There they were: Ruben and his two friends, forever glued to the basement table, cards scattered everywhere like a crime scene after a failed heist. When Alex and I walked in, all eyes turned to us. I locked eyes with Ruben, and he immediately remembered who the alpha in the house was. The kid shrank in his seat, practically sweating fear.
Alex didn't waste time. She crossed her arms and called out, "Ruben, why are you spreading lies? I didn't even let you touch me!"
Ruben stammered, "I was just kidding, I'm sorry." He kept glancing at me, probably remembering how close he'd come to a wedgie from hell. His friends looked at him like he'd just confessed to cheating at the Olympics.
"So I hear you won quite a bit," I said, eyeing the pile of cash on the table. "I'd like to play as well."
Alex nudged me. "You don't have to, I'm good enough to beat him."
Ruben, trying to recover some dignity, piped up, "Why don't you both play? Winner takes the cake." He was clearly itching for revenge, probably thinking I was just some big guy with no brains.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at him like he was a rare Pokémon. "Alright, let's do it."
Alex hesitated, biting her lip. "Are you sure? I don't want to beat you in front of everyone." she teased as she thought maybe he will not like getting beaten from a girl. Usually guys don't like that, she assumed.
I grinned. "Don't worry, I can handle it. Besides, I play cards with my dad all the time. I think I'll survive."
We all huddled around the table. I started with a ten-dollar bill, just to make it interesting. What Ruben didn't know was that I'd spent the summer grinding my card skills: Card Reading level 41, Strategic Thinking (Cards) level 44, Card Insight level 45. I wanted to increase my LUK stat but it didn't move at all after all that but I did get good at cards. I was basically Jane from The Mentalist, minus the tragic backstory.
The game kicked off, and within half an hour, I was sitting on a fat stack of cash-about $200. Haley, Luke, and Ruben's friends were all broke, and even Alex owed me another fifty. Ruben looked like he'd just watched his dog run away. Haley, on the other hand, was convinced that since I was friends with Alex, I'd just give the winnings back.
She demanded, "Give us back what we lost!"
I leaned back, smirking. "Why would I?"
Haley was genuinely shocked, her mouth falling open. Luke didn't care much-he hadn't lost much anyway-but Haley was fuming, especially since she was the one who'd roped everyone into playing for extra cash. Alex didn't say much, but I could tell she was a little upset about losing. She had a competitive streak.
I held up the bills, grinning. "I'll give the money back-except to Ruben-if Alex agrees to go on a date with me." I shot her a teasing look. We'd made out, sure, but I'd never properly asked her out. Might as well make it official, right?
Alex's face went red as a tomato. Haley, relieved, jumped in, "She'll go with you, don't worry. Heck, even I might agree to go with you if you keep winning like that." She winked, but I let it slide, my Gamer's Mind filtering out the distraction.
I kept my gaze on Alex, waiting. Ruben, meanwhile, looked like he was about to combust from jealousy.
"Okay," Alex said quietly, and suddenly the whole basement erupted in cheers and hoots-except for Ruben, who looked like he wanted to crawl under the table.
Right then, my phone buzzed. Leonard's name flashed on the screen. I excused myself, handing Alex the money to distribute. "Divide it up, just make sure Ruben gets nothing," I said with a wink.
I answered the call. "Hey, what's up?"
Leonard's voice was electric. "Did you check the downloads?"
"Yeah, it was 40k this morning," I replied, already sensing where this was going.
"Dude, it's at 200,000 now! It's blowing up!"
"What?" I almost dropped my phone. "You're kidding."
"Nope. Go check it right now."
Alex, hearing the commotion, came over. "What happened?"
I showed her my phone, and her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, Lucas, that's amazing!" She hugged me, and I couldn't help but fist-pump the air. Haley, ever the opportunist, wandered over.
"What's going on?" she asked, curiosity piqued.
Alex explained, "Lucas's game just hit 200,000 downloads."
Haley's jaw dropped. "Wait, you're a computer geek? You don't look like one. You're going to be rich!"
I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Hopefully. If things keep going like this, maybe I'll buy you all pizza next time."
Everyone was buzzing with excitement. Luke looked impressed, and Ruben just accepted his defeat.
I chatted a bit more, soaking in the good vibes, but eventually glanced at the clock. Everyone started going home as it was getting late, and I was eager to share the news with my parents. So I decided to go home as well.
Alex walked me to the door. The house was quieter now, the chaos of the day settling into a comfortable hum. She paused, looking up at me, her eyes soft.
"Thank you, Lucas. Today was… fun. Really fun."
I smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Yeah, it was. I'll see you soon, Alex."
She leaned in and kissed me, slow and sweet, lingering just a second longer than usual. We stood there, just looking at each other, neither of us wanting to break the moment.
"See you later, Lucas," she whispered.
"See you, Alex," I replied, grinning like an idiot as I walked down the steps, the night air cool on my face, my heart lighter than it had been in a long time.
[Alex POV]
As soon as Lucas left, I barely had time to close the door before Haley materialized beside me, eyes sparkling with mischief. She leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing the secret to the universe. "You better snag that guy before some other bitch does it," she whispered, her tone half-serious, half-teasing.
I rolled my eyes, but inside, my thoughts were spinning. The more I got to know Lucas, the more I realized just how brilliant he was. He was way out of my league-handsome, smart, driven, and the way he handled Ruben? That protective, commanding energy… just thinking about it made my cheeks flush. I could still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin, the way his hands had explored my body, gentle but confident. The memory sent a shiver down my spine.
Haley wouldn't stop. "Seriously, Alex. Guys like him don't stay single for long. Mark your territory. Like, now."
I tried to ignore her, but my mind kept drifting back to earlier. The makeout session-God, it was hot. I'd never felt like that with anyone before. The way he kissed me, the way he looked at me, like I was the only girl in the world. If he'd wanted to go further, I don't think I could have said no. And honestly? I didn't even mind the idea of giving him my first time, even if we weren't officially dating yet.
Lucas is perfect boyfriend material. Smart, protective, and so, so handsome. Just remembering the look on his face when he put Ruben in his place made my heart race-and, okay, maybe a little more than that.
Later, at dinner, I caught myself smiling at my food, replaying every moment in my head. Mom noticed immediately. "Alex, honey, is there something good you want to share with us?" she asked, her voice all gentle curiosity.
Haley rolled her eyes, but Dad looked at me with that hopeful, shining gaze. I shook my head, cheeks burning. "Nothing," I mumbled, but I couldn't hide the smile.
That night, I lay in bed, scrolling through my phone. I stopped at the photo I'd secretly snapped of Lucas earlier, when he was drawing and completely focused. He looked so intense, so… hot. My heart fluttered just looking at him.
I pressed the phone to my chest, letting my mind wander. I imagined his hands on me again, his lips on my neck, his breath warm against my skin. I closed my eyes, letting the memories and fantasies swirl together, every nerve ending tingling with anticipation and longing.
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, my dreams filled with Lucas-his touch, his voice, his smile.
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A/N: Stones.
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