AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yep,” Arty said while putting the blower in the enclosed trailer. “Gets addicting.”
“What game?” Gage asked, flipping through the pages on his clipboard. Next was Kelly Kelsy’s house. She was bound to be out sunbathing in her skimpy bikini, always seemed to be on days she was scheduled for.
Arty opened the back door to the truck and pulled out a bottle of water. “Friendly Words. It’s like Scrabble, can play with anyone—”
Dom cut him off, “Yeah, but if you put in your location, they match you with players in your area.”
Gage looked up from the clipboard. “Hmm.”
“Hmm,” Arty repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Dude,” Dom drawled. “You gotta download it.”
Gage shook his head and pulled his cell from his back pocket, tossing the clipboard through the truck window to land on the driver’s seat. “Fine, show me, you pains in the ass.”
Dom stood over one shoulder while Arty stood over the other as they watched Gage type into the search bar. The app appeared and he hit download.
Arty patted him on the back, walking away, he said, “It’ll change your life.”
Dom chuckled. “Yep.”
Gage’s phone alerted him the app had been installed. Change his life...it wouldn’t be until later that he’d learn just how right his friends’ words were.
Gage pulled up into his driveway from a long day only to find it empty. It was the third night this week his wife chose work over her own family. He parked in the gravel area next to the house. Heather had complained that his work truck and trailer had been leaving marks on the driveway; to not make a big deal over it, Gage dug out a spot next to the house and filled it with gravel. Twisting the knob, Gage found the door locked, meaning his daughter wasn’t home either. Apparently, the least amount of time a teenager spent at home, the cooler they were, and his daughter was trying for the gold star in that achievement. Gage unlocked the door, an impatient Velvet zipped between his legs to the first patch of grass, relieving herself while looking up at Gage with a look of thanks.
“Sorry, princess.” He apologized to the dog, for reasons he didn’t even know. Maybe he felt like he needed to since only having her for a year and a half, the girls had lost interest in her.
He waited until she was done doing her business before they both went inside. Gage went to the cabinet, grabbed her a treat, then snatched himself a beer from the fridge. Sitting at the island, he pulled his cell from his pocket and connected to his wife.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby, when you due home?” Gage asked as he spun the bottle around in a circle, watching the condensation collect on the granite.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry, forgot to tell you we have a meeting tonight. I should be home by nine at the latest,” Heather said, before moving the phone from her mouth. “Use the green folders, goes with the coloring on the logo.”
“Gotcha,” Gage muttered, looking at the clock above the sink that read six-fourteen.
Heather’s voice was low. “I’ll make it up to you later.”
Gage’s voice matched hers. “Oh yeah.”
“Yeah,” she breathed into the phone. Then in a distant voice said, “No, Marie, the hunter green ones.” Returning to Gage, she reminded, “Honey, I have to go but your parents are coming Sunday for cake, don’t forget.”
“Got it. Go,” he expressed. “Love you.”
“Me too.”
The line went dead. He looked to the fridge but didn’t see it; they were actually doing something for his birthday. It wasn’t on the day, but it was something. Taking a hefty pull from the bottle, he placed his phone in front of him. He looked at the home screen, then swiped it left, eyes focused on the little icon for the new game he downloaded. Tapping it, the screen changed, and Gage began entering his information, including his location. The game automatically matched him with a player named, Lucky Lucy. He spent the next thirty minutes kicking her ass in the game before his stomach growled. Gage moved to the fridge and snatched the leftover spaghetti. Back at the island, he opened the container and dug into the cold noodles. Not long after he finished his game with Lucky Lucy, who didn’t live up to her name, Friendly Words matched him with another player, this one close to his area.
“Let’s see what skills you have, Tilly,” Gage muttered around a mouth full of pasta, tapped play and waited for her to accept the game.
_______________
Tilly checked on the kids before she went to bed. Standing at Justin’s door, she couldn’t believe he was in high school. Time was moving so quickly, too quickly. Pulling his door closed, she walked to Ashley’s room. Once done in all pink, the walls were now gray. The castles and unicorn posters replaced with images of her favorite bands. Her baby was a teenager.
Retreating to her room, she got ready for bed before she pulled the comforter down on the king size bed that her husband rarely slept in. He crashed on the sofa a lot, getting home so late and not wanting to wake her. Resting up against the headboard, she reached for the remote, but nothing appealed to her. She had a book she’d been reading, but she didn’t really feel like reading. Her phone was in the charger next to her bed. Reaching for it, she swiped the screen, and saw the icon for Friendly Words. Launching the app, she saw she’d been paired with someone named Gage. He was waiting for her to accept a game with him.
She accepted. It was late, the chances that he was on was unlikely, so she was surprised when she saw a green dot appear next to his name a few seconds before the word Equate showed up on the screen. Tilly looked at the available letters, found a word and typed it. Not too long after she did, Gage had one. They went back and forth, a comfortable kind of flow to the game, so when she glanced at the clock she was shocked that an hour had passed. She’d won the game. Not just won, she had slaughtered him. Candice was right, the game did suck you in.
