“It’s a pretty fun little game. You should give it a chance,” he said. He was smiling again, and I couldn't help but smile back. His easy grin was infectious.
“Maybe I will,” I replied. “Thank you again for catching me the other night.”
“It was my pleasure,” he assured me. “I would be happy to catch you any time.”
I blushed slightly. “I bet you say that to all the girls you save.”
He leaned forward to whisper. “Just the pretty ones.”
This guy was all confidence and charm. I found it rather appealing. There was nothing fake to it, nothing that said he was simply playing a part. This was just his natural charm. I could appreciate the compliment.
“Still, thank you again for saving me,” I said.
He waved his hand through the air. “It really was no trouble. I'm just glad you didn't actually fall and break your wrists. Then you wouldn't be able to play the game.”
I laughed. “I get the feeling you want me to play more.”
“Only if you want to,” he said. “But I promise that you’ll get hooked at some point if you do. It only gets better the more you play.”
“Is that so?” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and bit my lip before I could stop myself.
“Look, it sounds like you’re pretty hesitant,” he said, rubbing at the stubble on his chin. “But if you wanted to learn more, maybe we could hang out and play some time?”
Is he asking me out? I wondered. I hoped so. He was cute and I was enjoying this. Talking with him was easy and comfortable, even if we were talking about a game. It would definitely be the first time a phone app had netted me a date.
“A Monster date?” I joked.
“I was just thinking that we could at least get you to level five,” he offered. There was that smile again. He had to know the effect it had on women. “That way you can help your brother defend this gym.”
“I’d love to play with you. I mean, play the game with you.” I blushed, as I stumbled over my words. My stomach twisted into a happy, excited knot.
“Okay, well how about tomorrow then? Same time?” he asked. His smile somehow got bigger and even more friendly. My knees threatened to go all wobbly.
Tommy chimed in. “That works for me!” I had completely forgotten that he was there.
I shot my little brother a nasty look, but he just grinned at me. I decided I could tell him on the way back home that there was no way in heck he was coming with me to meet Jacob the next day. If he came, the date really would be all about the game, and I wasn't really interested in playing that much.
“That sounds perfect,” I said, ignoring Tommy. “Should we meet here?”
“Actually, no, let’s meet over at the fountain. We can walk around the park and pick up a few monsters, and hopefully get you enough experience points so that you can level up,” he explained. “We’ll be battling for the gym together in no time.”
This game suddenly seemed like the greatest invention of all time.
“Perfect,” I said, the word coming out a little more breathless than I wanted. I didn't want to appear too eager.
We looked at each other for just a moment and I felt that tingling of excitement inside of me. Was this the beginning of something? I hoped this would lead to a real date.
Jacob’s phone vibrated and he glanced down. He pressed on his screen before turning and high-fiving Tommy.
“Looks like our team was able to defend the gym,” Jacob announced, putting the phone back in his pocket.
“I knew we could handle it,” Tommy replied. “Good job.”
“You too,” Jacob said, ruffling Tommy's hair. “We took care of business today.”
I watched their interaction and it warmed my heart. Jacob didn’t appear to see Tommy as some annoying little kid, but instead he was just another warrior in this game, just as ready and able as he was. It was nice to see and somehow made me even more excited about the little get together that was planned for the following day.
“Alright, you two, I’ve got to get back to my apartment,” Jacob said. “I'm still unpacking after a long move and this was just my break.”