Once each piece was in place, they began. Starting on even ground, but it was clear from the third move who the game favored. They continued, zeven's eyes were glued to the board, each turn seeming to compress on him.
Almost ten minutes into the game, Zeven's hand raked through his hair, his finger opening and closing as they worked through his curls, before returning to their place on his lap.
The game continued to move for another few minutes before Zeven breathed out a heavy sigh.
"What are you doing?" Zeven's voice was breathless.
"Playing a game of chess."
"That is the second time you have pretended to overlook a checkmate, there is no way you didn't see it." he motioned with his hand over the board. Her knight had the perfect shot at his king, only for her to move it off to the side to be captured by his rook.
"I'm a bit off my game, it's not a crime."
"There is off your game, and then there is not even trying. Are you not taking this seriously."
"No. You are just taking this so serious it is throwing off my game."
Their attention returned to the game. But Zeven couldn't keep his important pieces safe. It seemed that every turn he lost one, without reason or intent.
"I can't do this. I quit. Your win."
"You don't know what I'm even going to ask."
"It's enough that you haven't made eye contact with me for a while, you keep shifting in your seat, and you are picking at your left hand fingernails. I'm not even sure if you realized that you did it."
He managed to look up at her, through his thick eyelashes which trembled slightly. He wasn't wearing his glasses so he couldn't see what face she was making, but he could imagine.
"Whatever it is, it is obviously important to you."
He knelt down at her feel, grabbing her calf in one hand and the outside of her thigh with the other. Leaning in he placed a chaste kiss on her knee.
"Consider me your personal slave for the next week, I will do whatever I can to make what I am about to ask easier on you."
"Just tell me." She looked down at him as he was looking up at her. Arching her brow up at him.
"There is a ball that I am going to attend in the upcoming week. I am to take you with me."
"Okay, that doesn't sound bad. I've been to my fair share in my country. I don't have my suit with me, but I'm sure that something suitable can be found."
"Well…
His silence filled the space with an uncomfortable feeling.
"Well what?"
"You will need to go as a girl."
"I don't cherish the thought. And I doubt I'll play the role convingly, but a deal is a deal." She said this through a clenched jaw.
"That's not all."
"You're kidding."
"Unfortunately not."
"I should have held out longer," she said with good humor. But the joke fell flat on Zeven as he looked even worse, "There's no use in prolonging the inevitable, what else do I have to do?
"Convince everyone that you are in love with me."