Page 59 of Save a Wish

I laughed at their ridiculousness. For a trio of people I’d never met in real life, they were good friends. We’d gotten to know each other virtually over the three years we’d been playing online video games together. Last year, we’d even had a virtual Christmas party through video chat where I’d gotten to meet their significant others. We’d done a Secret Santa gift exchange too and I still used the Video Game Master mug Zia had gotten me every day.

Time to let them know I was alive.

Me: Hey, weirdos. I’m not sick and zombies didn’t get me. I was entertaining a guest.

I spun in my gaming chair while three dots undulated on the screen signaling Leif was replying.

Leif: A real, live guest? Like flesh and blood?

Me: Yup.

Zia: A lady guest?

I sent a thumbs up emoji.

Zia: We’re going to need more than a thumbs up emoji, Beckett.

Melvin: Yeah, man! Give us the deets! It’s only fair. I mean, you blew us off for this lady guest.

Zia and Leif hearted Melvin’s message as I considered what to share about Sadie. A moment later, my laptop chimed with an incoming video call. I tapped the screen to join the call where all three of them were waiting.

“You having a lady guest was too big of a deal for texting,” Zia said. “And I wanted to see your face so we can gauge how into this chick you are.”

I smiled and all three of them hooted and whistled and carried on.

“Oh, the man is in deep!” Melvin pointed at me. “Look at him. His eyes are actually sparkling.”

“They are not,” I said.

“Adjust your screen’s brightness and resolution, Beck,” Leif said. “There are practically stars and hearts shooting from your eyes.”

I closed my eyes, attempting to reset my face to its factory settings, but Sadie kept popping into my head and I couldn’t quit smiling.

“I think his face is stuck in that blissful state,” Zia said. “It looks good on you, Beck.”

“But you have to tell us about her,” Melvin said, “because though there have been other lady guests over the years we’ve known you, Beckett Hartley has never turned down a gaming session for one of those females.”

“Yeah,” Leif said. “What makes this one different?”

I scrubbed my hands down my face. “I don’t know, guys. Sadie is unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

I told them about finding her in the grassy field, about her saying my aura was a mess, about the sound bath and helping her set up her business, about spending time with her.

About falling for her. Falling hard and fast.

When I finished, all three of them stared at me.

“Are you guys frozen?” I asked. “Or is it on my end?”

“No, we’re still here,” Zia said. “We’re just shocked that our prince of technology has finally found someone with the ability to drag him away from his toys.”

“I’m both happy and sad about this,” Melvin said. “It’s great someone like Sadie has come into your life, but you’re not going to give up video games altogether, are you, Beck?”

“Of course he isn’t,” Leif said. “There are so many games yet to play and he’s always worked around our schedules when our significant others tore us from our consoles. Now we’ll work around his too. We’re gaming buddies for life.”

“Or at least until our thumbs are too arthritic to play anymore,” Melvin said, making us all laugh.

“Gaming buddies for life is right,” I said. “I’m not giving up gaming. I’m just not going to be as available to do it anymore. My life has needed more balance between virtual and reality for a while now anyway. Meeting Sadie might be the way I find that balance.”