Gambit
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gambit (noun) (1) a chess opening in which a player seeks to obtain some advantage by sacrificing a pawn or piece; (2) any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage; (3) a remark made to open or redirect a conversation-------------------------------------------------
Tears raced down her face as she tore her arm from her grasp. "Stop it! Just stop it!" She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "It's not funny! I won't be your joke anymore! Just stop and leave me be!"
Dumbstruck, he gaped at her for a moment. "What are you on about?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"I don't understand," she continued, ignoring his question. "I thought you were my friend but—" She pulled herself up and faced him head on. "Do you laugh when I'm not around? Amusement for you and your real mates. How could you?" Now her tear filled eyes bored holes into him.
He ran a hand through his hair, obviously bewildered. "Lily, I have no idea what you're talking about. Just—"
She waved him off, thrusting a piece of parchment toward him. "I can't believe you knew. It would be one thing if you just-just didn't feel the same but that you would string me along for so long for your own sick pleasure—how could you be so cruel?" She shook her head. "God, Aiden, I don't even know you."
His mouth opened to try and piece together some semblance of sense but she just shook her head as she slid into her car. She was gone in a screech, leaving a flurry or leaves unsettled behind her.
Blinking, he glanced down at the paper she'd thrust into his hands. There were water drops—tears, he realized belatedly—but the print was still readable.
Hugh—
I can't believe school's only been out for a week! It feels like an age. My mum's already on me about my A-Levels, though, can you believe it? You'd think we were already halfway through next year or something!
Anyway, I've not got long. I just wanted to check—are you still planning to visit Town next week? I was hoping we could get tea...without our parents. They are horrible bores, after all.
One last thing before I go; I never could work up the nerve to say anything during the year. Please don't be mad—I just didn't want to upset you. I know how much you care for Lily, even if she is a terrible nag at times.
See, my older sister mentioned she overheard Aiden Milton laughing about her—about how she's always following him like a puppy dog and obviously infatuated with him. I know they're meant to be friends but apparently he and his mates are always mocking what she says and other things behind her back.
I'm so sorry, Hugh. I honestly didn't know how to tell you. I can't imagine what I'd do if it were my sister and… well, I just hope you can forgive me for taking so long. We can chat more next week or over IM.
Aurelia Santoro xoxo
Face set in a deep scowl, Aiden raced into his parent's posh flat. Unlike Lily, he still wasn't quite old enough to get his license. Instead, he was stuck using cabs and the generosity of others. It wasn't long before he was on his father's computer, using Skype to call the Santoro household. (They summered in Italy and he highly doubted his parents would appreciate a long distance phone charge.)
A maid with dark skin and darker eyes answered the call. She appeared to have been cleaning the office. "Signore Aiden, sir," she said in a heavily accented voice. "You wish to be speaking with Signorina Giulia?"
"Yes," he barked, forgoing the usual pleasantries in his agitated state.
The woman gave a serene nod, apparently not bothered by his tone, and moved out of the webcam's range.
It wasn't long before Giulia's tanned face popped into view. "Aiden?" she questioned curiously. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu call?"
He did not spare her any pleasantries. "Lily has just been here, Giulia. She was in an absolute state because of something your sister wrote to her brother. Something you apparently shared with Aurelia about me." His expression darkened. "I just have one question: why?"
Giulia had the audacity to look innocent. "Am I not allowed to share things with my sister now? How was I to know she was friends with Hugh Dixon?" She crossed her arms. "I'm not the one who told all those stories about the 'stupid flower' and that 'pansy cow'."
Instantly his face fell. "That—you thought..." Aiden growled with irritation. "I called her that pansy cow because the stories were about Pansy King and my father!" He grit his teeth. "You insufferable busybody. Instead of coming to me or having all the facts, you just—ugh!" Throwing his hands up, he waved off her hasty apologies. "Never mind. I've got a mess to clean up."
After closing Skype, Aiden began pacing. He couldn't very well cab over to the Dixon household or wherever Lily had chosen to hide out. If her mum and dad didn't do him in, her brother and cousins would surely finish the job. No, despite his inclination to try to fix this that moment, it would probably be best to wait. Forcing himself to sit, Aiden began to formulate a plan.
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It was late morning when Aiden called a cab take him to Lily's small suburban neighborhood. It was a short ride during which he alternated between looking anxiously at his cell phone (no missed calls from Lily) and pretending to listen to the Pakistani man ramble about traffic and weather. Soon enough, he was standing on a corner and left to his own devices.
Wandering down the lane, it wasn't hard for him to find a small park. A cursory look confirmed that it was the park. The park that Lily always chatted about. It really wasn't much to look at—just a few benches, a nice lawn with some flowers around the edges and a handful chess tables in the centre. But for the child of Robert Dixon, rabid chess enthusiast, it was enough.
He spotted her almost instantly. Her red hair shone like a beacon—a splash of color in an utterly gray world.
For a moment, he paused. An anxious hand ran through his blond hair and he considered running away. But, no. He'd made it this far, he wasn't going to call another cab (or worse, one of his parents) to return home with his tail between his legs. Not without at least speaking with her first.
Steeling himself, Aiden marched forward. As he closed in on her, he could see Lily was waiting for another opponent. He gave the evil eye to anyone that even glanced her way and swooped into the seat across from her.
Lily's gaze snapped up, and she froze. "Aiden?" Her mouth formed a thin line as she started to stand.
Covering her hand with his, his gray eyes pleaded with her. "Please, Lil. Hear me out."
Maybe it was his sincerity. Maybe it was the dark circles under his eyes from a night of restless sleep. Maybe it was nothing more than some kind of morbid curiosity. Whatever the reason, though, she gave a small nod and sat again. "Fine," she said stiffly. "But, if you want to sit there, you're playing."
"Fine," he agreed. Because he was the challenger, he let her make the first move.
They played in silence for at least ten minutes before Lily's irritation outweighed any lingering mortification. "You were going to say something?" she prompted, bringing her bishop out to take one of his pawns.
"So I was," Aiden confirmed with a nod, eying the board for a moment. Scowling at what he saw, he moved his castle. Then he looked up to meet her gaze evenly. "Thing is, I don't know where to start."
Her lips were pursed as she toyed with her pawn, finally moving it. "The beginning is usually a good place," was her dry response.
Aiden shrugged. "Fine. I don't like to disrespect the girls I know but boys are boys. So, one day, after a good deal of ribbing—" here, he moved his queen, taking her knight, "—I finally acquiesced. I told them a story; a story about Pansy King and my father."
Busying herself with making her move, Lily didn't comment at first. "But Aurelia—"
"Santoro heard a bunch of nonsense from her sister who didn't know what the bloody hell she was talking about." Aiden frowned and moved one of his pawns. "It's not my fault you lot are named after sodding flowers, is it?" he added under his breath.
Lily heard him. Crossing her arms, she huffed a little. "Well, I—"
"Nuh-uh," he cut in, wagging his finger. "You don't get to argue right now, Lil. Way I see it, there can be only one of two reasons you believed this load of nonsense. Either you really do have that little faith in me as a friend or there was more going on here than I've been aware of." He cocked a brow at her as he moved his bishop into place. "So which is it? And check."
Scowling, Lily looked down at the board and made a quick move. "I don't have to answer that."
Aiden nodded. "True, I suppose," he agreed, pushing his knight forward. "Check."
"But I suppose if I don't, you'll be inclined to think I have little-to-no faith in the strength of our friendship," she said in a long-suffering tone, moving her king out of danger.
He smirked a little. "Well, there is that," he drawled in typical rich boy fashion as he prepared his bishop for attack. "I am more interested, though, in what I think was going on in that head of yours."
Lily chose not to comment, instead concentrating on the game. After a minute of contemplation, she pulled out the big gun—her queen.
"Aren't you interested in my theory?" Aiden pressed, putting his pawn up for sacrifice.
"Not especially," she muttered, taking said pawn.
Now he smiled a little, tapping her wrist so she'd look at him. "Not even if I think the same thing?" he asked, slipping his queen behind her defenses. "Checkmate."
Lily wasn't looking at the board, though. She was standing, expression fierce. "Aiden, I swear on all that is holy, if you are screwing with me—"
That was as far as he'd let her go. "I'm not," he interrupted, making his way to her. "And, unless I've completely misread everything, I'm going to kiss you now." He smirked again as he leaned forward. "Feel free to shove me away if this is an unwanted attack."
She laughed a little at that, though it had a distinctly higher pitch than her usual.
It didn't matter. The next moment, his lips met hers and even though it was awkward and fumbling and he completely forgot where to put his hands, it was still warm and sweet and he wanted more. Much more.
They pulled apart, noses just centimeters away from each other. Wide blue eyes met wide brown and neither quite knew what to say.
Lily recovered first, clearing her throat. "Well."
"Okay," Aiden agreed without actually agreeing to anything.
She nodded. "So?"
He matched the movement. "Yeah."
They both still looked like deer caught in headlights for another moment, then Aiden reached forward and grabbed her hips the same time Lily wrapped her arms around his neck. The next instant, she was plastered against him and they were full on snogging.
Half an hour later, they were discovered by a myriad of her cousins and other, more homicidal, family members. Aiden wasn't certain he'd live through the day but with Lily's hand clasped in his he found he couldn't mind too much.
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