people still at the tables eating, and that's when Dex says, "Are you ready to play some skee-ball?"

  "I thought you’d never ask,” I say with mock seriousness.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Morgan

  We leave the table and head to the change machine. Dex deposits several dollars into it and then places his cupped hand under the spout where the quarters pour out.

  We spend the next hour laughing, talking, and playing arcade games. I kick his butt every time we play skee-ball, but I'm hopeless when it comes to all the standard arcade games. It doesn't matter though; just spending time with him is so much fun.

  He just beat me in one of th
ose racing games where you get to sit in the fake car seats and use actual wheels. As I climb out of the seat and stand up, I stumble on the step and fall forward toward Dex, who catches me, and as I look up at him, I realize how close I am to him. His arms are wrapped around my waist, and both of us are breathing heavily. Just then, my phone whistles from my purse.

  With a nervous giggle, I say, “I’m sorry, but you should probably know now that I’m kind of clumsy.”

  There is heat in his eyes and warmth in his smile when he says, “Oh, I thought you just wanted to get closer to me.”

  I start to right myself when my phone reminds me that I have a text. I fish out my phone, but his hands stay planted on my hips. I look at my phone and see a text from Ruby asking how the date is going.

  “Ruby wants to know how our date is going.”

  “Oh yeah? What are you going to tell her?” he asks in a slightly less husky tone than before.

  “Hmm, I should probably just tell her the truth,” I say with a grin. I start to text her back as I turn, then lean into him and hold the phone out to snap a picture of us. “Here, let’s just show her. Smile!” I’ve made sure to get some of the games in the background so she can see where we are.

  He snakes his arms around my stomach like a hug and pulls me into him. “That sounds like a great idea,” he whispers into my ear.

  I smile, hoping that the warmth I feel from his body being so close to mine isn't showing on my cheeks. I say, “Ready…” and snap the picture. I don’t move other than to bring the phone back to us to look at the photo.

  And there it is, the perfect phone selfie of the two of us. He is so handsome with his confident smirk on his face, and even though I’m not blushing in the photo, I look different. I look so darn happy…

  Funny, I thought I was happy before.

  I send it off to Ruby, and Dex whispers in my ear, “We look pretty damn good together, Morgan.” I smile with my focus on my phone and send the pic to him as well.

  Eventually, we end up sitting down at one of the tables for a few minutes to get a drink. After a while, we play a couple more games, and after spending way too much in the arcade, we head back to the car so he can take me home.

  The car ride home is missing that first date jitters awkwardness, but in its place, is the sense of dread that our date is almost over.

  We both take our time getting out of the car. It’s obvious that neither of us wants the date to end. After crossing in front of his vehicle, he grabs my hand as he reaches me then we mosey on to my building. We don’t say a word as we enter the building and then the elevator. The door slides closed, and he turns to me and says, “I had a great time with you tonight.”

  I smile. “Me too. I’m going to think about that pizza for days.”

  He chuckles, “Yeah? Good, but my thoughts won't be on the pizza.”

  Heat shoots to my cheeks, and the butterflies go mad.

  He leans in, moving his free hand to the back of my neck. He smiles, looking at my lips and says, “I’ll be thinking about this,” and then he kisses me.

  His kiss is soft at first, but then it turns hurried. I let go of all my normal control and let him claim my mouth as the butterflies in my belly cause tingles in the most intimate of places. All too soon, the elevator beeps the announcement of my floor, and the door slides open.

  He reluctantly breaks the kiss but leaves his hand on my neck and the other cupping my face. With an unsteady breath, he asks, “Why can’t you live on the fifth floor?”

  All I can do is softly giggle as I struggle to get my own breathing under control.

  He releases my face then grabs my hand and says, “Come on.”

  I pout, actually sticking my lip out and say, “Do we have to? I’d like to do that again.”

  The look in his eyes grows wild momentarily, and he stops right where he is, pulls my face to his and claims my mouth again.

  This time, the kiss is neither soft nor hurried. It is deep and passionate. It doesn’t quite last as long, though, because we hear the elevator door close; a reminder that we are no longer alone but in the middle of the hall. This time, when we break, he throws his arm around my shoulders as we walk to my apartment door.

  “What are you doing this weekend?”

  “I don’t know. Why? Have something in mind?”

  “Why don’t you bring Ruby and Gia over and we can hang out. Simon and Link will be there. Bernie wanted to see you and Ruby again so she will want to come over, too.”

  “That sounds fun. Let me ask the girls, and I will let you know. Is that ok?”

  "Ok, but even if they say no, would you want to come over?"

  "Yes," I say without a second thought.

  He pulls me in with his arm and kisses my forehead.

  "Good night, Morgan." He drops his arm and starts to back away. I dig out my key and unlock the door, but I'm in a state of dreaminess, so it takes me a bit longer than normal to open the door. By the time, I get the door open, he is standing in front of the elevator, which opens. I give him a little wave and a smile and walk into my apartment at the same time he walks backward into the elevator.

  I close my apartment door and turn around and lean the back of my head onto it.

  "Based on that dreamy look on your face, I’m betting you were just kissed like you've never been kissed before. Am I right?" I hear Ruby ask.

  I slowly open my eyes to see both Ruby and Gia in their PJ’s snuggled under a blanket on each end of the couch, smiling at me like they knew a secret I was yet to be let in on.

  "That and the amount of time it took for her to get the door open would support that theory," Gia adds.

  "I would say, based on that super adorable photo she sent me, she had an amazing date," Ruby says.

  "Maybe once she realizes that she’s still standing there with a dazed look on her face, she will return to Earth. Until then, we are just going to have to keep speculating about her date," Gia says, dryly.

  Ruby starts to laugh, "Ok Mo. I can't take it anymore." I focus on her more now that my heart rate is back to normal, and I have returned to Earth. She's bouncing again. The dreamy smile never leaves my face as I walk across the room and sit in the recliner. With a sigh, I finally give in to their prying, "The date was fantastic."

  "Ok...we need more. The anticipation is killing us,” Ruby prods.

  "I don't know how to describe it other than amazing. We ate the best pizza at an arcade, and we talked, and played games, and laughed, and then he kissed me, twice. And he said he wants to do it again. Amazing."

  Ruby lets out a squeal, "I knew it! I knew he was different. You're falling for him!"

  "Yeah, I've never seen you like this, Mo. You've never been this gushy about a single date before. Actually, you’ve never gushed about any guy like this."

  I think about what she just said, cock my head and look at her thoughtfully, "You know, I think you're right. When I looked at that picture of Dex and me after I took it, I can see how happy I am. Do I not usually look happy?" I resist the urge to pick up my phone and study every photo of myself to find out.

  Both Ruby and Gia's faces fall, but Gia catches hers sooner and says, "Morgan, you look happy. And I know you are happy, but sometimes, as the people closest to you, we can tell that you’re not as happy as you could be."

  With a lump in my throat and tears threatening at the back of my eyes, I nod a little, "I was worried about that," I murmur. I try to shrug it off by making a joke, "Guess I shouldn’t pursue my dream of acting, eh?"

  I can see the sadness still in their eyes, but they both smile because they know what makes me sad. They know I miss my parents. I miss having a family. They are my family now, and I'd be lost without them, but I still feel like something is missing. I shake this off, though. I don't want to be sad. I want to bask in the glory of an amazing date because, honestly, I've never had a better one.

  "Oh! Do you guys want to go over to Dex's place on Saturday? Simon, Link, and Bernie will
be there. I think it would be really fun."

  "I'm in!" says Ruby without a thought.

  "Gia? You want to go?"

  "Uh, yeah. But just to warn you, it might be awkward since Simon will be there."

  "Well, you'll have to see him eventually. I think Dex and Morgan are officially a thing." Ruby puts air quotes around thing.

  "I guess you’re right. Ok, let’s do this. It will give me an opportunity to interrogate Lover Boy."

  I roll my eyes. "Please tell me that Lover Boy is not the nickname you guys are going to give him."

  Both of them are laughing now, and Gia says through a snort, "It's so his nickname."

  I stand up, tell them I'm going to go get my PJ’s on and head back to my room. I text Dex as I sit down on my bed.

  Me: We are all down for Saturday night.

  Dex: Awesome. I can't wait.

  Me: :) I'll need your address.

  He sends me his address and tells me to be there at 7:00 p.m. I plug in my phone on my nightstand and go change and wash off my makeup. As I walk back by the stand to get a hair tie, my phone whistles.

  Dex: I can't wait to kiss you again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Morgan

  This is the longest day ever. Typically, I enjoy Fridays, but after my date last night with Dex, I stayed up way too late with Ruby and Gia watching Veronica Mars on Netflix. Personally, this is the third time I've seen the show, but Ruby had never seen it. I was a diehard fan; I read and loved the recently published Veronica Mars books and even supported the Kickstarter that produced the big screen movie last year. With Ruby’s obsession with cult shows, I thought it warranted a TV binge session. Needless to say, I’m exhausted this morning.

  Ruby crashed on our couch since we stayed up so late. She stays over a lot—once or twice a week. She lives by herself a few blocks away, and I really think she hates going home to an empty apartment. I know I would.

  Ruby and I carpooled to work, and we had to make a coffee stop. The only way I was going to get through the morning was with a piping hot white peppermint mocha. Ruby calls it my Christmas drink, but I drink them year-round. It didn’t help all that much, and the morning dragged on. I even went out for lunch with a couple co-workers, but the day wouldn't end. I’m ready for the weekend, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Dex, and the fact that I get to see him tomorrow.