Gaming for Love

"I'm assuming I need to open doors and everything like that?"

"Definitely start out that way, yeah," Antonio answered. "Now, it's entirely possible she may not like that, particularly if she's strong and independent. If she reacts negatively, don't panic. Just explain that you were taught to do those things as a sign of respect and good manners. That ought to be enough, but if she's still not keen on it, don't force the issue."

"Ok, but... what if she wants me to hold her hand or... kiss her? How am I supposed to know and not fuck it up?"

"As far as holding her hand, it's a dance. That means you two will be in close proximity all night; handholding is gonna happen on its own, so don't stress over it. Now, as for kissing, you have to read the signs."

"The signs?" Michael asked.

"Damn, ain't you ever seen Hitch? Will Smith wrote the book on reading signs!"

"Dude, you know I can't stand romantic comedies!" Michael laughed.

"With your luck, Ashley will feel the same way," Antonio chuckled. "Anyway, the signs. If she's smiling and maybe laughing at everything you two do together, that's a sign she's into you. If she finds any excuse in the world to touch you or take your arm, that's a sign she's into you. If you two find yourselves alone and she's in no hurry to go back to where there's more people, that's a sign she's into you. If you're at her door and she fumbling with her keys, in no hurry to let the date end, that's a sign she's into you. And finally, if there's a long silence where she maintains eye contact with you the whole time, that's a full on signal she probably wants you to kiss her."

"Probably?"

"Yeah, probably. There's never any guarantee, especially when it comes to the fairer sex. The first kiss is always built on taking a chance. Keep in mind, the chance may not come tomorrow night, and that's ok. That doesn't mean she's not into you, it may just mean she plays things close to the vest."

"Fair enough. But what do I do if I get the signal? Just kiss her?"

"Naw, dude. You gotta use the 90/10 rule."

"90/10 rule?"

Antonio sighed. "Man, this would be so much easier if you had seen Hitch. The 90/10 rule is simple: you have to go 90% of the way towards your first kiss with her, but make her come the last 10%. For example, imagine that long silence where she maintains eye contact the whole time. You maintain eye contact, too. That's 20%. You smile, maybe laugh. That's 20%. You put your hand on her arm. That's 20%. You start to lean in closer. That's 20%. Your faces are almost touching, and you stop. That's 10%. She's got to come the last 10%. The point of all that is to make your intentions clear while still giving her plenty of opportunity to pull back if she wants, and if she does, that's ok."

"Easy for you to say..."

"Again, stop that. Some gals play things conservatively to start with on account of being burned in the past. Nothin' wrong with that, you just have to show that you're trustworthy before she starts to open up. It certainly doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you if that were to happen."

"Guess that's true."

"Now, for the final piece of the puzzle. Whatcha gonna wear tomorrow?"

Michael's face twisted in panic. "I have no fucking clue!" he realized.

"No sweat! You're looking at a master of the threads," Antonio boasted. "You got a suit?"

"Just a black one I use for interviews and presentations."

"Lemme see."

Michael led the way into his closet and pulled out his black suit and white dress shirt. Antonio looked them over for a moment before tossing them on the bed.

"This'll work. Got a tie?" he asked Michael.

"Yeah," Michael replied, pulling out a striped red and white tie.

Antonio snorted a bit. "Good enough for a job interview, but not even close for a Valentine's Day date."

"Ok, what about a black tie?"

"A black tie with a black suit?! You gonna look like a damn Mormon, man! Put the suit on; I'll be right back." Antonio returned a couple minutes later with a few of his own neckties in hand. "The black suit and white shirt is a staple of any man's wardrobe because of its incredible versatility. The tie is the most crucial aspect of this versatility. It's the accent that allows the suit to send any message you want it to."

"You are so obsessed," Michael chuckled.

"I'll choose to ignore your continued condescension," Antonio shot back. Holding up a pale orange tie to Michael's neck, he shook his head, saying, "Nah, you're definitely not a pastels kind of guy. Whatcha think of this one?"

Examining the wine colored tie with a starburst pattern, Michael replied, "Too loud for my tastes."

"No problem. Let's see... ah ha! This is it!" Antonio held up a solid royal blue tie to Michael's neck.

"Hmm... not bad," Michael admitted.

"Not bad? Dude, this one is perfect for you! Goes great with your skin tone and the suit color, plus it sends the right message: confidence. It's a strong color, but the lack of pattern makes sure it's not too loud or trendy. It's classic, just like you, my man. Here, put it on."

As Michael fumbled a bit in front of his floor mirror, he asked, "What knot do you think I should use? Half Windsor?"

"Nah, a full Windsor is almost always best," Antonio replied. "Symmetrical and confident, but not too over the top. A half Windsor can come off as sloppy."

Michael took a few seconds to remember the steps for a full Windsor in his head before tying the knot around his neck. When he was finished, he had to admit he was impressed with the final product.

"Damn... I'd do me."

"And who knows? Ashley may feel the same way," Antonio grinned.

*****

Michael took several deep breaths as he ascended the stairs in Ashley's apartment building. Antonio had done everything he could think of to make sure he was prepared yesterday, but Michael was still a nervous wreck. There was something special about this girl, and he did not want to screw it up. With a trembling hand, he reached forward and knocked on the door to apartment 2B.

"Yes?" came a voice from the other side.

"I'm Michael Goldman, here to pick up Ashley."

"That's right! Hold on a sec."

A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a slim redhead with a pixie haircut. Dressed in a tank top and gym shorts, she had a hint of makeup on that seemed to indicate she was getting ready for Valentine's Day, too.

"Hey! I'm Liz, Ashley's roommate," she said, extending her hand with a bubbly smile.

"Michael. Nice to meet you," he replied, shaking her hand.

"Make yourself comfortable; Ashley should be ready in a little bit," Liz said.

"No problem. Take your time."

Liz adjourned to one of the back bedrooms to check on Ashley, finding her seated in front of the vanity. Her hair had been dried after her shower, but she still wore a towel wrapped around her body. She seemed lost and befuddled as she perused her makeup selection.

"Your guy's here," Liz giggled. "He's cute! I'd totally be all over him... ya know, if I weren't a lesbian."

"Hands off, he's mine!" Ashley laughed.

"You ok? You look lost."

"Yeah, I just have no idea what to use. I want to make the right impression."

"May I?" Taking a seat next to Ashley on the bench, Liz continued, "To be honest, you don't need much. The point of makeup is to accentuate your best features, but much more than that just starts to look clownish. Here, a little bit of eyeliner... there, that's perfect. Just add a touch of lip gloss and you're good!"

"That's it? What if he's not impressed?" Ashley worried.

"Jesus, I've never seen you this worried about a date! He must have really gotten to you yesterday," Liz giggled. "Don't worry; if he's the kind of guy I suspect he is, then he'll enjoy every moment with you no matter how much makeup you use. Seriously, he gonna be speechless, girl."

"If you say so. Thanks for letting me borrow your dress, by the way. Lord knows I don't have anything to wear for something like this."

"My pleasure! Gay or straight, I'm still a girl who likes wearing pretty things!"

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were just as bad as all those sorostitutes," Ashley deadpanned.

Hugging her friend, Liz said, "Oh, I won't be home 'til after lunch tomorrow, so you two can have the place to yourselves."

"Liz! I just met the guy yesterday! I have no intention of sleeping with him!"

"I know, but I don't want the lack of somewhere private to hamper your date tonight. Should the opportunity present itself, you two have somewhere to come after the dance, that's all. No pressure."

Rolling her eyes, Ashley realized her roommate was only trying to be considerate and helpful. "Thanks."

"Welcome. All right, you finish getting ready. There's a cutie outside waiting on you!" Liz replied, bouncing up to her feet.

*****

Michael fidgeted on the sofa, nervous as all hell as he waited for Ashley. He had expected to wait like this; Antonio made sure of that. Still, talking about the wait and experiencing it are two completely different things. A moment later, he heard the door open and snapped to attention, seeing Liz enter the living room.

"She's almost ready, just a minute or two more."

"No problem." Remembering a suggestion Antonio had given him, Michael asked, "Hey, Liz... what's Ashley's favorite song?"

Eying him, she asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"I, uh, had the idea of surprising her by requesting it at some point tonight," Michael admitted.

A wide grin soon spread across Liz's face. "That's a great idea. She's got lots of favorites, but the top one is probably Welcome to the Black Parade."

"My Chemical Romance. She's got good taste," Michael remarked.

"In music, at least," Liz smirked. "We'll see after tonight how her taste in men is."

Before Michael could respond, Ashley's bedroom door creaked open to reveal his date for the evening. She wore a red A-line halter-top dress that extended down to about her knees. Though the dress flared out at the skirt, the top half hugged her form nicely, displaying her flat stomach and the curvature of her breasts. The sleeveless top exposed a tattoo of a shooting star on her left shoulder. His eyes soon drifted up to her face, which was the most adorable thing he had ever seen in his life. To Michael, the fact that she wore so little makeup made her even more attractive. Her ash blonde hair had been straightened and now hung down past her shoulders; a headband with a small flower on top completed the ensemble. Of course, her bangs were still side swept over her right eye, which Michael surmised was part of her signature look.

"Well?" Ashley asked nervously, giving a little twirl.

"You look incredible," Michael managed through his own nerves.

"Thanks," Ashley replied, walking over to him. "You clean up nice, yourself."

"Ok, smile!" Liz said, snapping a few pictures of them.

"Dammit, Liz! You know I hate having my picture taken!" Ashley laughed.

"I'm sorry, I don't recall giving you a choice in the matter," Liz replied, sticking her tongue out at her roommate. Handing her a wrap that matched the dress, Liz said, "Oh, you'll need this. It's a bit cool out there.

"Thanks, Mom," Ashley smirked as she rolled her eyes. "Ready to go?"

"Definitely," Michael grinned.

"You kids have fuuun!" Liz called out, causing Ashley to flip her off before closing the door behind her.

"So, yeah... that's Liz, my lesbian roommate," Ashley sighed as they started their walk towards campus.

"I like her," Michael replied.

"Of course you do! She's gorgeous!" Ashley teased.

"Not what I meant, but yes, she's quite the looker. But more than that, she seems like a great friend."

"Yeah, I guess she kind of is. Just don't tell her that."

"So, tell me about Ashley?" Michael asked. "Where you from, where you're going, and all that?"

"Well, my family lives about thirty minutes south of here. My original plan after high school was to learn the body art business, but Dad pushed me to try and find a path to college. Nobody in our family has ever gone to college, but he knew I had the capability if I would work for it. Since I had helped out with injuries on the sports teams at my high school, I decided to look into the sports medicine program at Auburn. Once I got a scholarship as a student trainer, the rest was history!"

"That's awesome," Michael said. "I know college isn't for everyone, but I'm glad your dad pushed you."

"I am, too. I'm definitely in a better place than I would have been."

"Any siblings?"

"Two older sisters. One's a beautician in my hometown, the other moved down to Mobile with her husband," Ashley replied.

"Nice. You mentioned your dad. What about your mom?"

Ashley grimaced at this. "Mom ran off with some guy when I was six..."

Michael cursed himself for bringing up the topic. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine," Ashley said, linking her arm in his. "It just helped me learn what family really is. In spite of everything, Dad never got down or blamed us for anything. Hell, he never even said a bad thing about Mom."

"He sounds like a great guy."

"The only male I've met that I know I can trust," Ashley agreed. "Now, what about you? What's your story?"

"Me? I grew up in Dunwoody. It's a suburb just north of Atlanta. As I'm sure you guessed from my last name and my nose, yes, I'm Jewish!" he laughed.

"I had wondered if that was the case," Ashley grinned.

"There's not much way to hide it. Pale complexion, the nose, and dark curly hair... I'm pretty stereotypical."

"Nothing wrong with that. You are who you are, so own it!"

Huh. Maybe Antonio was on to something?

Shaking his thoughts away, Michael focused back in on his date. "Anyway, I grew up in a pretty normal family, if there is such a thing. Only child, went to synagogue every Saturday, annoying yet loving parents..."

"Sounds better than what I had," Ashley agreed with a smile.

"Eh, you seem to have turned out just fine. In spite of everything, your dad still wants the best for you."

"Yeah," she said wistfully, realizing she actually had a pretty good family in spite of her life circumstances. "So, what brought you to Auburn all the way from Atlanta?"

"Family school. I'm a second generation Tiger. Both parents went and met here, plus my aunt and uncle, then their two daughters..."

"Indoctrinated from birth much?" Ashley teased.

"Wait... we talking college or are we back to Judaism?" Michael replied, eliciting another laugh from Ashley. "But yeah, very much brainwashed in favor of Auburn. When I was little, I used to think that all kids went to Elementary School, then Middle School, then High School, and then Auburn."

They walked along for a few moments in comfortable silence before Ashley said, "It's awesome that you can laugh at yourself. I try to do that, but I don't always succeed."

Michael shrugged. "I'm a walking talking caricature, so why not admit it? Makes it impossible to get offended, I'll tell ya that."

"You don't get offended by anything?"

"Not really."

"Not even a topic that hits close to home?" Ashley wondered.

"Depends," Michael replied. "Take Hitler, for example. Evil man, and I hope there's never another like him, but I'm glad he existed. If he hadn't, my grandparents would never have fled Germany and met on the voyage to America, falling in love and eventually having my dad. If not for Hitler, I'm never born, plain and simple. Perspective."

"That's a great way to think about it," Ashley said, becoming more impressed with this guy by the second. "So, are we walking because today is Saturday? No working on the Sabbath?"

"Nah, we're walking because we're poor college students who have to beg for gas money," he remarked. "But that's only something the more conservative branches of Judaism practice. My family is part of Reformed Judaism. Basically, we aren't supposed to work on the Sabbath, but individuals have to determine on their own what constitutes 'work'. For example, yard work might be considered a chore for one person, so they refrain from it, but it may be a relaxing means of recreation for someone else, so they do it."

"That makes sense," Ashley nodded. "That's so cool that your faith is such a natural part of your life. Like, you don't even have to think about it; it's just like breathing. To be honest, I kinda wish I had something like that..."

"You guys never went to church growing up?"

Ashley shook her head. "Mom was a big Bible thumper for the short time I remember of her, but then she ran off with some CEO type. At least, that's what my big sisters say. Dad never could bear to bring us to church after that. I think it reminded him too much of the things he used to love doing with Mom. And as big as she was on religion, I guess that pretty much turned me off to the concept. Of course, then I see you, mature and strong in your faith without all the pompous arrogance..."

"Makes you think, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Good! When done right, religion is supposed to make you think."

Ashley smiled at this, leaning a bit closer to Michael as they walked. She was now finding out that there was far more to him than met the eye. Beneath his nerdy exterior was a deep, contemplative man with an incredible amount of maturity and perspective. The fact that he could discuss Hitler so calmly was impressive in and of itself; hell, Ashley doubted she would be able to keep her cool on anything regarding Hitler were she in Michael's position. Combine that with the way he discussed his faith, calm and thoughtful without actively trying to convert her lest she burn for eternity, and she began to question many of her own preconceived notions. Might there actually be people of strong faith that were different from her mom? In spite of her mom's hypocrisy, Michael was beginning to convince her that it was possible.

"Hey, you ok?" Michael asked, nudging her in the side.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm great," Ashley replied, holding his arm a little tighter.

By now, they had arrived at the student union building on campus. Ashley hesitated a bit when Michael held the door for her, as she wasn't used to that sort of gentlemanly behavior, but accepted without protest. Liz had reminded her that such actions weren't meant to belittle her but rather were a man's way of focusing his attention on his date, provided they weren't forced. As Liz had said, sometimes it's the smallest actions that tell you the most about a person. Ashley chuckled inwardly at realizing that her lesbian roomie understood men better than she did. Michael then took her wrap as Antonio had instructed and handed it to the coat checker. Again, Ashley was surprised by his old-school manners, though she was growing fond of them. Michael had to mentally slap himself to keep from staring at Ashley's gorgeous body, instead keeping his eyes on hers, where they belonged.

They made their way into the large common room, finding the party already in full swing. At least two dozen couples were on the dance floor, and at least that many milled around the tables situated on the walls. Ashley was pleased to see that, despite it being Valentine's Day, the atmosphere was fun and casual, rather than stuffy. The DJ was currently playing Walk the Moon's Shut Up and Dance. As they hadn't eaten, Michael suggested they check out what food was available, to which Ashley readily agreed. They spent a half hour grazing on the various finger foods and appetizers. No alcohol was served, being that the dance was an official university event, but that suited them just fine. The last thing Michael wanted was to give Ashley the impression that he was trying to get her drunk, and Ashley had no intentions of drinking on a first date.

"Ashley! You came!" came a squeal.