A Gambler's Lucky Charm?

New Beginnings

You take a deep breath, standing in from of the door to the casino you now work for. You'd hit a wall in life for a couple of years, and now you were determined to break through and start again. After looking for a good while for a job, you miraculously found an opportunity at one of Penacony's best paying casinos.

And, even more surprisingly, you got the job. Now here you stand, in front of the door to a new chapter in your life.

'No more stalling; get the hell in there!'

You nod to yourself and push the door open, the smell of cigarettes and whiskey immediately hitting you like a wall. The whiskey didn't smell that great to you. However, the cigarettes...

You smile a little. It kind of reminded you of your father.

Walking inside, you pass by many people getting ready to start the day. Rushing around like their lives depended on it, which...it kinda did. The casino paid high for Penacony, which was already an expensive enough place to live in.

So, time was of the essence for you.

You quickly maneuver around the many people, eventually finding the young lady that was training you. A pretty lady by the name of Lily-Ann, she was quick to show you the ropes and explain everything pretty directly.

"One thing you're gonna wanna watch out for," She explained as she showed you to your table. "is rowdy players, and generally weird people. If they try to attack you or make you uncomfortable, then press this button," She showed you the bright red button under the table. "Security will be here within less than a minute. Got that?"

You nod, "Yes, Ma'am."

She cracked a smile, "I think you'll fit in here just fine, kid. Just be careful, y'know? Never know who we'll get on a daily basis."

You nod again, and she ended your training soon after showing you the basics of cards you'd need.

~~~

After about a half hour, you were pretty sure you'd gotten the hang of your little card table. Playing card games for years with your friends definitely helped.

You waited patiently for about an hour, still practicing, until the casino finally opened for the day. Plastering the best smile on your face, you played cards with a multitude of different people that day; elderly women, young men, and all in between.

You didn't think much of your patrons, until a young, blonde man strode up to your table, wearing a dark green hat and rose tinted sunglasses.

You stopped and took in his appearance for a moment. Not only did his shirt have a spade shaped area cut out of the front, showing off part of his chest, his eyes were something you'd never seen before.

Electric purple, with rings of teal around his pupils. They were so unique, you could hardly look away.

He gave you a smirk, "Are my eyes really that distracting, Dealer?"

You blink and snap out of it, giving him the same smile you had for many people before.

"Aha, my apologies, sir! I've never seen eyes like yours. Are you here to play?" You shuffle the cards masterfully, mirroring his smirk.

At the mention of his eyes, his smirk twitches just a slight bit-a blink and you'll miss it moment-before he sat down at the stool.

"Absolutely."

You smile as you shuffle the cards, not breaking eye contact with him, "How much are you wagering to bet today, sir?"

He chuckled and pulled out a couple thousand dollar bills, setting them down on the table. He slid them over to you, also not breaking eye contact.

"Two thousand to start with."

Your eyes widen slightly.

'Whoever he is, he certainly has money. Or at least, he's foolhardy enough to bet so much for starters.'

You smile again and deal out the cards, "Let's start then, shall we?"

"Let's."

~~~

A few hours later, the young man was still sat at your table, having won round after round since he started.

His left hand behind his back now, he'd bet all his winnings on one last round. He'd attracted a small crowd, watching the two of you with curiosity.

You looked up at him, a smirk on his face as he looked at you as well. After sitting with him for hours playing cards, you started to discern a few things about him.

His left hand had been behind his back for almost the enitre time he'd sat down, and he almost seemed to have a perfect poker face. His hand would look like a tell to you, the only problem was that it'd been behind his back the whole time.

You shake yourself out of it and deal the cards, and after a few agonizing minutes for the young man and onlookers, you flipped them over.

It was almost impossible.

He'd won again.

"...you win again," You breathe out in awe, looking at him, trying to analyze his expression. His smile has widened slightly, but nothing else had changed. At least, nothing that you could see. "Care to make another bet, sir?"

He shook his head for the first time tonight, "No, I think I've had enough for now," He laughed. "I think this might be my favorite table now. I think I'll see you tomorrow, then, Dealer?"

He stood up and extended his right hand to you, using his left hand to lower his glasses from his face.

You smiled and nodded, shaking his hand.

"I'd love to see you again tomorrow, sir."

He smiled and nodded, and you felt something being placed into your hand. He took his hand away and started grabbing his winnings.

You look at what he'd put into your hand, and found a small black card, with a name and phone number engraved in gold.

Aventurine
(XXX) XXX-XXXX

'Aventurine, huh? Must be his name.'

You looked back up, but before you could question him, he was gone. Frowning slightly, you looked at your watch.

It was nearly 10, so nearly time for your table to close.

You took in a deep breath and nodded, starting the clean-up process.

~~~

A few hours later, you were finally able to leave after having to help some other staff with their closing duties.

Entering your small, slightly rinky dink apartment, you were greeted by your fluffy cat, AJ. He meowed loudly at you, demanding affection as soon as you came through the door.

You smile and gently pet him before retreating to your room, quickly stripping from your work uniform and getting into pajamas.

You flop on your bed, holding the card that the young man-who you can only assume is named Aventurine-out in front of you. You stared at his number for a good, long minute before grabbing your phone and typing it in.

You thought for a minute, trying to think of the best way to start a conversation.

'Hey, this is the dealer-'

No, that's a little weird.

'Is this the guy that won a shit ton today-?'

Nope, too blunt.

'Hello, is this Aventurine?'

You stare at your screen for a long while at the message you'd typed, before you nod and quickly sent it without another thought.

You took a deep breath and set your phone and the card down, quickly covering yourself up with the covers and turning over.

Maybe he wouldn't reply?

You shook your head and closed your eyes.

Tomorrow is another day, and maybe you'll actually see him again.