Page 52 of Game Over

“I know, I missed you too. Here, I got something for you!” Turning in his grip and reaching into the car, I snatched his coffee out, “The whipped cream got a little melted cause we hit traffic.”

“That’s okay, it'll still taste delicious. Thank you for thinking of me.” He pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I actually have a surprise for you too.”

“Oooh, what is it, what is it!!” I clapped my hands and bounced excitedly.

“Here, let me help you get everything so we can go in and see it. I’ll grab her, you just get your coffee and bag, sweetheart.”

“No, it’s okay, I can get it. I just need a second to figure out how to not drop everything. I’ve got this.” I went to step out of his grasp, but he tightened his hold on me, not letting me budge. This man. “Spencer.” Letting out an annoyed huff and crossing my arms, I leveled him with a glare. I was more than capable of doing things on my own.

“Allie.” His tone was calm and collected. “Let me help you. Please.” I shifted from side to side, uncomfortable with accepting the simple help he was offering. Why was it so hard for me to let him help me? This wasn’t even a huge task in the grand scheme of things. Spencer continued to stare at me, his eyes almost pleading with me. I let out a resigned sigh and handed him her leash, grabbed both bags, and followed him inside.

“Wait right there, okay?”

“You got it, boss.” I gave him a mock salute as he slid off Dolly’s harness and leash and set them all together on the table along with my bags.

“Alright, now that she’s settled, close your eyes and here—” He reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers together, and started to lead me through the rest of the apartment. If my guess was right, we were in his office and gaming room, so now I was even more confused about what this surprise could be.

“Just another step… okay, perfect. Stand here and, oh, wait, don’t open your eyes yet—mean it.” His hand left mine, and I heard his soft footfalls as he took a few steps away.

“Okay, okay, I won’t, I promise.” My ears strained as I tried to hear any indication of what he was doing. A moment later, his warm body was pressed against my back, and I couldn’t help but sink into it. His strong chest and masculine scent were so overwhelming, but in the best way.

“And open.” His smooth voice gently caressed my ear as he spoke. I slowly cracked open my eyes, and what he had set up made tears start to build. I stood there in awe of the thought this man put behind such a simple gesture. “I hope it isn’t too much. I wanted you to be comfortable when you’re here, and I know how much you love your reading.”

Sitting before me, nestled near the window and his desk, was an oversized plush chair that I could easily lie in. Complete with a couple of throw pillows on it, a fuzzy green blanket, and a small table on one side. Next to it was a shorter, empty bookshelf, with one of those fancy little candle warmers on top of it, and a giant fresh bouquet of daisies in a giant mason jar next to it. A gold empty picture frame was set to the side of the vase as well. The tears started to spill over because I don’t think anyone had ever put this much thought into a single thing for me without me having to flat-out ask for it. Warmth bloomed in my chest. Every small detail was catered to my likes and needs.

“Spencer, I—I don’t know what to say. This was so kind of you. It’s the perfect little setup. You didn’t have to do this. I—” My throat clogged with the overwhelming emotions that were bubbling up. I sniffled, trying to rein them in.

“Hey, it’s okay, I wanted to do this. I like having you in here with me when I play, but I still want you to be able to do your own thing too. I also ordered you this little stand thingy for your Kindle, but it didn’t come in yet.”

“You’re so kind and thoughtful. Thank you, Spencer, I love yo-it. I love this so much.” Looks like we’ve both almost slipped now and said the L word early on. It should scare me that we’ve both almost said it to each other so early on. Honestly, I think most people would tell us we’re moving too quickly, but there’s a part of me that knows it’s right. That we’re supposed to be together. Two lost souls drifting through a life full of hurt, wanting to find peace.

He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose with his pointer finger.

“I left the frame empty because I wasn't sure what picture you’d want in it, and I figured I’d let you decide that.”

“I’ll have to go through mine tonight and pick one. Seriously, thank you for this, I’m so excited! Can I sit in here and read tonight?”

“If you want, sure, yeah. Come here, you.” He pulled me into him and hugged me tightly. His strong body kept me tethered to the present, not letting my thoughts run rampant. He was so comforting and so steadfast. “How about I order us some food in for tonight, and we have a chill night? Sound good to you?”

“That sounds perfect. I’ve actually been starting to cramp today, and I’m worried I’m about to get my period. It’s been three months since I’ve had one because of my PCOS, and it would be my luck it shows up now.”

“That sounds awful. Is there anything you need from me?” Reaching up, I smoothed the furrow between his brows with my index finger and fixed his glasses.

“No, for now, I’m okay. I’m just hoping that if it does come, it won’t be awful. However, knowing my luck, it will be.”

Thirty minutes later, our food was dropped off, and we got set up in our little areas. I turned the candle warmer on, started my playlist, “Turn Me On” by Nora Jones quietly filled the space, and nestled back in my chair. The contentment I felt was an odd feeling, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. There was no need to worry if I fucked up and what would happen. No having to make sure everyone was taken care of before myself.

I sat back and ate, finishing the last couple of chapters of my book, while Spencer played Street Fighter with his friends. We each did our own thing, but being in each other's presence was calming. Every now and then, he’d look over at me and smile to check in with me, and I’d do the same to him. This was a peace I think I could welcome easily.

Close to midnight, we decided to get ready for bed. We both had to be at the office in the morning, so I had to be up with enough time to take Dolly back home, and we decided to ride in together. I got all my clothes neatly hung on hangers, so they didn’t get wrinkled, and went ahead and laid all my makeup out on the counter so it was ready to go.

“Feel like making time to stop for coffee in the morning?” Spencer asked as he finished brushing his teeth, and I worked on my skin care.

“Sounds good to me, we can grab some of the baked goods for breakfast. I’ll text Rachel and see if she wants anything too.”

I finished up my last step, and he came to stand in front of me, an arm on each side of me on the counter. God, his arms were a sight, all the way down to those hands that I⁠—

“Keep undressing me with your eyes, and we won’t get any sleep tonight.”