Chapter 3-1
928 Words
Chapter 3
Gabriel
Gabriel started separating the tiles and found some pieces he had never seen before. He was certain the last time he’d played Hive there hadn’t been any ladybugs or mosquitoes. That meant he had new rules to learn, as if he wasn’t already looking forward to being done with the game.
He was still studying the new insects when Aitor came back.
“If you hate it that much, I can choose another game.”
Gabriel startled. A lot of his teasing had been just that, and he didn’t want to make the other guy feel like he needed to change his choice for him. It’d been a long time since he’d played Hive, and who knew, maybe he’d like it this time. If nothing else, he’d enjoy talking with Aitor through the game.
“No, no. I was just thinking that I haven’t seen these pieces before. You may have to explain those to me, along with the whole game, because I really don’t remember much.”
Gabriel tried to focus on the explanations, but the words went flying over his head. He could easily focus on Aitor, though, and the way his hands worked on the tiles. While other people typically said the first thing they noticed about people were their eyes, their smiles, or other romantic notions, that hadn’t been the case for Gabriel. Hands had always been the first thing he noticed about guys. They fascinated him; he found himself studying the different ways people used them, from menial tasks to expressing themselves. Whether people noticed it or not, their hands and the way they moved them said a lot about themselves. Aitor’s hands were small and looked smooth, with the nails cut close. He used them a lot, to accompany his words with gestures and to show the pieces to Gabriel, who still wasn’t sure what each of them did.
“Do you mind if we play a pretend game? This is just confusing me more.” He saw Aitor’s frown and rethought his words. “Not that you’re a bad teacher! You aren’t. It’s just that I’m more of a hands-on learner.”
He awarded himself a point when the frown transformed into a smirk. “Hands-on, eh? I can work with that.”
“Mind. Gutter. Out.”
“Why? Like you said before, I like it here.”
There was something about Aitor that made Gabriel want to keep inciting those smiles, but that way could only lead to trouble.
“Are we going to play or not?”
Aitor’s laugh was even more dangerous than his smile. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were actually looking forward to playing.”
“You wish. I just want to get this over with.” He smiled to show he was joking, mostly. “So come on, show me how to play insect chess.”
Loathe as he was to admit it, Gabriel had fun playing. He didn’t win once, not even when he could tell Aitor was holding back, but he enjoyed playing with someone who knew what he was doing and considered every move.
“You know? Even though it will never be my favorite game, I’m starting to like this.”
The other man looked up from organizing his tiles. “Really?”
“Yeah. I think the problem is that I’d never played seriously, with someone that actually knew how to play, you know? We just moved our pieces and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but there wasn’t any kind of logic behind it.”
Another smile took over Aitor’s face, crinkling the corner of his eyes. “I’m glad. It’s really not my favorite either, but it’s a good game for two people and well…convincing someone to play it with me is easier than trying to convince them to play actual chess.”
“I can see that. This one looks a lot less serious. Chess is intimidating.” Gabriel shuddered visibly, making Aitor laugh.
“We should play chess sometime.”
“You’d have to teach me how to play. I never learned.”
“I can do that.” He smiled again. “Now, should we play a last game before I disappear to have some dinner?”
Gabriel groaned and dropped his head to the table. “I forgot about dinner.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get that. Or were you talking to the table?”
He looked at the other man, who had a bemused expression. “I said I forgot about dinner. I usually pick up something before coming, but I left work late and I…” His stomach grumbled, as if the thought of food had awakened it. “I can’t believe I forgot about dinner.”
Aitor started laughing, the tiles he’d been picking up scattering all around the table. By the time he stopped to catch his breath, there were tears in his eyes. “Sorry, sorry, but you looked so adorable saying that!”
Gabriel startled. “What? I’m not and have never been adorable.”
Aitor chuckled again. “I beg to differ. You are. Like a teddy bear.”
“Oh, my God.” Gabriel hid his head between his arms on the table, not wanting Aitor to see how his cheeks had certainly turned red.
The other man patted his head, and Gabriel wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d heard him say “there, there” any moment. But he didn’t, instead staying silent until Gabriel couldn’t feel the heat on his face anymore.
“There you are.” Aitor’s smile did weird things to Gabriel, like giving him the urge to lean over the table and kiss him. “I always go get dinner at the same place during these events. Maybe you could come with me?”
“What are you offering?”
“Best hamburgers you’ve ever tried and a bit of company.” He gave Gabriel a wicked smile. “Anything else we can negotiate later.”
Gabriel didn’t try to hide his face this time, even though he was surely radiating heat by now. “Sounds good.”
Aitor finished scooping tiles and got up. “Let’s go, then.” He returned the game at the desk, then started walking, Gabriel following. “Mind you, I had to park almost in the next village over. Some arsehole stole my spot.”
Gabriel raised his hands and laughed. “I’m sorry! Is that what you want to hear?”
Aitor looked at him, his gaze traveling from his feet to the top of his head, and Gabriel had to contain a shiver. “It’s a start.” Then he smiled.
- Writer
