A Game of Inches – Part Eight

I apologize for the delay in Chapter’s, I had Chapter Eight finished, but was unhappy where the story was going. I have since rewrote this chapter in it’s entirety, I hope you guys enjoy it. As always, this is a work of fiction, and in no way should be viewed as anything otherwise.




I returned to my house near five o’clock in the afternoon, Ashley was already home. I decided to spare her the drama of my recent visit to my grandfather, instead inquiring about her day. We talked for a few minutes before she went to change clothes and get comfortable. I noticed that since I had come back home, the awkward feelings with Ashley had somewhat passed. Maybe what had happened between us was for the best, we now knew what the parameters were. She came back into the kitchen dressed in shorts and a tee shirt, as usual she looked awesome. We resumed our conversation as she fixed some supper, once again I began to feel somewhat overwhelmed, just looking at her. I was glad she was wrapping up dinner, we could eat soon. As I was putting out the plates and silverware, my cell phone rang. I answered it on the third ring, it was Courtney.

“Hey Brian, whatcha’ doing ?”, she asked, excitedly.

“Getting ready to eat dinner with Ashley.”, I answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I bothering you ?”, she inquired.

“No, not at all, what’s up Court ?”, I replied.

“Well, I want to ask you something, you don’t have to say yes, I just want you to think about it. Will you do that ?”, she urged.

“Sure.”, I shot back.

“Ok, here goes. My Mom has a free weekend stay at the Holiday Casino on the Coast. She has two free nights, free meals and some slot play. They decided not to go at the last minute, they were….well I was wondering if we would like to go ?”, she asked.

“Like tonight ?”, I asked.

“Yes, like right now. We could be there in a few hours, we would come back Sunday.”, she answered.

“I don’t know Courtney, I mean ……… , let me finish eating, I will call you back in a few minutes ok ?”, I answered.

“That’s fine, but look Brian, if you feel uncomfortable, or if you just don’t want to go with me, it’s ok.”, she insisted.

“Ok Court, I will let you know.”, I said, hanging up.

I went back to eating, it took only a few seconds for Ashley’s interest to get the best of her.

“What was that about ?”, she asked, in between bites of her food.

“Courtney wants me to go away with her for the weekend to the coast, stay at a casino for a few days.”, I answered, reluctantly.

“Why don’t you go, that sounds like fun. It might be just what the two of you need, some alone time.”, she replied.

“Ashley, I…….. , I know what we said but, you know…. I just can’t seem…”, I started.

“Brian, we have been over that. You need to move on and forget those feelings. Please, if you have any feelings for me, do as I ask.”, she pleaded.

I looked down at my plate, pushing the food around with my fork. I knew she was right, but I guess I had held out just a glimmer of hope. I began to think about Courtney and the weekend, while I finished my dinner and cleaned up the dishes. About an hour later I decided to call Courtney back. She answered the phone quickly, I figured she had been waiting.

“Hey Court, I was talking to Ashley and she thought it might be a really good idea if we made the trip together.”, I told her.

“Ashley approved of it ? That kind of surprises me, lately I have really gotten the feeling she doesn’t quite like me.”, she replied, “But considering my past actions, I can’t say that I blame her much.”

“Ashley has nothing against you Court, she only has my best interests at heart, as I am sure you parents have for you.”, I responded.

“That makes sense.”, she answered.

“I guess a little time away might not be a bad thing. I am really tired for some reason, maybe all the traveling has gotten to me.”, I told her.

“Good, so how fast can you pack ?”, she giggled.

“I can be at your place in about an hour. See you then.”, I answered.

“Ok, good. See you then.”, she said.


I went to my room, grabbed one of my large duffel bags the team had just given me, packing a few days worth of clothes inside. I grabbed all of my personal items, as well as my IPAD and laptop.
I told Ashley goodbye and started over to Courtney’s. It didn’t dawn on me until I pulled into her driveway, her parents had to be aware that we would be sleeping in the same bed. I instantly felt uneasy, her parents had always treated me with the utmost trust and respect, I didn’t want anything to ruin our relationship. I walked slowly to the door, rang the bell and waited. Ms. Timmons answered the door quickly, she invited me in.

“Hey Brian, nice to see you.”, she said, hugging me softly.

I followed her into the den where Mr. Timmons was watching TV alone, a drink in his hand. He quickly motioned me over to join him.

“Brian, it’s great to see you, I am dying to hear about camp, how was it ?”, he asked.

I went on to give him a quick accounting of what I had been up to since I had been drafted and left town. He asked me a few questions here and there, he seemed really excited. We had been talking for maybe five minutes when he actually brought up the subject.

“I’m really glad you and Courtney are going to use the weekend, it would have been a shame to waste it.”, he said sincerely.

“Well honestly Mr. Timmons, I feel really awkward about the entire situation. I mean…… we have never…. Uh, never…. Been alone together .”, I stuttered.

He leaned forward slightly, looked me directly in the eyes and spoke very calmly, with no hesitation in his voice.

“Brian, my wife and I love you as if you were our own son. One of the reasons for that is the way you always treat the both of us with respect. You’re the finest young man I know personally, I have complete trust in you. I know you will treat my daughter with the respect she deserves. But with that said, you’re both adults, you have your own lives to live.”, he said.

“Thank you sir, I appreciate that.”, I answered, “But I still feel uneasy about the whole situation.”

“That’s why I don’t, because I know you will do the right thing.”, he replied.

Just then Courtney walked into the room, smiling from ear to ear. She walked over, bent over and gave me a quick hug, then sat down next to me. We talked for a few minutes more before her Dad cut the conversation short.

“You guys better get on the road, that way you can be there before it gets too late.” he urged.

Courtney wanted to take her car, so I loaded her luggage into the trunk, grabbed my one bag from my truck and tossed it in as well. We pulled out a little before seven o’clock, she was driving. We had a pleasant drive, we talked about her job, football and everything in between. We pulled up in front of the Casino at ten thirty that night, the valet took our vehicle, we headed to the desk to check in. The lady behind the counter greeted us warmly, Courtney handed her the reservation vouchers her parents had given her. The lady stepped to the computer and began to type in the information. I could tell immediately something was wrong by the look on her face. She asked us if we would mind waiting for a second, she had to see the casino manager. Courtney turned and gave me a strange look, but said nothing as we waited. The lady quickly returned with a middle aged man, well dressed in a suit, very professional looking. He extended his hand to me introducing himself as the casino manager, in charge of rooms.

“I’m sorry but we have a bit of a problem. It seems that since check in time was two o’clock this afternoon, the computer must have kicked your reservation out, the room was rebooked.”, he told me.


“The problem is, I am completely booked, I don’t have a single room available. I feel terrible, this is not supposed to happen.”, he continued.

“We just drove over three hours to get here.” Courtney told him, disappointment in her voice.

“I am so sorry, let me make a few calls, I can probably get you a room at one of the other hotels on the strip.”, he offered.

He walked to the phone and made several phone calls, finally able to secure a room at a casino a few miles down the road. He asked the party on the other end of the line to hold on a second. He leaned over the counter and asked me what name to put the reservation under so they would hold the room until we got there. I told him to use my name, handing him my credit card in case they needed it to hold the room. He pressed the button on the phone and began to speak to the party on the other end.

“The reservation is for Mr. Brian Stevens, I have a credit card number if you need it.”, he told the party.

He listened for a second, then he turned and looked at me with the strangest look on his face. I couldn’t imagine what could be the problem now. He once again asked the party on the other end of the phone to hold on.

“Excuse me sir, are you the Brian Stevens who was just drafted by San Diego ?”, he asked.

“Yes sir, I am.”, I answered.

He excused himself once more, pressed the hold button on the phone, then informed the other party the reservation would not be necessary. He thanked them cordially, then hung up. He leaned over and whispered a few words into his female employee’s ear, then stepped back up to the counter.

“Mr. Stevens, I apologize for any inconvience we may have caused you. I am upgrading you to one of my suites, I have two left. Please feel free to stay as long as you want. In addition, please hand this card to your waiter or waitress in any of our restaurants, your meals are covered.”, he stated.

“That’s not necessary sir, the room is more than enough.”, I answered.

“We do it all the time Mr. Stevens, we want you to come back.”, he replied.

Just then a bellman came up to the counter, standing right next to me. The manager gave him quick instructions.

“Please take Mr. Stevens up to Suite Nine, see that he gets anything he may need.” he instructed the young man.

We followed the bellman to the elevators, where we waited in silence for the doors to open. I got several stares as we made our way through the hotel lobby. I guess it’s not everyday, you see a guy my size walking around. Finally the doors opened and we stepped inside. The doorman pushed the button for the top floor, the doors closed quickly. We exited the elevator and made our way down a long wide corridor, to the second to last room. He inserted the keycard, opened the door and led us into the room. As soon as I stepped into the room, I was overwhelmed. It was by far the nicest room, I had ever been in. We entered the main room, which was large with two huge sofa’s, two chairs, a few tables and a large flat screen TV on one wall. To the left were two huge double doors that opened into the bedroom, another huge well decorated room. The bed looked enormous, it was by far the biggest one I had ever seen. I reached into my pocket and handed the bellman a ten dollar bill, he thanked me and quickly made his exit.

As soon as he closed the door behind himself, Courtney let out a scream.

“Oh my God, can you believe this room ?”, she squealed.

“It’s really nice.”, I answered.

She ran through the huge double doors to the bedroom and dove head first into the massive double bed. She bounced twice before settling in. She stretched out as far as she could across the bed, she barely took up a third of it.

“This is sooooooo comfortable.”, she cried out in joy.

I grabbed the bags and carried them into the bedroom, placing Courtney’s down by one dresser and mine by the other. I unzipped my bag and carefully placed the few things I had brought with me in the huge chest of drawers. I left Courtney to unpack, as I went back into the living area to check out the huge TV. Just as I was trying to figure out how to work the TV remote, the phone in the room rang, it was on the table next to me. I reached over and answered it quickly.

“Mr. Stevens, this is Wendy from the front desk. The casino manager wanted me to let you know, he activated all of the pay TV stations for you at no charge.”, she stated.

“Tell him thank you very much, we really appreciate it.”, I answered.

By that time, Courtney had emerged from the bedroom, still giddy about the room we had been given.

“Who was that on the phone ?”, she asked.

“The front desk, they turned on all of the pay per view channels for us too.”, I answered.

Immediately a gleam came to her eye, a smile crossed her face. I had seen this look before, I knew it meant trouble was brewing.

“Even the X – Rated Channels ?”, she asked.

“I…. I guess so.”, I stammered.

“Lemme see, Lemme see.”, she said abruptly, grabbing the remote from my hand.

She began to scroll through the menu looking at all of the different channels that were rolling across the screen. She finally stopped and smiled when she saw the words Adult Channel written on the screen. She quickly pressed enter and began to scroll through dozens of movies that were being offered 24 hours a day. She stopped on each one, reading the brief description under the picture and title of the movie. I got up, went over to the desk and picked up the guide for the casino restaurants. I looked up at the clock, it was close to eleven thirty, everything but room service and the Deli Grill had been closed for the night. Courtney was still engrossed in the Adult Channel, still reading the introductions for the different movies.

“You want to go down and get something to eat in the Deli ?”, I asked.

“Sure, I guess so.”, she answered.

We left the room and went back downstairs, walking slowly through the casino, taking in the sights. It was my first time inside of a casino, I had never gambled a dollar in my life. I was amazed at the sheer number of people, there was hardly a single slot machine open from what I could tell. We finally found the Deli near the entrance to the casino, walked in and was seated immediately. We both decided on a hot beef sandwich, a large order of onion rings and two Cokes. We talked as we waited for our food, it didn’t take very long before it arrived. The food was excellent, we talked and laughed, we lost track of time. When our waiter returned to our table, I handed him the card I had been given, he nodded and walked to the register. He swiped the card, returned with a bill that had a zero amount asking me to sign the ticket. I did as he asked, reached into my pocket and handed him a tip for which he thanked me. We left the Deli and walked back through the casino floor, once again marveling at the rate in which the patrons were gambling their money. We were walking slowly through the maze of aisles that held the slot machines, the choices were endless. Courtney finally stopped at a bank of machines against one wall that were some of the biggest and most brightly lit machines in the place. It had a huge screen attached to the machine which was mounted above your head. When you hit the bonus, it activated a whole new game with multiple options.

“You want to play for a while ?’, she turned and asked me.

“Sure, why not ?”, I replied, reaching in my pocket and handing her two twenty’s.

“I have money Brian.”, she answered.

“It’s ok Court, start with that.”, I told her.

She sat down on the black stool and began to look the machine over. It was the only one open, so I just stood behind her waiting for perhaps another machine to open up close by. She inserted the money into the bill changer, the machine sprang to life, credits rolling, lights flashing. She began playing the machine, as she tried to understand the pay out system. Not being familiar with casino’s, I had no clue at all. She started up a conversation with an attractive middle aged woman who was playing next to her, the lady explaining how to bet and what to look for. After several minutes, she began to hit small payouts, her balance going up and down in no set pattern. She had been playing maybe for about ten minutes when casino security walked up to the both of us. They asked if we would mind showing them some identification verifying we were both old enough to be on the casino floor. Courtney had given me her driver’s license before we had left the room, so I produced both of our I.D.’s to the pair of security personnel. They checked the dates, apologized for any inconvience, then made there way back down the aisle as quickly as they had appeared. Courtney went back to playing her machine, I was becoming bored very quickly. I glanced over and saw a large group of people playing dice, I decided to go take a look. I pointed out to Courtney where I would be and walked across the floor and found a spot where I could watch the game progress.

I have to admit, the pace was fast and furious as the game moved along. I was trying to get the hang of how the game was played, it seemed very hectic and chaotic, but the crowd seemed to be really into it. I knew right way, I would have to learn a lot more before I could jump into this game. As I was standing there watching the game, an attractive blonde woman had positioned herself next to me, she appeared to be watching the game. Finally after several minutes she turned in my direction and spoke softly.

“Just how tall are you ?”, she asked, with a smile.

“Almost six foot seven.”, I replied.

“You play basketball ?”, she inquired.

“No , I don’t.”, I answered.

Just as I finished answering her, another woman whom she obviously knew motioned her over to the other side of the table. She walked around the crowd to where the woman stood with another man, they began a conversation. Every now and then, they would all look in my direction. I went back to watching the game for several more minutes, then looked over my shoulder to see Courtney still seated at the same machine I had left her at. I left the table and rejoined Courtney at her machine. I walked up behind her and softly placed my hands on her shoulders.

“Doing any good ?”, I asked.

“Not really, I win every now and then, but I put it all back.”, she answered, “By the way, what time is it ?”

“Almost two o’clock, I guess.”, I answered.

“You want to go back up to the room ?”, she inquired.

“Whenever you’re ready.”, I said.

She played a few more times, then cashed out of the machine, handing me the white voucher ticket. I folded it up and put it inside my front pocket, following her to the elevators. As soon as we got back to our room, Courtney immediately turned on the large TV, settling down on one of the large sofas. I was actually quite tired by this time, I really wasn’t in the mood to watch TV.

“You mind if I go take a shower, Court ?”, I asked.

“No go ahead, I will go after you.”, she smiled.

I went back into the bedroom, grabbed some shorts and a tee shirt, then made my way to the large bathroom that was only several steps from the large bed. The bathroom was just as elegant as the rest of the suite having both a huge Jacuzzi tub and a stand alone, four head shower next to each other. There were double sinks in the counter with a huge mirror mounted right above them. I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted to use the tub or the shower, I decided on the shower. The water was extremely hot, which I always love, I know I took well over fifteen minutes before, I stepped out and grabbed the towel. I dried off, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I found Courtney on the sofa still watching TV when I came out.

“Court, you gotta check out the bathroom, it’s really nice.”, I told her.

She got up and walked quickly through the bedroom and into the steam filled bathroom. She turned and leaned her head back out of the door and yelled.

“Wow, what a tub. I just have to get in there and soak.”, she squealed.

She scrambled over to the dresser where she had unpacked some things, and began to sort through the items. I left the room and went to the sitting room stretching out on one for the sofas. I flipped through a few channels as I heard the water running beginning to fill up the large tub. After several minutes I finally heard her turn off the water, I was still channel surfing at the time. I really couldn’t find anything interesting on so I flipped to the sports channel, my old standby. I placed the remote on the table next to the sofa just as I heard Courtney shout from the bathroom.

“Hey Briannnnnnn, can you come here for a second ?”, she asked.

“Sure, no problem.”, I answered, getting up slowly.

I walked around the sofa and into the bedroom, pausing at the bathroom door which was about halfway closed. I gently knocked on the door waiting for a response.

“Come in here silly.”, she replied.

I slowly stuck my head and shoulders inside the partially open door not really knowing what to expect. I kept my eyes pointing down to the floor, not looking in Courtney’s direction. Although we had been intimate at one time, it had been quite a while ago since we had seen each other without clothes on. That and the repetitive words of my Father always telling me, no matter what, treat a woman with the utmost respect, caused me to look away.

“Um I’m over here silly.”, she giggled.

“Yes I know, what do you need ?’, I asked, without looking up.

“Come over here.”, she asked softly.

I glanced in her direction once quickly to see she had filled the tub up to the top, had added some bubble bath, and had only her neck and head visible, the rest of her was covered by water and the soap suds. I took a couple of steps over toward her, placed the toilet lid down, then sat on it.

“What do you want Court ?”, I asked.

“Why don’t you get in with me, this tub is amazing.”, she urged.

“I just took a shower a few minutes ago.”, I responded.

“So ?”, she laughed.

“I’ll pass, thanks.”, I laughed back, got up and walked out.

I went back to the front room and fell back on the sofa, once again to watch TV. I don’t know how much time passed, before I heard Courtney moving around in the bedroom area. The program I had been watching ended, it was three o’clock in the morning. I decided to call it a night. I headed to the bedroom to see how we were going to handle the sleeping arrangements, nothing had really ever been discussed. Courtney was already in the bed, covers up to her neck, just the small bedside lamp on.

“About time you came to bed Brian.”, she said, with a smile.

“Court, I can sleep on the sofa, it’s no big deal.”, I answered.

I could tell I hurt her immediately, the look on her face was plain as day. She looked down at the covers biting her lower lip. She took a moment, then looked back up at me.

“Brian, it’s a huge bed. Don’t be silly, there is enough room in here for the both of us.”, she replied.

I shrugged my shoulders, pulled back the covers on my side of the bed and climbed in. I pulled the covers back up over me, I was laying flat on my back. She was right, this bed was huge, you could have fit another person between us with no problem. She reached over and flipped the switch on the small lamp, the room was immediately engulfed in complete darkness. I am not sure how much time passed without a sound other than the sound of our breathing. Finally Courtney broke the silence, her words soft, but very emotional.

“Brian, I am so sorry, this was a huge mistake. I just thought…….. I figured that maybe if we were alone……, I could explain how I feel, maybe try to make things right with you….”, she started.

“But I know now…….. No matter how much I want to make this right, I can’t……. you simply can’t make someone love you.”, she ended.

“Court, I do love you, I always have, I always will.”, I answered.

“Yes, but not in the way I love you, I had that once, I threw it way…. I broke your heart…I never knew how that felt…… until now.”, she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

I reached across the bed, found her and pulled her close up against me, her back to my chest. I put my arm over her holding her close. I could feel her body as she quietly sobbed into her pillow, it seemed that the more time I spent with her lately, this was always the result.

“I’m sorry Court, It hurts so much to see you feel this bad.”, I told her.

“It’s ok Brian, you’re my best friend, that has to be enough, I guess. Let’s just go to sleep.”, she answered.

I know I laid there for hours, holding Courtney against me, my mind wondering what life had in store for me, asking myself should I perhaps try and open my heart up to Courtney, see if we could really make this work. Finally I drifted off to sleep, I know I was exhausted both physically and mentally.

When I opened my eyes, the room was bright with sunlight. Even with the curtains closed you could tell it was early morning. It took a second for me to remember where I was, I looked over across the bed to see Courtney lying still next to me, her eyes looking right into mine.