Page 22 of Level Me Up

"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 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.

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