~Trevor~

“I just sniped him,” I say into my headset, and take a sip of my water. It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s group night. I get together with five other gamers to play and talk.

I’ve been playing with this same group for close to fifteen years, through two different game systems. We’re friends, and we don’t bring others into our fold, unless it’s one of their children who wants to play for a bit.

“Let’s take a break, guys,” Angie says. “I need to hit the bathroom and grab a snack.”

“Good timing,” Scott says. I set my controller in my lap and lean back, taking another sip of my beer. “How are you feeling, Smitty?”

“Good as new,” Smitty replies. That’s not his real name, it’s his gamer name. And he had a heart attack last year, which sent us all into a tailspin. “My wife has me on a strict diabetic diet, so I don’t enjoy food enough to actually eat it anymore.”

“Good,” I reply with a laugh. “We don’t need a repeat of last year.”

“Agreed,” Spade, another alias name, says. “My wife’s dad had a heart attack last month. I feel like everyone’s dropping like flies.”

“I’m not dropping,” Smitty says.

“I’m back, guys,” Angie says, her voice breathy from rushing. “Sorry, what did I miss?”

“Smitty feels good,” I reply.

“Good,” Angie replies.

“Hey, Trev, how’s Riley?” Scott asks.

“She’s great.”

“Wait, who’s Riley?” Angie asks.

“She’s a woman I’ve been seeing,” I reply as the game starts again.

“I haven’t heard you talk about her before.”

“It’s pretty new,” I reply with a scowl. “And I don’t tell you guys everything.”

“Really?” Scott asks, with sarcasm dripping through the line. “Good because I don’t want to know everything.”

“I do,” Angie says. She sounds pretty pissed off, which makes me raise a brow. “Where the hell did you meet her?”

“In Portland,” I reply shortly.

“You’re in Portland? Or did you meet her online?”

“Hey, why the hostility?” Trent, the sixth in our group, asks. He’s the quietest of all of us.

“I’m not hostile.” Angie sniffs. “I just want the scoop.”

“I’m in Portland working on a show,” I reply, not that I have to explain myself to Angie or anyone else. “She’s one of the co-owners of the restaurant I’m working in.”

“Oh.”

“You okay, Ange?” Scott asks. A text from Scott comes through my phone. We often text back and forth, privately discussing what’s happening in the group.

I shrug, as if he can see me, and reply. No idea.

“Fine.” We’re all quiet for a moment as we run around and shoot the enemy. Finally, Angie says, “You know what? I have to go. I forgot about something I have to do.”

“Angie, you can’t leave in the middle of a game,” Scott says, but before he can finish, she’s gone.

“Now we’re down a man,” Spade says.

“It’s okay, we’ve got this,” I mutter, and the five of us concentrate on picking up Angie’s slack. When the round is over, we lose, but only by a tiny bit. “We’ll get them on the next round.”

“I wonder what was up Angie’s ass?” Smitty says.

“You know how possessive she can be,” Trent says. “She doesn’t like new women coming into our group. She acted this way every time one of us met our wives.”

“True,” Scott says. “Maybe it’s a chick thing.”

“And being the only girl in our group for so long,” I add. “I thought she had a boyfriend?”

“Angie changes boyfriends with the seasons,” Smitty says. He’s the closest to her. “I think they broke it off a couple of weeks ago.”

“You don’t think she has a thing for Trevor, do you?” Scott says, and I immediately laugh.

“No way,” I reply.

“That would be like his sister having a thing for him,” Spade says. “Weird.”

“I don’t know,” Scott continues. “She sounded pretty jealous. And you guys know as well as I do that Angie likes the gamer dudes. The only reason she hasn’t tried to get with any of us is because we’re all happily married. But Trevor’s not married.”

“If what you say is true,” Trent says, “hearing that he’s met someone new would have made her pretty mad. She’s always been the dramatic type.”

“Trust me, guys, Angie doesn’t have a thing for me,” I say, and laugh. “She’s probably just having a shitty day.”

Suddenly there’s a knock at my door.

“Don’t start the new game yet, someone’s at my door.”

“Trevor’s so getting laid tonight,” Scott says.

“Shut it,” I mutter, and pull the door open to find a very sexy Riley waiting behind it. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“I know, it’s game night, and I’m not staying,” she says in a rush as she walks past me into the kitchen. “I just had to bring you a few things.”

“I can sign off.”

“Hey, bros before hoes, remember?” Smitty asks, making the others laugh.

“Are they in your ear now?” Riley asks with a smile.

“Oh yeah.”

“Hi, guys!” she calls out, aiming at the mouthpiece. “I’m not staying!”

She begins unloading a big plastic bag.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re well fed,” she says, making me smile. She’s in her old college sweatshirt and a pair of jeans that do awesome things for her ass.

I’m such an ass man.

“And I needed to make sure you’re warm.”

The last thing she pulls out of her bag is a black throw blanket, very much like the one I curled up with the other day at her house. She flicks it open, and reveals the Death Star.

“It’s Star Wars,” she says proudly.

“Yes, it is,” I reply, and pull my earbud out of my ear so I can kiss my girl without an audience. I grip her waist and pull her to me. “Thank you, Riley.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, and melts into me, her hands on my chest. “I really didn’t want to interrupt your evening. I know this is your night with the guys.”

“I can take a minute to kiss you,” I reply, and lower my lips to hers, brushing them lightly and then settling in to taste her, to make her go just a little weak in the knees. “Stay,” I whisper.

“I can’t,” she whispers back, and grins against my mouth. “Tonight is DVR night with Cami. I have a date with a vampire.”

“Convenient,” I reply, and brush my fingertips down her cheek, unable to keep from touching her. “Thank you, for all of this. You didn’t have to.”

“I know.” She kisses me once more and then pulls away, walking toward the door. “Enjoy it all and I’ll see you tomorrow. You hear that, guys? He’s all mine tomorrow! I’m not sharing.”

I plug the bud back in my ear in time to hear the guys laughing.

“Be safe tonight.”

“Always.” She blows me a kiss and then she’s gone.

“What did she bring you?” Scott asks.

“Looks like a salad from the restaurant, some brownies, and a Star Wars blanket because this rental doesn’t have any throws.”

“Aw, she got you a blankie,” Smitty says, making us all laugh.

She did. She pays attention. It might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.

Ever.

I don’t know if that’s sad, or if she’s just really great. I’m going with she’s great.

“It was nice of her,” I say, and sit on the couch, the blanket over my lap and my food spread around me. “I have supplies, so I’m ready to go back in when you guys are.”

“We were just waiting for you to be lovesick,” Trent says. “But in all seriousness, she sounds like a nice girl. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Okay, let’s go kill some zombies,” Scott says, and we jump into the next game and play late into the night. Tomorrow morning will come early, but I wouldn’t give these evenings up for anyone. Well, I would for Riley if she needed me, but I hope she continues to understand that although this hobby of mine is totally geeky, it’s important to me.

Time will tell.

My ex didn’t get it. It’s one of the many reasons that our relationship just didn’t work out.

But Riley is different from anyone I’ve been with in the past. Not only is she sweet and beautiful, but she’s not completely self-absorbed. She thinks of others first.

And that just makes me want to give to and protect her fiercely.

“Earth to Trevor,” Scott says in my ear. “Are you going to shoot these fucking zombies or are you going moon over Riley all night?”

“Fuck off,” I mumble, and focus on the game at hand. “I shoot double the zombies you do.”

“Prove it.”

“She’s nervous,” Riley whispers in my ear the next morning. We’re just about to wrap a shoot of Mia cooking with our host in the kitchen. She’s smiling, but forgets to look up at the camera.

“She’s doing great,” I reply softly.

“I know that, and you know that, but Mia is self-conscious,” Riley replies, watching her friend. “She always has been.”

“I’ll talk to her,” I reply, and pat Riley on the back. We’ve been careful to keep our relationship on the down-low at the restaurant. Not that everyone doesn’t already know that we’re seeing each other when we’re not here, but there’s no reason to act like lovesick teenagers.

I’m capable of keeping my hands to myself.

Sort of.

“Thanks,” Riley says, and smiles up at me. “I have a meeting, so I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

“Sounds good. Oh, before I forget, would you like to go to Multnomah Falls with me on Saturday? I’ve always heard that it’s beautiful there, and thought I’d check it out.”

She bites her lip. “I would love to, but I’m supposed to go hang out with my nana on Saturday. I can reschedule—”

“Definitely not,” I reply, and kiss her cheek. “I didn’t know you were close with your nana.”

She nods. “She’s my dad’s mother, and we grew very close after he passed away. She’s actually a lot of fun.”

“Good.” I nod as my cameraman waves at me, signaling that we’re almost finished. “Enjoy her, and we can see the falls another day.”

“Sunday?”

“Perfect.”

She nods and rushes into her office as I walk toward Mia, staying just out of the camera’s view.

“And that’s it,” she says with a shrug. “Wait. Let me do that again.”

She takes a deep breath, then looks up at the camera and smiles widely. “And that’s it. Trust me, if you follow this recipe, your guests will never want to leave your house.”

“And, cut,” the director says with a happy nod. “We’ve got it.”

Mia sighs in relief as the crew shuts down the lights and begins to clear out of the kitchen. We’re done shooting for today.

I join Mia and pat her shoulder. “You did great.”

“Really?” She wrinkles her nose. “I’m trying to get better about looking at the camera rather than down at the food all the time. I’ve never had to concentrate on anything other than the food before.”

“I get it, but you’re really a natural,” I reply with a nod. “In fact, I’ve been thinking about talking to you about doing the Chef vs. Chef show we do. Have you seen it?”

“Of course,” she says. “But you can’t seriously want me to go head-to-head with a celebrity chef.”

“Why not? Mia, after this hour-long special about your restaurant airs, you’ll be a celebrity chef.”

She rolls her eyes. “No, I won’t. I’ll just be that girl who was on TV once.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I reply with a grin. “You are beautiful, the camera loves you, and you know exactly what you’re doing in the kitchen. Viewers would devour it.”

“Trevor, I think you’re really sweet to say all of those things, but look at me.” She holds her arms out to the side and looks down herself. “I’m not exactly the usual body type for television. I’m way too heavy for that.”

“You’re wrong,” I reply, and hold my hand up when she frowns and looks like she’s going to argue with me. “Hear me out, Mia. Your curves are beautiful, first of all. Your hair is ridiculously pretty, and I know it’s not usual to wear your hair down in the kitchen, but they probably would have you do exactly that when filming the show.”

“That’s not sanitary,” she says with a frown.

“It’s for TV, not for serving a wedding party,” I reply. “Plus, and you may not believe this, but you are very pretty. Many chefs are curvy, and are still on TV. Trisha Yearwood, Ina Garten, Rachael Ray. That’s the beauty of television about food, the stars are all shapes and sizes, all ages. You’re awesome, Mia. Trust me, this is what I do for a living.”

“I’ll give it some thought,” she murmurs softly. “I don’t love having you in my kitchen, I’m not going to lie about that. But if it was just one episode . . .”

“We could start with one,” I reply, and smile when her head whips up to mine.

“Trevor, I don’t want Good Bites TV parked in my kitchen indefinitely.”

“I get it.” I hold my hands up in surrender. “Let’s get this special under our belts first, and see what happens.”

“Okay.” She sighs. “How much longer do we have of filming?”

“I’d like to do another round of interviews with each of you, and then a full day of interviewing you as a group.”

“How long is this special?” she asks with a scowl. “We’ve already given you hours of footage.”

“And it’ll all get scrutinized and cut down to an hour,” I reply with a smile. “That’s not my department. I just have to make sure we have plenty of footage for the editors.”

“Okay,” she says. “You’re the expert.”

“That I am.”

“You’re also very cozy with Riley.”

It’s amazing to watch the switch flip instantly from chef to best friend.

“That’s also true.”

“You’re good for her,” she says as she wipes down a countertop with a white rag. She tosses it into a nearby sink and leans her hips against the counter, her arms crossed, and looks me in the eyes. “Are you going to hurt her?”

“No, ma’am, that’s not my goal in the least.”

“It doesn’t have to be your goal for it to happen,” she says. “I mean, only a monster gets with a woman with the intention of mind-fucking her later.”

“True.”

“Riley’s a good person. She’s probably the best of all of us. She’s not innocent, or even naive really, but she’s good, you know?”

“I do. I was just thinking the same last night.”

She nods. “She’s met some real douchebags. Then again, most of us have.”

“And it’s not just men who have the market on douchebaggery,” I remind her. “I’ve met my share.”

“Oh, for sure,” she says with a nod. “If I’m being honest, I can be a douchebag.”

“I think you’re just a master at defending your heart,” I reply, and she blinks rapidly.

“You hardly know me.”

“I know.” I shrug. “I’m a people watcher, and I overthink most things. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.” She watches me for a moment. “Let me tell you something about Riley, Trevor. She’ll expect you to disappear. Most of the men in her life haven’t stuck around. They die, or they bail. So this whole long-distance thing makes me nervous.”

“It doesn’t excite me either,” I reply with a sigh, and push my hand through my hair. “But I’ve already told her, this isn’t a fling for me. Neither of us wants that.”

“Good.” She smiles. “As long as you’re on the same page, that’s all a person can do.”

“I would say that we are, indeed, on the same page.”

“Maybe that’s why you’d like to force me to do more shows for you, so you have a reason to spend a large amount of time in Portland.”

“I already have a reason for that,” I remind her. “I don’t have to make excuses to be with Riley. If that’s what we both want, I’ll make it happen whether there’s a show involved or not. If need be, I can work in television locally.”

“That must be a step down, to go from national to local television.”

“The money is the same,” I reply with a shrug, and then scowl. “But we’re not talking about me.”

“No?” She grins, a smug Cheshire cat smile, and then chuckles. “I think you’ve given me all the answers I need.”

“You’re a good friend,” I say.

“Oh yeah.” She nods slowly. “There are two things in this life that I’m fucking excellent at, and it’s cooking and being there for my friends. Those are the two constants in my life that I can depend on no matter what, so I’m not going to fuck either of them up.”

“Good for you,” I reply, thinking of my group of friends spread all over the country, and our Wednesday-night games. “And I totally understand.”

“Good.” She wipes her hands on a towel. “Now that we understand each other, get out of my kitchen. I have to prepare for dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grin and turn to stroll out, wondering what Riley’s up to, when Mia calls me back.

“Trevor.”

“Yeah.” I glance back over my shoulder.

“It goes without saying that if you hurt her, I’ll kill you and make it look like an accident.”

If it were anyone else, I’d smirk, but Mia isn’t playing.

“I know.”

“Okay, then.”