adomania // the queen's gambit

Chapter Two

Benny looked at Nate, a confused look on his face. "Who are you?"

"Uh, Nate Wheatley. I'm Beth's brother." He was dying. Internally. Not outwardly. That'd be weird.

Benny smiled at him. "Benny Watts. I'll see you around, Nate."

As soon as Benny walked out of view, Nate lost his shit. He ran up the stairs to the hotel room, hyperventilating by the time he'd slammed the door behind him.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"This is the best day of my life."

Hours later, Beth finally walked through the door.

"Where've you been, honey?" Alma had asked her.

"I was practicing chess. Townes was taking pictures for the magazine he works for."

"I see," came the reply. Nate looked up at Beth, a giddy smile on his face.

"What happened to you?" Beth asked, giving him a look.

"Guess who I met."

"Who'd you meet?"

"Benny Watts."

Beth sighed. Nate had been talking about wanting to meet Benny for the last three years. Now it was going to be worse, with "Benny is so much better in real life," and "Ugh, I just want to go see Benny again," and "Do you know if Benny's going to be in your next tournament?" She rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Beth, dear, can you hand me a beer? Get one for your brother too, he needs to calm himself."

Nate put a mock offended hand on his heart. "Mother, I am perfectly calm."

Beth chuckled, handing the bottles to the two. Nate popped the cap off of his, taking a swig and immediately making a face. "This tastes like shit," he stated, matter-of-factly, as if nobody knew that already.

"They all do," was Alma's reply. "Just give it to Beth."

Nate shrugged and handed it to his sister, giving her a look before she took her first sip.

"Be careful with this shit."

Beth shook her head and tipped the bottle, drinking literally the entire thing.

"Beth, what the fuck did I just tell you."

Nate had gone down with Beth to watch her first game at Board Nine. They'd gone to get cokes, and Benny Watts himself was at the vending machine, deep in conversation with another player. Nate immediately gay panicked.

"Beth, you go up there, have fun," Nate said quickly, and pushed her toward the vending machine so he could make his escape. He had just turned to find a hiding spot when he heard a voice close behind him.

"Nate!"

Nate grimaced before turning around, putting a smile on his face. "Hey Benny."

Benny walked up beside him. "Where's your sister?"

"Getting us cokes."

Benny nodded. Nate decided that while Benny was sizing her up he'd take advantage of the amazing opportunity in front of him. That opportunity would be classified as staring. At Benny Watts. Who was the most gorgeous man that existed.

Benny was wearing a white button up shirt, the top few undone. The sleeves were rolled up, and his hair fell on his face in the most beautiful way possible. He got too lost, however, and the cliche happened.

Benny gave him a worried look. "Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it."

Nate swallowed and nodded, looking anywhere but at Benny. "Yeah, yup, I'm fine- oh look who's finally here hey Beth thanks for the coke I'm gonna go find a front row seat bye!"

He walked off as fast as he possibly could, the two looking after him.

"Is he okay?"

Beth shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine," she stated, before extending her hand. "Beth Harmon."

Beth was visibly pissed when she told Nate that his "dumb little loverboy" informed her of how she'd missed something in her game with Beltik. He stopped paying attention, however, because when she'd mentioned Benny, his mind started to wander. He was brought out of his daydream by his sister snapping in his face.

"Nate, are you even listening? Don't tell me you're thinking about Benny again," she scoffed. Nate stared at her in indignation.

"No! I was thinking about.. how.. incredibly proud of my little sister I am, even if she did miss something in a chess game."

She shook her head and sighed. "Go find your seat, Nate. I'm with Benny at Board One."

Nate found his seat immediately.

Nate acted as if he was studying the board, when in reality he was studying Benny, and the way his arms looked with the sleeves rolled up, and the way his hair fell in front of his face, and the way he bit his lip when concentrated. Nate was mesmerized.

He neither cheered nor expressed rage when the game ended in Beth's loss.

Occasionally Nate would catch Benny's eye, and would return the smile and wave. He had to refrain from starting conversation; Beth would've been pissed.

Mexico City nearly killed Nate Wheatley. When Nate decided to go show his sister undying support during her game with Borgov, Alma's chest was still rising and her heart still beating.

When Beth suffered a hard loss and the two went back to the room, Alma's chest was unmoving, and her skin was cold as ice.

Nate tried to shake her awake. He tried giving her CPR. Her eyes remained open and dull.

Nate slid down the wall, salty tears forming a coat on his face. He barely heard Beth on the phone with the hotel manager. He barely noticed people carrying his mother's body out on a stretcher.

Beth kneeled down in front of him. "Nate, come on, get up. You should probably sleep."

He shook his head. He didn't feel like standing. Beth leaned forward, encompassing him in a hug he didn't have the energy to return.

Nate took on the responsibility of his father. He didn't want Beth talking to that man.

"Allston Wheatley."

"It's Nate."

There was a silence for a few brief moments.

"Nathan? How are you?"

"I'm fine, Allston, but your wife isn't."

"That'll be Father to you," was the reply.

"I'll call you Father when you start acting like one."

There was a sigh on the other side. "What do you mean by 'your wife isn't'?"

"She's dead," he said through gritted teeth.

After a bit of yelling at each other and talking over arrangements, Nate finally hung up with a final "Go fuck yourself."

Nate knew the next few weeks would hit him hard.