He poured some chips into a bowl and placed it on the granite counter top in his kitchen. He opened up the door to his walk in pantry, and found a container of salsa to put out with the chips.
He liked homemade salsa better, but didn’t have any clue how to even begin to make it. He wondered if Nicole ever made fresh salsa.
He shook his head, trying to clear away the thoughts of Nic. He needed to get his head ready for the game and stop moping around like a love-sick idiot.
He looked around the kitchen to make sure everything was clean and straightened, the way he liked it.
He took in the glass cabinets, which were streak free, and showcased his matching dishware. The countertops were clutter free and his stainless steel appliances sparkled, and everything was put in its place.
The guys gave him a hard time about the fact that his house was always so clean and organized, and unlike most guys his age, he didn’t live off of ramen served in plastic ware.
He could handle their ribbing. He liked the way he lived.
He noticed that they had no problem allowing him to host poker night. They had gone to one of the regulars, Steve’s, house once. That was the first and last time that had happened.
As he walked through the tidy living room, with the black leather sofas and matching accent pieces, he thought about how much he wanted to see Nicole in his house.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t brought her here yet, but he realized that he could picture her here. He could see her helping him get ready for the poker night, or cooking in the kitchen, and was surprised by how much he liked the vision.
Kent was saved from his uncharacteristic thoughts by the knock on his door.
He opened it to a grinning Pete.
“What’s up, Man?” Pete asked putting his hand out to grasp Kent’s in a handshake.
“Not much,” Kent responded with a smile. “Come on in. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good,” Pete said as he entered and headed towards the kitchen to put his beer in the fridge. “I miss Kara and all, but I have to admit, it’s been nice to hang around in my boxers all day and watch Sports Center!”
“I hear that,” Kent responded, although he’d probably never sat around in his boxers before in his life. If he wasn’t dressed for the day, well, then he didn’t wear anything. That was another benefit of having your own place.
Pete used the bottle opener to open a beer and offered it to Kent, before opening another one for himself.
“Thanks,” Kent said, as he took a drink.
Pete went to go grab his seat at the table as another knock sounded on the door.
Steve and a couple of the other poker regulars came barreling in when Kent opened the door.
A chorus of “What ups” went around as everyone put their beer in the fridge and joined Pete at the table.
Kent joined the men and began dealing the cards as they all caught up on what had been happening in their lives since they’d last had a game.
After a few hands and numerous beers, they guys became louder and the money began to flow a little faster.
“So, Kent,” Steve asked as he folded. “What’s up with you and that smokin’ hot waitress from the bar?”
Kent knew that this was normal conversation for their poker nights, but couldn’t stop his jaw from clenching as he answered.
“Nic and I have been on a couple dates. Why?”
“No reason,” Steve slurred slightly. “I’ve been asking her out for months, and she always turned me down. I thought she was frigid, but I guess not if she’s seeing you.”
Kent stared over his cards at Steve, and noticed that the rest of the guys had stopped talking and were looking back and forth from Steve to Kent.
“Be careful, Steve. I just told you I was dating her.”
“Awww, chill out man, its cool. I just wanted to know if you’d hit that yet, and if those titties are as luscious as they look.”
Kent was out of his seat in a flash and was pulling Steve out of his by the back of his shirt before he had a chance to register what was happening.
It was a flurry of motion after that, as all of the guys jumped up from the table and tried to pull Kent off of Steve.
“Dude, that’s just Steve,” Pete was saying to Kent, trying to get his attention, as the larger man glared at Steve. “You know he didn’t mean anything by it.”
The red slowly began to clear and Kent’s vision returned to normal. He realized that he had two of his buddies holding his arms, Pete was standing in front of him trying to reason with him, and Steve was on the floor looking up at him with confusion.
“I’m fine,” Kent said gruffly, as he shook the other men off of him. He walked over to Steve and crouched down so he could look him in the eyes.
“Don’t talk about her like that again,” He said simply, then walked out his back porch and sat down on one of his deck chairs.
He was fighting to calm his breathing, while his brain was scrambling.
What the hell had come over him? He wondered. It was poker night. They always talked about women while they played. Sometimes the conversation got pretty graphic, much worse than what Steve had said tonight.
Pete came out and grabbed the chair next to his.
“You alright, Man?” Pete asked softly.
“Yeah,
