Page 57 of Xavier

They don’t help my hand, but Brianna’s face lights up.

The turn is an ace, giving me a pair of aces. And the river is a three, leaving me with my pair of aces.

Brianna grins and says, “I have a pair of kings.” She flips her two cards over, showing the pair of kings I dealt her.

“That’s good,” I say with a small smile. “But not good enough.”

I reveal my cards as her face falls. “Damn it. That was a good hand.”

She slides the cards over to me and scrunches up her face while she thinks up her first fact.

“How about we ask each other small questions because coming up with random facts might be a little hard?”

I nod. “Alright.”

So many questions swarm through my mind. I want to know everything about her. I want to know her hopes, dreams, wishes, and fantasies. I want to know what turns her on and what she thinks about when she’s falling asleep.

Those thoughts have me frozen in my spot.

I shouldn’t want to know everything about her. I should leave her alone and just do this job and then move on with my life.

A question pops into my mind. “What’s your favorite food?”

She doesn’t skip a beat. “That’s easy. Tacos.”

Interesting.

I deal out the next hand, but this time I don’t pause between the flop, turn, and river. I’m too eager to learn more about her.

Her face lights up when I reveal my shitty hand. “Yes! I win.”

I shuffle the deck of cards as she thinks for a moment, trying to come up with the best question to ease the curiosity swarming in her eyes.

Her smile falters before asking, “What’s your favorite color?”

My favorite color is green, but that’s not what comes out of my mouth. “Blue, like your eyes.”

We both freeze, letting our thoughts consume us.

Subconsciously, I guess my favorite color has changed. I just can’t believe that I blurted it out like that.

She must think I’m playing games with her. To be honest, my mind is playing games with my heart, and I’ve never felt more conflicted.

She’s the first one to speak. “Blue is also my favorite color, but I love more of a crystal blue color, like aquamarine.”

Does she not realize her eyes are very similar to aquamarine? Her eyes change between the lighter aquamarine shade of blue and the darker sapphire hue based on what her mood is.

I deal out the next hand, grinning when I know I’ve won before we even get to the river.

She huffs and slides her cards over to me.

I need a simple question where her answer won’t cause any emotional response from me.

“What’s your favorite season?”

She immediately answers. “Summer because I love the sun, the beach, and my birthday. What’s your favorite season?”

I give her a friendly smirk. “Win the next hand and I’ll tell you.”

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