Failing Upward

Chapter 24 (part 1): Reflection Nebula

I was feeling pretty cocky.

We'd been playing euchre. Sherlock and I thoroughly kicked Harry and Anderson's asses, and we were doing a supreme job wiping up the floor with Sean and Smith. And now I had a near perfect hand in hearts if I could just get the chance to call trump. Sherlock was whistling and making bedroom eyes at me. Along with the five Becks I'd guzzled, I was feeling as tipsy and giddy as a teenager in love.

"Pass," Sean said, scratching his chin stubble.

"That's a signal," I quipped. "Don't you think that's some kind of signal?"

"Yes, it is," Sherlock said, throwing me a kiss on the sly. "And now I know what he has too."

"Better than your signals," Sean came back. "At least ours aren't so obvious."

"Those weren't signals," I said. "At least not for cards."

"We don't need to cheat to beat you," Sherlock answered, winking at me as he rapped on the table.

"I saw that! He passed after he gave John a signal!" Sean jumped up, scamming a look at my hand. "And... and... it wasn't even foreplay!"

"He's fucking with you," Smith said, his snapping his cards with his thumb. "That's just Sherlock happy he's gonna get laid again later."

After the shitty day we'd just had, I liked the way Sherlock blushed and ducked his head behind the cards in his hands; it warmed my soul along with other parts of me, but every so often, I'd catch him frowning. Thinking about today, no doubt. I found myself remembering it too.

Sherlock's chair creaked as he squirmed around. I could see he was thinking too much again and not about his cards. I took another bite of cherry strudel and carefully licked each finger. Not good to have sticky cards. That took the frown off his face. I sighed. Strudel almost gone. That's the problem with sharing: Anderson had devoured almost the whole third one.

"Fuck, Smith did you see that? Sherlock's nose twitched!"

"That's a signal all right, " Anderson laughed, snatching the last piece of strudel. "A signal that he's fucking horny."

I felt the usual twinge of jealousy when Anderson makes comments like that about Sherlock, but I let it pass. Anderson could piss me off in any universe. Glenda was engrossed in some book, pretending we weren't making spectacles of ourselves. And as long as Harry thought we were cute, I didn't give a shit about anyone else.

"And how would you know that signal?" Sean asked Anderson as he passed.

"I'm not fucking answering that."

Sherlock passed again.

"Yeah Anderson," said Sean, "take the fifth. Pass."

I took another gulp of beer and choked out: "Hearts! Alone!"

I gloated at the groans from Sean and Smith as I threw down the right, left and ace.

"Shit, lucky in cards, unlucky in love," Smith said, throwing down the king and nine of hearts along with the ace of spades.

"Lucky at both!" I said, leaning back in my chair, grinning at the rest of my hand. Smith might have the other two aces, but ha! It didn't matter! No one else had trump.

I threw down the queen and ten of hearts.

"Should have just thrown them all down at once!" Smith grumbled.

"But that way I couldn't watch you suffer," I added.

Sherlock leaned across the table and gave me a wet congratulatory smack on the lips. I wanted him so bad it hurt.