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“Hell yeah!” She sat up a little straighter but after that outburst, she relaxed back into the settee. “I hardly drink anymore. Hell, I haven’t had a drop since I moved back to Brooklyn. But tonight, I’m allowing myself this one opportunity to just let go.”
“Hmm.”
His lack of comment seemed to pique her interest. “Why drink mineral water? You a health nut?”
“Something like that.” He ate healthy. It was no lie, yet he kept his answer vague.
“If you are, I get it. I’m in way better shape without those empty calories.”
Ava suddenly seemed so welcoming and engaging, finally dropping her guard, that he didn’t want to stop the conversation. But the subject of him no longer drinking alcohol was a deeply personal one. “I wouldn’t classify myself as a health nut so much as wanting to keep my vessel clean so I can optimize my energy, keep my flow going.”
“That’s deep.” She adjusted her arm along the sofa, facing him better.
“Also, I don’t drink anymore.” He half expected her to snort with disdain, thinking him a lame-o. But that’s not the reaction he received. Instead, her eyes grew big, brimming with concern as she slipped her hand off the sofa and onto his shoulder.
With this shift in her, he felt compelled to trust her with his story. “I almost messed up my life in college. After a serious car accident, followed by a court case, detox, fasting, and spiritual healing, I realized I had the power to turn my life around.” It felt strange to talk about it again after so long. Years later, when Wesley’s game went viral, Brock advised that the incident remained a closed door in Wesley’s past. Said reporters would go into a frenzy over a story like this.
“What happened?”
Old feelings rushed back. “It was so intense, coding games. I got addicted. Stayed up all hours working. I took uppers to keep myself alert. One night, I drank some beers, along with taking some stronger pills. Not a good combo. No one stopped me when I grabbed my car keys and declared I was heading to the corner mart for another six-pack and some munchies. I never saw the other car coming. Two teenagers were driving home from a football game. Both ended up in the hospital—one almost died.”
“I’m sorry.” She gripped his shoulder, gently squeezing it.
He bobbed his head, appreciating her human side. “Brock represented me and sent me to a rehab in Costa Rica. During my six-week stay, I detoxed by fasting and meditating. It had a powerful effect on me. After that, I returned to the institute to finish out my degree and then I moved east.”
“This happened in college, so you’ve known Brock for a while.”
“One of my professors was a good friend of his and asked Brock to help me out. We hit it off and from then on, he’s not only been my lawyer but my mentor.”
“Seems you got lucky there. For all his outlandishness, he’s a good guy.”
“I owe him so much.”
The sympathetic gesture of her hand on his shoulder moved him but her fingers began to play with the folds of his collar. He couldn’t believe how relaxed and comfortable she was acting with him.Definitely the booze.
“I started building my video game network after getting sober and stayed super focused. I met some amazingly talented people, my crew to this day. Anyway, since the day of my retreat, as I like to refer to it as, I’ve stayed clean. I treat my body as a temple because it keeps my mind sharp. It’s been that way ever since—only, lately, I’ve been experiencing this mental block.”
“We all have demons to fight.”
So, she had her own secrets. Just because he told her something personal didn’t oblige her to do the same. He suspected it had something to do with her early retirement from the army.
After remaining silent for several moments and giving her time to speak up, he stated, “Yeah, well, at least people like you and Todd fight in the name of your country.”
Violence in the real world was no comparison to his made-up fantasy world.
Ava put up a tough front, maybe because she had to with her military brothers, but things were different for her now. He recognized the adjustment she was going through. He knew the struggle well.
“If your job got to you,” he added, “at least you chose to walk away, unenlist, retire.” Though Wesley made assumptions, he hoped she’d confide in him or at least set the record straight. She didn’t take the bait, leaving him adrift.
He shrugged. “I’ve made peace with the accident. And I practice mindfulness.”
“Mindfulness,” she repeated, her brows rising in contemplation.
“It’s slowing things down, staying in the moment. Like taking time to smell the roses. Being grateful. You see?”
Ava tilted her head, seeming to look clear into his soul. He felt an incredible pull toward her, something deep, gravitational.
“So much has changed recently,” she said in a small voice, “I haven’t had a chance to process it.”
