Chapter 8 #2
“I’m down,” Austin says at the same time Nic says, “Sounds good.”
The first couple of rounds move quickly. I win the first, Nic wins the second. On the third, Matteo deals. I put in the small blind, Nic puts in the big, and after a few moments of pretending to inspect his cards then looking around the table suspiciously, Austin calls.
Matteo checks his cards briefly, then follows. Sliding my cards to my chest, I lean back against the couch and examine them. Four of hearts and five of clubs.
Easy, I think. I call, and we’re off.
The first three cards Matteo puts up in the middle are an ace, a two, and a seven.
I glance at Austin, and by the subtle shift of his lips from right to left, I know he’s got nothing.
Nic is usually good at hiding her tells, but I know her well enough to recognize that her refusal to meet my eyes means she’s probably shooting for a pair or two.
Matteo is another story. I don’t know him well enough to figure out what’s in his hand.
“Del, stop watching everyone and go,” Austin complains.
“Just for that, I’m raising,” I respond, tossing in a few more chips.
Nic glares at Austin. “Thanks a lot. Call.” She follows me. Austin calls too, though I know he knows he’s going to lose.
Matteo stares intently at his cards, then at the center, his expression stoic. I shift closer to him, and he turns his cards so they face the far wall, where Lilian was sitting earlier.
“Go fish,” I whisper. It’s enough to make Nic snort and Austin chuckle. It’s even enough to put a another smile on Matteo’s lips.
“If you’re not careful, someone might think you’re cheating with how close you’re getting to my cards,” he murmurs.
I gasp, moving away. “I would never.”
He shoots me the smallest of smirks before raising triple what I raised. Nic groans.
With my eyes on Matteo’s, I toss more chips in. “Call.” Nic folds, Austin calls.
Matteo burns a card, then places a seven down in the middle. I bite back a grimace. I’ve already put a good bit into the pot and have a chance with the river. “Check.”
Austin checks. Once again, Matteo raises, and I’m forced to follow.
“Oh, I’m liking this,” Austin says, glancing between the two of us. “Delilah might lose her title tonight.” He slides his cards away. “I fold.”
Matteo burns a final card and then flips over a three in the middle. I could dance right out of my seat, I’m so excited.
I flip my cards over. “Straight,” I say confidently.
Beside me, Matteo sighs, and I’m sure I’ve won. He flips his cards over. It takes me a few seconds to process his ace and seven.
Austin whoops. Nic inhales sharply in surprise.
“Full house,” Matteo says, completely unnecessarily because I can see it.
My mouth drops open in shock. “Matteo, you’ve been holding out on us. I had no idea you had such poker prowess.”
“My nonna was a feisty poker player. She taught me everything I know.”
“It helps that your face doesn’t move at all throughout the game,” Nic mutters, running a chip across her fingers.
“Or is that just another one of my tricks?” he answers quietly, pulling his winnings toward him.
“I don’t know. Delilah was watching you pretty intently,” Austin says.
Matteo turns to me, something devilish in his eyes. “And? What did you learn?”
I grin. “I’ll be keeping my secrets, thank you very much.”
“Ah, so you’ve got nothing.” I put a hand on my chest as though I’m truly offended, but he simply shrugs. “You have at least two tells.”
Whipping to look at Austin and Nic, I ask, “I do?”
“Trust me that if I knew them, I wouldn’t be losing,” Austin answers.
Nic rolls her eyes. “Yes, you would.”
My eyes find Matteo. It’s like I’m seeing him for the first time. My expression must point to the wonder I’m feeling because he grants me a gruff chuckle.
“Do you want to know them?” he asks.
“Yes,” Austin interjects.
I scoff. “Shut up. But yes, I do. Quietly.”
“Austin, can you show me where to get a glass please?” Nic asks abruptly, standing. She grabs Austin’s shirt and yanks him up, hauling him after her toward the kitchen.
“A glass?” he asks dumbly. “You’ve been here before.”
She hisses something I can’t make out.
Though they’re gone, Matteo leans forward.
Goosebumps rise on my arms, my breath stuttering for a moment, and I desperately hope he doesn’t notice.
“After the first three cards, you bit the inside of your cheeks just enough that I could tell you thought you had something good. You did that the first round, too. Then, when you saw the second seven, this corner”—he taps below the right side of my lips gently—“of your mouth tipped down for half a second. I guessed that meant you were playing for a straight, and knowing I had a full house, I kept betting.”
He doesn’t move away immediately, instead glancing at where his finger tapped, then back to my eyes. They’re like honey right now, which, I’m learning, comes out when he’s teasing me back. I worry that if I’m not careful, I might get stuck in them.
“And what’s your tell?” I whisper.
“You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.” One last look at my lips, and then he moves back to his section of the table, that same winning smirk on his face. It’s the most smug I’ve seen him.
I breathe a little easier now that he’s not so close, though the distance feels like an ocean.
“Damn. Your nonna must be one heck of a woman.”
“I never saw her lose,” he agrees.
When Nic and Austin return, we play a few more rounds. The whole time, I hide my tells the best I can, but it’s clear Matteo is too perceptive for me. Right before he wins it all, I joke, “Matteo really didn’t want to show us an embarrassing photo tonight.”
He shoots me another smile before flipping over his winning hand.
When we each show him an embarrassing photo of ourselves—me flying off a golf cart when it stopped abruptly near my court at a tournament, Austin with tears streaming down his face while watching the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, and Nic with her hair tangled like a bird’s nest because, of course, she never gets photographed doing embarrassing things—he leans back, arms crossed, my new favorite smirk on his face.
I’m so glad he’s getting comfortable with me and my friends that I can’t even be mad I lost my title.