Page 26 of Game Over

“Okay, yep, we’re good losers. Let’s go, I’m starving.”

I leaned down so only Allie could hear me, “Yep, I see what you were talking about with the whole teenage thing. Were we like that?”

“Right! I don’t know, honestly, I was busy fighting for my life.” Leave it to Allie to make a joke about her trauma.

We all loaded up and headed back to Allie’s, and she placed the pizza order while I was driving. When we stopped at a red light, I fished my wallet out and handed it to her.

“The black one in the front, use that to pay.”

“Absolutely not. No. You don’t have to buy everyone's pizza. Seriously, Spencer, you just met them and—” She tried to shove the wallet back toward me.

“Allie, don't be dumb, take the man's money,” her sister said without missing a beat from the back seat as she scrolled her phone.

I barked out a laugh. “Yeah, Allie, don’t be dumb. Take the man's money.”

“I regret bringing you tonight.” She shot daggers at me and grumbled, but used the card and placed the order. I reached over and squeezed her thigh, then grabbed her hand and pulled it into my lap. Much better. Friends could totally hold hands.

When we got in, I went and took Dolly out for her so she could get changed. Her mom was in the kitchen pouring herself a tall glass of sweet tea, and I was suddenly very nervous, because at least before we were in a crowd of people, and Allie was there to act as a buffer. Now it was only us.

“So Spencer, tell me a little about yourself now that we can talk. How’d you meet my Allie?” Let the questioning begin.

“I first saw her at the gym with her friend Emma, but we didn’t talk. The next day, I got a ticket at work that someone needed a laptop repair, and it ended up being her. Talk about a small world where the job I started was where she worked.”

“That’s cute, and how’re you liking the job? What is it you do?”

“So far, I like it; it’s a lot more relaxed than my previous job, so it’s a nice change. I primarily do IT work for Prestige, fixing computers and updating software, or if any coding or changes are needed on internal systems, I’m their guy. I also recently moved back, so I’m still getting settled in my apartment.”

“So you’re from Maplewood then?” Donna asked as she took a sip of her tea. Those curious eyes assessed me, trying to make sure I wasn’t a threat to her family. I swallowed nervously as I answered.

“Yes, ma’am, I am. I lived here my whole life, but I moved away when I graduated high school and went to college. I lived in Knoxville for a few years working, but decided I was over living in the city.”

“Certainly don’t blame you there, hun. Knoxville has grown even more, and it’s always so busy. What about your family?” Right after she asked, the doorbell rang, thankful for the interruption, so I didn’t have to get into it. I went and answered the door. It made sense she’d want to know about me, especially if she sensed that Allie and I could be more than friends. She’d want what was best for her daughter. I just needed a little more time to mentally prepare and not be awkward.

“Pizza’s here, everyone!” I called out, and Olivia and Allie came barreling down the hall.

“Will you two knock it off, like a couple of damn bulls in a china shop!” Donna yelled out in a tone that left no room for anything except the yes ma’am they both let out in unison. Allie shuffled over to me with her head down after being reprimanded by her mom.

“Ooh, someone got in trouble,” I said as I walked up behind her and hugged her.

“Oh fuck off.” She laughed and tried to elbow me in the stomach, but I jumped out of the way in time.

“Ewww, can you two stop being so cute? It’s sickening,” Olivia said as she made a plate and made a gagging face.

“You’re just jealous, here want some lovins little sis, come here!” Allie pinched her cheeks and tried to peck kisses over her face like an overly affectionate grandma would do.

“AGH! STOP THAT!” Olivia was doing her best to stay out of her sister's grip.

“I swear those two. I got lucky having two girls who love each other so much,” Donna said as she came and stood next to me.

“Yeah, I can tell how much they love one another. You did a great job raising them. Allie filled me in on a little of her upbringing.”

“Thank you, hun, that means a lot. Being a single mom is tough, but I like to think we made it all work out the best we could.” She smiled at her girls, tears lining her eyes filled with love and adoration for them. She had so much warmth and love for her children, and failed to come up with a single time I ever experienced this with my parents or brothers. Something I never would experience with them, which hurt. Clearing my throat, I stepped over to the cabinet I remembered Allie kept her dishes in and grabbed enough for everyone.

We all piled pizza on our plates and headed into the living room to eat. I sat back and mainly listened to them crack jokes with one another and catch up on anything the other may have missed. When I did talk, they made sure to include me, and it felt like I’d known them for a long time and not just met them tonight. After we finished eating, Allie told her mom and sister goodbye, and they both hugged me and told me how happy they were to meet me, Olivia thanking me for the flowers again.

“I’m exhausted now, man,” Allie said as she flopped onto her couch, and Dolly jumped up into her lap. I sat next to her, pulled her feet into my lap, and began rubbing them. “Oh, that’s nice, real nice. I could get used to this.” She let out a low moan and sank into the cushions.

“Anything I can do for you, baby girl?”