Page 395 of The First Time
Vincent stares at the board for a minute then moves one of his pawns two spaces forward. Most of his attention is on his coffee. Well, most of his attention is somewhere else entirely.
Mine, too, but the game is a perfect distraction. I weigh every move like it's critically important.
The stairs creak. Blake.
He sits next to me, rubbing the inside of my wrist with his thumb.
Blake's touch is a perfect bit of comfort. I want to surrender to it. To soak up all of it.
But I can't. Not if he's never going to love me.
I win. Truth be told, Vincent isn't trying. But a win is a win.
Vincent excuses himself, grabs another cup of coffee in the kitchen, and goes to wait in the den.
Blake takes his seat and sets up another game. "You need a drink?"
I shake my head.
We play in silence. No queen handicap. He discards a rook instead.
I keep my eyes on the checkered board instead of looking at him. There's too much in his expression. It hits me someplace deep.
Blake puts me in checkmate. Figures.
"Play another?" he asks.
I nod. Focus on my pieces. They're little plastic things, cheap and flimsy. This is one of those chess sets you buy at the drugstore for five dollars, but then I'm not the type who needs to put a price tag on everything.
This chess set is a priceless distraction.
It's worth everything.
I'm more aggressive this game. We start trading pieces. I ignore my endless strategy contemplation and make the first move that comes to mind. It's pure instinct.
"Check," Blake says.
"What?"
"You have me in check," he says. "Didn't you notice?"
I look down at the board. Holy shit. How did I miss that?
"You won't get me that easily, Wilder." He laughs.
Fuck. That laugh. It makes my knees weak. It makes my stomach flutter. It makes me feeleverything.
He moves his queen in front of his king. Figures the stupid king is sacrificing his wife. Asshole.
Well, fair is fair. I take his queen. "Checkmate."
"Now you're paying attention."
"I was too in the zone to pay attention to you and your wife-sacrificing ways."
"It was the best tactical move." His voice is light, joking.
"You always make the best tactical move, don't you?"
