Puzzle Me This

by Eli Easton

  “Guess I’d resort to bumping into you in the parking lot. Not nearly as… classy, though.”

  Luke laughed. “I see we have a winner from the adjectives list.” Feeling a bit more comfortable, he walked to the sofa but hesitated.

  Alex grimaced. “Geez. Sorry. I haven’t even asked you to sit down. Would you like to take off your coat?”

  Luke did. He unzipped his jacket and pulled it off, leaning over to place it neatly on the end of the couch. Mrs. Schumaker hadn’t raised no hoodlums.

  So far, Alex had acted casual, like it was all just a friendly thing. But when Luke straightened up, an unmistakable heat burned in Alex’s eyes. Luke’s body responded immediately with a warm, lazy roll in his lower abdomen. He smoothed down the sides of his flannel shirt, making sure it was open enough to offer a decent view of his lean, Henley-clad torso and the worn, snug denim at his crotch. That denim was getting a little snugger even now. He took his time sitting down. By then, Alex was looking studiously down at the Diggits cup in his hand, a light pink flush on his cheeks. It gave Luke a chance to stare at him unobserved.

  Alex had probably been quite the twink in his teens, but he looked to be in his late twenties now and he was a mature man. Though he was slim, he had broad shoulders—very broad—and a long, solid torso. His upper body looked fit and muscular under his soft red chamois shirt. Luke glanced toward a set of free weights in the corner of the room. They weren’t dust-covered, like his own. Alex must work out, which explained his calluses and strong grip. He was wearing jeans over slim hips and had legs that were long and too thin compared to the rest of him. The cherry red of his shirt looked good against his pale skin and his dark brown hair. He wore bangs, the rest of his hair falling to his shoulders. It was a young look, but his heart-shaped face was so boyishly cute that it worked on him. He had a shadow of stubble on his upper lip and the tip of his chin, but the rest was baby smooth. His lips were full and wide, the upper one with a sexy curve. But his best feature was behind those glasses: big brown eyes with long, thick lashes.

  Luke had always been an eye man, and Alex’s eyes were the kind that did things to Luke’s nether regions, especially when they held the desire he’d seen a moment ago. As fleeting as it had been, it had still made Luke want things that were in no way platonic, or even possible without some rigging, Astroglide, and an on-site physician.

  “Is that what you do for a living? Design crossword puzzles?” Luke asked, his voice rougher than it had been a few minutes ago.

  Alex looked up and smiled. “I do a daily for ten papers and a Sunday for three others. I also do puzzles for Dell—cryptograms and logic puzzles mostly. None of it pays much, really, but altogether I scrape by.”

  “That’s epic.” Alex grinned. “I know lots of computer game designers, but I’ve never met a pencil puzzle type.”

  Alex gave a forbearing sigh. “Yes, we Luddites are a dying breed. I think I’m the only crossword puzzle designer on the planet who’s under sixty. Who wants to do a cryptogram when you can shoot aliens with a joystick?”

  “Me. Or I should say, I like them all. There’s a simplicity to a crossword, kind of like cozying up on a rainy day with Agatha Christie. Not the woman, of course. She’d be a bit skeletal by now. But one of her books.”

  “Yeah.” Alex’s smile was now wide and genuine. “I feel that way about text adventures—you know—’Go north,’ ‘There’s a castle in front of you. The guard calls, ‘Halt!”’ Now games have so many high-end graphics that it’s easy to lose sight of the core fun.”

  “That’s true. Every once in a while, I still like to play a text adventure. Honestly, I envy you. You design a puzzle and it’s out within days. It must be nice not having to work with a team of thirty people for two years just to get something published.”

  “Does it really take two years?” Alex asked, curious. “I’d like to hear about it.”

  So they talked shop. Luke talked about the process of game design and what it was like working with artists, voice-over actors, deadlines, and producers. Alex talked about how many puzzles he had to crank out in a week just to keep up with bills, about how he’d gotten started, and where he got his inspiration.

  Luke made Alex laugh. Often. He looked really, really good when he laughed. The word that came to mind was pure, like a ray of joy or sunshine. Though where a thought that dorky and romantic had come from, Luke wasn’t sure. Whatever. Luke had always liked making people laugh. But making Alex laugh was another level of satisfying.

  When Alex stifled a yawn, Luke checked his phone and realized it was after eleven. He finished off the beer Alex had offered him and set it on the end table. “God, you greedy bastard,” he joked. “You kept me here for four hours. I should go so you can get some sleep.”

  “I’m not tired,” Alex insisted with a shake of his head. But just as he finished saying it, he yawned again.

  “Yeah, I can see that. Wiiiide awake.”

  “Well, damn.” Alex grinned sleepily. “So much for my effort to disguise my pathetically boring lifestyle. You’ve caught me out. This is my usual bedtime.”

  “Nothing inherently boring about bedtime,” Luke said with a raised eyebrow.

  Alex blushed. He opened his mouth to say something—maybe, hopefully, to flirt back—but he seemed too shy to get out a quip back. Or to say anything at all.

  “Well, good night.” Luke stood up and pulled out his phone. “Texting would probably be faster than sticking messages in a crossword puzzle. Though, granted, not as much fun. What’s your number?”

  Alex gave it to him without hesitation.

  Luke punched it in and sent him a quick text. Across the room, a phone buzzed. “There, now we’re practically engaged.”

  “You’re very trusting with your stalker,” Alex said.

  “Oh, but my stalker is clever. He’d have gotten my number anyway.” Then Luke decided to take a chance. “Besides, he’s pretty cute.”

  Alex’s smile fled, his face falling into a confused frown. “You…. Don’t tease me, Luke.”

  “I’m not,” Luke said softly. “Good night, Alex.”

  He let himself out.

  Chapter 6

  Logistics

  Luke could not stop thinking about Alex. He didn’t hear from him on Thursday or Friday. And that was fine. He didn’t want to push, and frankly, he could use some time to process.

  He liked Alex. He was intelligent and funny, seemed honest and kind, and they had a lot in common. And that was all very well and good. But there was more to it, and that more was disturbing.

  Luke had a strange lump in his chest. There was a brink-of-a-cliff momentousness to the situation with Alex that he’d never felt with a guy before. In fact, the closest thing he’d ever felt to it was the day he’d accepted his first job as a game designer, his dream job since the age of eight. That day he’d had a heady sense of relief and joy that translated roughly to Yeah, this is my future; I made it. I managed not to fuck up, and now I’m finally here. Thank you, Universe.

  He didn’t understand why he would feel something like that about Alex. It couldn’t be real—he didn’t know Alex well enough for it to be real. It was an illusion, like seeing someone in the street that you think is a long-lost loved one, only to have them turn around and reveal themselves a stranger. Alex was a stranger.

  And then there was the chair. They hadn’t talked about it, but it was obviously a long-term thing, not a temporary injury. Alex was independent. He’d made it through college—Masters in English, he’d said—and lived alone, and Luke admired the hell out of that. But what about relationships? Sex? There was a sweet, vulnerable innocence about Alex that Luke found really, really attractive. But the man was twenty-eight and blushingly shy. Was he a virgin? Was he even physically capable of… of not being a virgin?

  Luke knew he hadn’t misread the look of hunger on Alex’s face as he’d removed his coat. Alex was capable of lust, and he liked Luke enough to court him with freaking cro
sswords. But how far was he able to go physically? And did he even want to share himself like that? Was he just looking for a friend?

  And even if Alex did want to be boyfriends in every sense of the word, could Luke handle a relationship with a man in a wheelchair?

  Luke searched his gut for some kind of libido-dampening response or reluctance to go there. But each time he thought of Alex, all he could remember was their easy conversation, the way Alex laughed, the look of his upper body in that red shirt, those wide, sensual lips. Those eyes. What he was sitting in just didn’t seem to matter much to Luke’s body. Or his heart.

  No, after meeting Alex in person, Luke was more interested than he had been before. And that was saying something since he’d already been sort of besotted with Mystery Man.

  When he hadn’t heard from Alex by Saturday noon, Luke decided to call. “Hi, Alex. It’s Luke.”

  “That’s what my phone says. But then, you high-tech types are used to all these fancy devices.”

  “Um. Yeah. But it’s the add-on vibrator alert that’s really fun. I can score you one if you want.”

  Alex laughed. “I love the way you drag my mind right into the gutter.”

  His voice was low and sexy, and Luke felt a warm tug in his belly. Yup, they were definitely flirting. Thank God.

  “Hey, tomorrow is Sunday, and it’s supposed to be in the mere eighties for a change. I thought you might like to get out of the house.”

  “Um… sure.” Alex sounded a bit hesitant.

  “You mentioned handicap-accessible trails. Do you have a favorite? I’ve googled some we could try if you don’t have a preference.”

  “You did? That’s… nice of you.” Alex sounded surprised.

  “Well, despite what you might have read on the bathroom walls around here, I’m a pretty decent person.”

  “You’re right. That’s not what they write about you on bathroom walls,” Alex teased. “But getting back to outdoor activities, there’s a nice rail trail in Luzerne. I try to hit it a few times a year, but it’s probably not all that exciting for you. It’s a flat out-and-back, and it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive to get there.”

  “I don’t mind driving, and flat works for me. It is August. Don’t want to overdo the whole sweat thing. Can I bring Trevor?”

  “Yeah! I’d like to meet him. Dogs are fine there on leash. But… I don’t have a car.”

  “Your chair collapses, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It should fit in my back seat, and Trevor has his own spot in the hatchback.”

  There was a pause. “You’ve thought this through. I appreciate that.”

  Luke felt a tightening in his throat. Did Alex think his company was so forgettable that it wasn’t worth accommodating something as simple as a wheelchair? Well, he’d soon learn what it meant to hang out with a game designer. When it came to logistics? Luke was a fucking god.

  “How about nine o’clock? We can do the loop and then grab lunch out.”

  “There’s a good diner in Luzerne. They’ve got a ramp and great burgers.”

  “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at your place tomorrow.”

  Chapter 7

  Who's the Bigger Nerd?

  Alex hung up from Luke’s call, made sure the line was disconnected, then pumped his fist in the air and gave a whoop of joy. Luke had called and asked him out! Sure, it was only a hike, and maybe not a date date. But it was a trip out together, a whole day together, in fact, and Luke had instigated it.

  Alex was so happy he couldn’t sit still. He put on some music and danced his chair in the open spot in his living room, jerking the wheels back and forth like a DJ scrubbing a record, doing tight spins, and banging his head to the music. He was so freaking happy he felt ready to burst out of his skin.

  Meeting Luke in person had gone better than he’d ever dared dream. In person, Luke was laid back, crazy funny, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He was also hot. Not in a cover model sort of way, but in a boy-next-door, tinge-of-nerd, semi-slacker way. Which was perfect as far as Alex was concerned.

  He’d had a hard time not staring at Luke’s hair, which was long and straight and shone like he was in some shampoo commercial, the kind with a slow-mo head toss. Alex wondered what it would feel like to reach out and rub the glossy ends between his fingers. Of course, he hadn’t done that. But later, after Luke had left, that hair had featured in a fantasy. Several, in fact.

  Luke had even seemed interested in him. Maybe? For sure he hadn’t given off a thanks-but-no-thanks or a forced hey-let’s-be-bros vibe. And that was something.

  But Alex hadn’t been sure if Luke would contact him again or if it would just fizzle out. He couldn’t keep chasing the guy. He had to let Luke make the next move. And he had.

  Alex danced for about ten minutes. But then he realized he had to figure out what to wear tomorrow, dig out his backpack, and get some snacks together. And he had to check his fat-tire chair to make sure it was ready to go. He wanted to call his sister Amy and squeal in her ear but decided against it. He’d love to gush to Amy about this, but she was so overprotective. She’d be all “Please be careful, Alex!” and “Maybe you shouldn’t go out alone with this guy, Alex.” No, he didn’t want to be careful right now—he wanted to be excited as fuck. He’d tell Amy after the hike.

  Personal grooming? Yes? No?

  You’ve gotta ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

  Alex grinned and rolled toward the bathroom.

  On Sunday just after noon, Luke texted Alex and then drove his Rav4 over to Alex’s front door. It was a little awkward getting settled in the front seat, but his wheelchair fit in the back seat just as Luke had predicted. Trevor was excited to see him, but Alex couldn’t reach the hatchback area, so they had to settle for a wave and a wag.

  “God, it’s a perfect day,” Luke said with a happy sigh as they pulled out of the Woodsman. They both had their windows down and the Pennsylvania landscape was at peak green.

  “It doesn’t suck,” Alex agreed. “Not too humid, thankfully. Though it might rain later.”

  “Stop! Don’t say rain. Do you have a musical preference for our totally sunny drive today?”

  Alex smiled to himself, thinking of how long he’d spent the night before picking out songs. “How about you play your stuff for an hour and then I play mine for an hour?”

  “Ooh, a Taste-Off! I like it. Prepare to be humbled.”

  Luke had more 80s dance tunes, like the Police and Michael Jackson, than Alex usually listened to. And Alex had a number of a-capella tunes Luke had never heard. But their tastes weren’t too far apart, and there was more than one song that came up on both their lists. Neither of them commented on it. But the smile Luke gave Alex the second time it happened made Alex feel a reverb of the happiness he’d felt yesterday. He had to turn his head and look out the window while he grinned like a fool.

  When they got to the trailhead, Luke got out Alex’s chair and set it up, and Alex swung himself into it, feeling only a little self-conscious. Even that was soon dispelled when Luke let Trevor out of the back, and the dog hopped up with his front paws on the wheelchair arm and tried to lick Alex’s face off.

  “Trevor! Get down!” Luke admonished.

  “It’s okay. I like it,” Alex laughed. He rubbed Trevor’s neck with both hands and leaned forward for a kiss, pouting his lips.

  “So unhygienic,” Luke tsked.

  Alex arched an eyebrow at him. “I’ve seen you give Trevor kisses on your hikes.”

  “I meant unhygienic for him.”

  “Ha-ha.”

  “Come on, mutt. You, too, Trevor!”

  “Ba-da-bing,” Alex said, air-striking a cymbal. “He’s gotta million of ’em, folks.”

  The crushed gravel, rails-to-trails path had a fair amount of weekend bikers and walkers on it. They passed a family with a stroller and an older man jogged by them in lime silk shorts and nothing else. The trail was bordered
on both sides by large deciduous trees, which shurred in the wind. The sky had clouded over during their two-hour drive, and the wind whispered of a summer storm, but the sky wasn’t dark enough for concern. It was ideal weather for hiking and a nice break from the recent heat.

  They moved at a good pace. Luke had Trevor on leash, and he stayed close by the side of Alex’s chair. Alex soon got hot from the exercise and took off his hoodie, so he only had a faded red T-shirt on top.

  Luke glanced at him as they started up again. “You can really move in that thing. It’s sort of like a mountain bike only you pedal with your arms.” He sounded surprised, like he hadn’t expected a wheelchair to be so sporty.

  “Well, I can’t ride down rough trails with it, but it’s not bad. It’s perfect for rails-to-trails.”

  “Your biceps are like grapefruit. You work out?”

  Alex was stupidly pleased Luke had noticed. “Yeah. I like to be active. I do as much as I can with my upper body. Weights. Rowing.”

  “Am I slowing you down then, Speedy Gonzales?” Luke teased.

  Alex chuckled. “I can go faster, but that would be beside the point. It’s great scenery.”

  “And heeeere would be a place for some clichéd innuendo.”

  “Come on. You’re not above it.”

  “Sadly, true. But then, there’s very little I’m above.”

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  “And the cliché-o-meter scores!”

  Alex laughed. “Hey, you write dialogue for those games of yours. I’m just the crossword puzzle guy, remember? You want clever? Go on. Ask me what an anoa is.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  “A small buffalo of the Celebes that has short, pointed horns.”

  Luke groaned. “See, if I put a clue like that in one of my games, I’d be driven from the industry with whips and scourges.”

  “That’s because video gamers have no patience. Crossword puzzlers love to be stumped. And they like to learn ridiculous things that no one in their right mind would possibly know, just so they have something to say at cocktail parties.”