Free The Gamble: A Novel by Xavier Neal

imagination.
     
    Is this how she'll fall sleep in my arms after I sleep with her? Will she just curl up, completely sated, and expect for us to drift off together? Typically, I shower immediately after I fuck and kick them out once I'm dried off if we don't plan to go at it again. If they've fallen asleep, I crash on the couch. I'm not a complete asshole. Sharing a bed with someone I'm fucking isn't a page in my playbook. Never has been. Hell I've got a taxi service saved in my contacts list for that very reason.
     
    My eyes drift down to Alexxa who is already starting to fall asleep to the sound of Drunk History playing on her television.
     
    Alexxa's different. It wouldn't be terrible to crash with her. Both my arms around her knowing the reason she can't hold her head up any more is because of me. Because of the way I wore out her body. Because it couldn't take another moment moving. In a way falling asleep with her like this on my chest will be like building the bridge between just friends and friends who fuck. Truth is, I'm beginning to believe just fucking her once won't be enough. If I'm gonna risk our entire friendship might as well make it fucking worth it. Gamble big or don't waste your money. This isn't going to be just some random weekend bone. No. When Alexxa gets in my bed, I'm gonna be a fucking All Star in the sheets. Before fucking half- time she'll be begging to never get traded. Part of me thinks she won't have to beg for that to happen. What the hell is happening to me?
     

Alexxa
     
    Shutting the apartment door to Luca and Warren's apartment, I'm surprised to see neither of them in the living room where they're typically hanging out. I drop the tortilla chips and beer on the kitchen counter before heading to the left for Warren's room. With a light press on his bedroom door, it swings open revealing his very neat, very empty room. I let out a slightly disappointed sigh.
     
    It's been a few days since I've seen him. Typically this only happens when he's pushed all his shifts together to work harder on his thesis paper. Swear it feels like he's been working on it since college itself was created. Warren is all about the human mind and what it makes it tick. Why people do what they do. He's told me numerous times he believes if you can change a child's conditioning from an early enough age you can stop him from ending up like Luca, a self- proclaimed narcissists with daddy issues. Or maybe it's mommy issues? Not really sure since he rarely talks about either. Luca on the other hand believes in the pure benefits of treating the body like a temple. Letting it teach you everything from confidence to discipline. He's got a solid stance on the importance of children needing the outlet, needing to be outdoors, and needing the community sports creates to grow into healthy well- rounded adults, claiming it's the only way they won't end up over-analyzing the world rather than living in it, like Warren. While they're clashing points of view make for hilarious drunken debates littered with F- bombs and vulgar slurs, I love that at the end of it all, they both have the same goal. They want the next generation to be better, stronger, and healthier than this one. They care about kids and so do I. I'm somewhere in the middle. The emotionally driven one. Give children the freedom to follow their passions. It's what mine gave to me. Sure from the outside it just looks like I'm in the business of exploiting their talent, but I don't feel that way. I feel maybe having someone understand their fears, or their excitement, or their stress and communicating with them about it might make a difference. Think about how many child stars have a mental break down or give up acting, their passion, because somewhere along the way someone forgot to listen. They didn't get a chance to be heard. Not quite a saint here, but you never know when a pep talk about doing what makes you happy might change your life.  Bridging the