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BEFORE I SAT DOWN AT the Galaga table, I had every intention of letting Drew win. That would be the easiest option. Instead of seeming like a softy for letting him back, he'd win it fair and square. Well, seemingly fair and square anyway.
But, as soon as I pulled out that stool and sat down, I knew I couldn't do it. I didn't have that “letting someone else beat me” thing in me. It was like that gene was missing from my DNA. It'd been replaced with an abundance of killer instinct instead. I looked at his hopeful face and even that didn't sway me. That might make me a bad person but it made me a bad person who was undefeated at Galaga.
"I'll put $10 on Drew," said Jackson. "I reckon it's his day."
"I'm putting my money on Carlie," said Alex as he came down the stairs. "What are we betting on, anyway?"
Jackson filled him in on how I'd told Drew he could have his job back if he beat me.
"That seems a very random way of staffing."
"My bar, my rules," I said. Hadn't he just said that I was competent? He should have more faith in me but then I guess that was better than Jackson betting against me. Jackson just did it to pump up Drew's confidence. It was his money and, if he wanted to blow it, he was free to do so.
"Are you ready?" I asked Drew.
He gulped and nodded.
The music started up and Alex sat drinks for us both on the table. I grinned then got ready to kill some pesky little alien bugs. I got to the end of the stage with a decent score. Far from my best but good enough.
Wow, the way the lights twinkled really reminded me of Holden's eyes in the moonlight. He had the kind of eyes that really caught the light. Intense eyes. When those eyes became focused on me, my knees trembled. No other man in the world made my knees tremble. You'd have thought I'd outgrown that by now but —
"You're dead, Carlie. Dead in stage two!"
Fuck, one lapse of concentration and I screwed myself. I wouldn't be doing that again. Steely focus.
Drew giggled like a little school girl. He'd be crying before I'd finished with him though.
Then Drew started. He usually made rookie mistakes but he was so focused. He couldn't maintain it, though. He didn't have my steely focus. When I played Galaga, nothing broke that focus.
I took a sip of my drink and waited for him to finish.
Had he been practicing in all his spare time since he left here? The way he played showed a maturity he'd lacked before. More strategy and less firing at anything that moved. He got through the first stage easily. Then the second.
"So, Drew," I said. "How's things been while you weren't working?" It was a dirty trick, trying to distract him but he always fell for it.
Except this time. This time he grunted and kept his eyes on the game.
My mind wandered since it was taking him so long to die. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
"Darn it!" Drew yelled. Like he always did when he died. Ha.
But he'd gotten further than I ever expected.
I laughed as I took control of the game again. This would teach him a valuable life lesson about messing with me. I wouldn’t let myself be distracted again. Love, be buggered. This was war. Surely I wasn't so brain-addled by a night of hot sex that I lost all ability to destroy Drew.
I got through the level easily and then the next. I kept going until I was sure I'd gotten so far ahead of Drew that he'd never catch me.
My phone rang. I'd left it behind the bar but, with no music playing, I could hear it easily. Well, the call could go to voicemail. That was the whole point of voicemail. There was nothing so urgent that I needed to interrupt my game. I should've turned the bloody thing off before I started but now I blocked it out.
I hadn't lost it, I was still the champion. No one could come close.
Shit, I'd died.
"Nice try, Carlie." Since when did Drew be so patronizing?
I glared at him to let him know that cracks like that would get him a clip around the ears.
A couple of customers came into the bar. I jumped up to serve them while Drew played.
"Don't worry," said Alex. "I'll look after them. Can't disturb your game."
I wasn't sure if he meant that in a sarcastic way or not but I sure as hell sat back down.
"Thanks, Alex."
He saluted me and walked over to the bar. I should've told him to grab my phone but I didn't want to be in the middle of checking it when Drew died.
He'd gotten to level 10. I grinned. That was his hell level. No matter what, Drew struggled to get past it. When he was just playing for kicks, he'd ask me to do it for him. I don't even know why he had so many problems with it. It wasn't particularly challenging or that much different to the other levels. He just had a mental block with it.
I prepared myself to take the controls and finish this game off. I guess, even if Drew finished, I should offer him his job back for playing well, despite his loss. That would make me feel better about beating him and, well, we did need him around the place. I'd been too quick to dismiss him and too proud to admit I'd been wrong. I'd taken my personal feelings out on him and probably contributed to the problem by leaving him in charge while I snuck off for a cigarette.
Drew let out a satisfied sigh. The little bugger had gotten through the level. He’d nearly caught up to me. I wiped my forehead.
Luckily, he died before he got quite up to my level.
"Sorry, Drew, but you know I'm not holding back," I said.
"I wouldn't expect anything else from you," he said.
I hunched over the table, ready to play. I'd gotten over all my shitty emotions now. I was strong. I'd go for the jugular.
"Hey, I thought you were working, not playing games."
I glanced up for just a moment when I heard Holden's voice. A split second but that was enough. Dead. Game over for me.
But Drew still had to catch me.
I stomped over to Holden. He tried to hug me but I pushed him away.
"You made me die."
"It's just a game."
"It's never just a game."
I didn't want him hugging me or acting like we were anything more than enemies in front of people. I gave him a look to say to keep it on the down-low. He grinned and winked at me. Winking was not even good. Us talking was not good. The wink did give me a fuzzy feeling, though.
I tried to walk off but he grabbed my arm. "I'll pretend all you like but, when I get you out of here tonight, I'm going to fuck your brains out."
That sent a rush straight through me. I should've told him to fuck off. He couldn't just assume I'd sleep with him again. The trembles going through my body told a different story.
Luckily everyone was too busy watching Drew to notice. He was about to die, I could feel it. He’d die and I’d win. That was the way this went.
I snuck another look at Holden.
"I can't stay long but I wanted to see you," Holden said quietly and he smiled like the sun breaking over a dark land.
"Okay, you've seen me," I said but I couldn't stop glancing at him. The lust rays beamed from my eyes and hit the ones coming from him. Knock off time couldn't come quick enough. I wanted him.
"Fuck yeah!"
Was that Drew swearing? Hell, what'd happened? I ran over to the table.
No fucking way. I'd lost? How? I glanced back over to Holden. He'd done it to me. He was my Galaga kryptonite. I shot him a look of anger but he did that curled lip grin that got me in the stomach every single time. What was a game of Galaga compared to that?
Drew jumped up from the machine. I hope that meant he was leaving to enjoy his victory but no such luck.
"I beat Carlie at Galaga, I beat Carlie at Galaga. I am the champion. I am the best." He did a stupid little dance move as he ran around the bar. “I beat Carrrrrlie. I beat Carrrrrrlie."
"Catchy little song," Holden said.
"I beat Carlie and Holden loves my song. Oh yeah." He threw in a hip shake. "Today is the day Drew rules supreme."
I didn't even try to punch him. What was wrong with me? I'd become soft. I was no longer the same Carlie.