Page 298 of The First Time
He motionssitthen digs through the shelf and pulls out a box. Chess.
"I haven't played since grade school," I say.
"The rules are easy." He sits and arranges the pieces on the black-and-white board.
I sit across from him. "I haven't got a chance against you."
"I'll take a handicap."
"Is that right?" I ask.
"The simplest and most severe is removing the queen." He picks up the black queen and sets it on the table.
"Why is it the most severe?"
"The queen is the best piece on the board. It can move in any direction, any number of spaces."
"And to win I have to murder your king, right?"
A laugh. He's actually laughing. It's the best thing I've ever seen. It lights up those blue eyes.
God, those eyes are beautiful.
I clear my throat. So. Not. Going. There.
"What is so funny?" I ask.
"It's called checkmate. Or check."
"It's regicide, plain and simple, buddy. Don't sugarcoat it."
Blake smiles.
My knees go weak. His smile does things to me. It's incapacitating.
He explains all the movement rules, but I'm only barely paying attention. I'm too caught up in that smile.
It takes forever for me to get the rules. Bishops are on the diagonal, pawns go forward one, attack on the diagonal. Knights are some weird 2:1 angle and they jump. Rooks are horizontal and vertical. The queen can move in any direction, any number of spaces. And the utterly useless king can only move one space in any direction.
"That's bullshit," I say.
Another laugh. My heart races. My stomach flutters. The whole world feels warm and safe.
He's laughing at me. Teasing me. I'm like a kid in grade school again, desperate for the boy I like to pull my hair.
Well…
I do wantthat. But not here.
"Why is that?" His voice is light. Easy.
"The queen has all the power. She's a total badass. Why is this stupid game based around protecting a king who is hiding behind all his minions?"
"Think of him as a figurehead. And the queen as the one pulling strings behind the scenes."
"Yeah, I'll consider that." I look at the board. I'm white, the player who goes first. A pretty big advantage, apparently, but nothing compared to losing a queen. "Is that your attitude towards powerful women—you throw them away?"
He stares at me. His voice gets serious. Well, more serious. "I'm not going to throw you away."
