Page 82 of Level Up

She narrowed her sharp hazel eyes at me before cracking a wide smile. She played with the shining gold necklace that rested on her beautiful sapphire dress. “Well let me know whatever ancient Egyptian tomb you opened up for that particular curse. I’ll gladly take a trip.”

Chris leaned in and kissed his wife on the cheek. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

I could see a blush form on Mary’s cheeks. She smiled and sat back in her chair, looking at her husband with the adoration reserved for someone deeply in love even after years and years of being together.

Even if someone had told me back in college that I’d be hanging out and chatting with the Redpines as if they were my own family, I would have laughed in their face and dance my ass away from their delusional selves.

Joke would have been on me, though.

It all happened pretty quickly. The day of that beachside protest, almost seven years ago now, had been one of the most fateful days of my life. I remember thinking that Chris Redpine had come to shut it all down, and then I remembered the bone-deep pain I felt when I realized Chris and Ryan’s relationship was a taught thread away from snapping.

Whatever I said that day must have landed directly in Chris’ core. He had become a changed man from that moment on. He stayed to watch the protest and a couple weeks later we found out his company had pulled out of the oil drilling project entirely. They were the majority financial backers, which meant the environmentally destructive plan was effectively dead in the water.

All thanks to Chris.

After that, even more changes began to occur. He started to divest from all the problematic companies he backed, from all the projects I would have protested against. Then he began shifting that money toward green projects and conservation efforts.

It was incredible to watch. And what was even more incredible was seeing Ryan and his dad grow closer than ever before. I could see the pride radiating from both of them, knowing that both father and son were on the right side of history.

“Jay’s always had that going for him,” my mom chimed in. She was sitting to my left, looking like a glamorous old-timey movie star. Her silver dress shimmered with every move, her long brown hair falling over her shoulders like shimmering cascades.

“You raised a wonderful son, Mariela,” Chris said.

“As did you,” my mom replied. She lifted her glass of champagne toward the center of the table. “Cheers, to not messing up this parenthood thing.”

We all clinked our glasses together as the host of the awards show took to the stage. The audience simmered down, conversations ceasing as he grabbed the mic. The lights began to dim. The screen on the stage transitioned into a huge, scrawling title: Game Of The Year Award.

The host cleared her throat. “Thank you all for spending an evening with us. I hope you’ve all had an incredible time. Now, without further ado, it’s time to present the award of the night. Here are the nominees.” She moved to the side of the stage, the screen drawing everyone’s attention.

The trailers began to play. It wasn’t until the very last one that my heart began to crash into my ribcage.

It was Ryan’s game. A mix of action and roleplaying, set in a fictional land that I helped him develop. The main characters were gay, which had caused a huge stir in the gaming world. It didn’t affect sales, though. Dreams of Lilies ended up outselling some of the biggest games out there. It had cemented Ryan as a lead game designer and fulfilled one of his biggest dreams.

I became teary eyed as the trailer ended and the host took center stage. She had a scarlet red envelope in her hands. The room was quiet. The tear of the envelope followed. She lifted out the golden piece of paper and smiled as she read the winner.

“Dreams of Lilies!”

My jaw dropped. Our table broke out into loud cheers and hoots and claps. He’d done it. My baby had won the biggest award in the gaming industry. The screen changed, showing the title with a burst of flowers growing up from the bottom. Ryan was still backstage, having won the award prior to this one.

He came out to a room of standing applause. Behind him were some of the other people involved in making the game, but my eyes were glued to my man.

He beamed bright as the stage lights surrounding him.

The presenter handed over the award as Ryan took his spot behind the podium. The cheering died down as he began to speak. His eyes found mine. He shot me a wink, which nearly catapulted me up through the ceiling.

“Wow,” he said. He looked down at the award as if he were looking at a newborn. “Just wow.”

He lifted his gaze back up and wiped away a rogue tear. “This right here is an absolute dream come true. I want to first thank the amazing team that helped bring Dreams of Lilies to life. I also want to point out that through the success of this game, we’ve been able to raise close to a million dollars for various conservation efforts all around the globe. So thank you!” He raised the award over his head as the room broke out into more applause and cheers. “I also want to thank my parents for being here and being some of my biggest cheerleaders. I also want to thank my incredible partner, Jay.”

I could feel myself melting into the chair. I smiled at him as he found my gaze again.

Proud didn’t even cut it. I remembered us in college, when he couldn’t even fathom a moment like this happening.

My heart swelled to be the size of the ballroom.

“Jay, you have lifted me, pushed me, walked with me, and loved me every step of the way along this journey. I couldn’t have ever done this without you. Thank you. I love you. And I’m so proud of you. Head of a non-profit, making huge changes, and still kicking ass with every acting role you land.”

Now I was the one wiping tears from my eyes.

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