Page 29 of Level Me Up

“Um, excuse me. It’s not a bunk bed. It’s a loft,” Link says, moving his way into his room to stand his ground and defend his space.

“What do girls think when they see they have to climb a ladder to get to your bed?” she counters.

“No one has ever complained. Why? You want to try it out?”

She rolls her eyes. “Moving on.” She waves a dismissive hand and walks out of the room. Gia and I laugh. We can’t help it, though. Ruby is so flustered by Link. She always does that eye roll when she is.

We move through to the next room, which belongs to Simon. He does not have a loft bed, but there is an entertainment center with a TV and video game system and other accessories scattered about. Other than that, there is a dresser and a…beanbag chair. I hold in a giggle.

I try to catch Gia or Ruby’s eye to make sure the beanbag chair doesn’t go unnoticed, and see Ruby staring right at it, smiling. That’s when I notice Gia didn’t come in but stands just outside the door. I really don’t like what is going on with her.

We leave and turn down a short hall and walk into what is obviously a master suite. “This is my room,” Dex announces. The bedroom itself looks to be the same size as Simon’s, but he has a walk-in-closet and his own bathroom.

Dex’s room holds the basics: a bed, dresser, bookshelf, TV and a small desk where a laptop sits. There is a small table under the TV, which is hanging on the wall, with a gaming system on it, but he doesn’t have nearly as much gaming stuff in his room as the other guys. Or maybe he just has it all put away.

I walk in a bit further and take in the tall but skinny bookshelf, and scan the books. Of course, I’ve not read any of them, but some of them I’ve heard of. There are several strategy guides to games with which I am both familiar and unfamiliar and some art books. When I look back at the room, I notice that it’s just Dex and me in the room. I didn’t even hear the others leave. He is leaning against the wall and in that moment, I want to take a picture, but then I remember that we are alone in his room, and it smells like him. Once again, I have the urge to just bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. The thought makes me blush, though. He smiles like he knows what I’m thinking.

“So you don’t have a lot of video game stuff in here,” I say.

“No, I kind of need my room to be a game-free zone. I have a system in here, mostly so I can watch Netflix. Sometimes, I’ll play something mindless, but I really wanted my room to be a place I could come when I need to take a break.” I nod in understanding and sit down on his desk chair.

“Do you guys practice here? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of extra space, and you do practice as a team, right?”

“Yeah, actually, our team rents out four apartments here in the building. I mentioned Bernie lives next door below Ben and Chuck. They live upstairs, and then above us is our game room. That’s where we practice. So all of the gaming stuff we have in here is just for personal use. Even though some days we practice ten hours a day, we still enjoy playing video games.”

“Well, that’s cool,” I say, thoughtfully. Wow, ten hours a day? “How many tournaments do you guys participate in?”

“About eight to ten. Most of the tournaments are here in the U.S., but we travel to Europe at least once a year,” he says, taking a seat on his bed.

“That’s cool. I’ve only been to, like five states. And going to California was my first time on an airplane,” I say.

He looks surprised. “Wow, so you’re not a world traveler?” he jokes.

“Haha, no. I’ve not had the opportunity to experience a lot of things,” I say blatantly.

“So, you’re trying to experience new things now?”

I laugh, “I wouldn’t say trying. I’m not going out of my way, but Ruby and Gia keep it entertaining. I’m kind of a homebody.”

“Fair enough,” he says. Just then, I hear Link yell that the food’s here. Dex leans over and holds out his hand. “C’mon, let’s go eat and then we can level you up with what I’m sure will be an entertaining and unforgettableMario Karttournament.”

I take his hand, and as I stand up, he pulls me into him and kisses me. It’s short and sweet, but it’s exactly want I wanted. We walk back into the living room, and everyone has gathered around the coffee table where several boxes of Chinese food sit.

I take in the image before me: Dex and Ruby stand there laughing while Simon sets out all the food. Link, Gia, and Bernie gather plates, silverware, and napkins for our meal. My heart grows at the sight. This group of people before me could be the start of a new chapter in my life: a chapter that finally includes a family that I’ve been wanting. This is most definitely the start of something amazing.

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