I looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes to eleven. I realized that if the cable company hurried, I might still catch the tail end of the show. Then a picture materielized in my mind. A beer-bellied man with unkempt hair and a half-eaten bag of potato chips sitting with his feet propped up on his desk. He wore a blue button down shirt with the top 3 buttons undone showing off his greasy chest hair. The picture reminded me of why I loved Jeannie so much and I replaced the lazy cable guy with the thought of her soft, warm body, her sweet round face, and that beautiful blonde hair that hung just below her shoulders.

I glanced toward the bedroom. The glow of the computer screen spilled out into the living room. From the computer's speakers I heard a deep gravelly voice say, "My life for Aiur." I sighed again. We'd had many good times with that game. The Starcraft innuendos had been so erotic. I still smiled when I thought of the "purple ooze" comment that Jeannie had made. What a passionate night that had been!

But things had begun to change. For me, Starcraft had begun to lose its appeal. The little cartoonish units just didn't have that sexual allurement that had once excited me so. Even the medic whose snug, white suit had made me hot on so many occasions now barely caused a stir. I guess people change. It seems like its human nature to always want something bigger and better.

And yet, for Jeannie it was different. With each passing day she played Starcraft more and more. It had become an addiction and she couldn't let go. We didn't talk about it much, but we both knew that the game was slowly driving a wedge between us. Even now, as I stared at the snowy, cableless TV screen with a stale cheesy pretzel in my hand, I longed for Jeannie to let go of her mouse, take her hand off that keyboard and caress my warm skin like she had done so many times before.

The thoughts became more erotic and I felt a warmth start to develop inside me. My face began to flush and I realized that I needed Jeannie right now. I needed to be reassured that she cared for me more than anything else. I wanted to know that Starcraft was just a game to her and that it wouldn't interfere with our life together.

I set the bag of pretzels down on the couch and stood up. I walked slowly towards the bedroom. As I reached the doorway, I saw Jeannie sitting in her navy blue easy chair. Her face was glued to the screen. Her left hand efficiently pecked at the hot keys while her right hand moved the mouse smoothly around on the mousepad clicking in all the right places. She was very good at the game now and when I did play her, I rarely won. Her units moved smoothly around on the screen, easily destroying her opponent's meager defenses. The game was nearly over. Suddenly, the little beep that notified players of an incoming message sounded and a communication appeared on the screen.

ProtectorofAiur: Can I still see your boobs?

Jeannie: haha, I don't think so

ProtectorofAiur has left the game

I chuckled softly at this exchange. Jeannie heard me and turned her head with a coy smile on her face.

"Can I see your boobs?" she asked.

We had been together for a year and I still blushed when she was so forward. But I was beginning to get used to it and I complied with her request lifting my tank top for her.

"Oh Angela, you sexy medic you," she said softly, "come play a game of Starcraft with me," she motioned to my usual spot on the other side of the table.

Frustration welled up inside me. Why did it always have to be Starcraft? I let me shirt drop back down and frowned.

A puzzled look crossed Jeannie's face. "What's wrong honey?"

"I just don't feel like playing Starcraft tonight," I replied.

"Why not?" a hint of distress was evident in her query.

I rubbed my temple, "I have a headache."

Jeannie looked down at her feet and mumbled, "Whenever I have a headache, I play Starcraft."

I pretended not to hear her and went over to sit down on the bed. The soft sheets soothed my feelings a bit and I patted the empty spot next to me. Jeannie saw my action. Reluctantly she got to her feet and came over to the spot that I indicated. I put my arm around her shoulder and ran my lips over her soft, bare neck. I immediately got the reaction I was looking for, a soft moan. I continued to work letting my tongue run up to her earlobe. Then she spoke.

"Oh yes baby, I want your SCV to mine my minerals!"

Frustration again welled up inside me at this Starcraft reference she so often made when she wanted me to really get physical with her. I tried to quell my irritation and kissed her deeply while caressing her soft body with my hands.

She moaned more intensely and once again began to speak, "Oh God, ensare me in your green net of passion! You're a dragoon, sizzling me with particle beams of passion!! You're a firebat igniting flames of lust within me!!!"

With a cry of frustration, I pulled away. She looked at me with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Why does it always have to be Starcraft with you?" I cried angrily, "Why can't we just have a normal, loving, lesbian relationship?"

Jeannie looked at me. She looked like she was trying to say something. No words came forth, but I could tell what she was thinking. No more words needed to be said. I'm sure we both realized it at the same moment. Our paths that had so long paralleled were splitting. Our wants and our desires were no longer compatible. Silently we stared at each other, reliving the many moments of passion we had shared together. Deep inside, I knew that Jeannie would always be a part of me.

Suddenly, an Australian accent sounded from the living room, "You moost be caiful when steending so close to a heeppopotamus. These fellers have huuuge mouths beeg enough to boite off yeer le... ARRRRGGGHHH! Oh sweet laird! Save me! **Splash splash** **glug glug**."

The cable was back.

I stared at Jeannie for a moment longer, then got up from the bed and walked into the living room. Behind me, I once again heard the tap of the keyboard and the click of the mouse. I sighed again. It just wan't meant to be.

Epilogue

I was sitting at the bar of a club one Friday night drinking a Vodka and Sprite with a twist when a lovely, well-shaped brunette sat down next to me. She introduced herself as Deanna and struck up a conversation with me. It didn't take long to realize that we we had a lot in common. After an hour of drinks I was buzzing pretty good and she invited me back to her place. Normally I don't go home with someone on the first night, but there was something different about her, a strange attraction that seemed to draw me to her.

I left my car at the club and she drove me to a small suburban house on the outskirts of town. Even at night I could tell that she had a well groomed yard and yellow roses grew underneath the living room's window sill.

She grabbed my hand and walked me up the front walk. I only stumbled once or twice and giggled nervously. But as we stepped through the front door, the sight made me sober up almost instantly and an intense feeling of deja vu hit me. My legs swayed for a moment and I grabbed Deanna's arm to keep myself steady.

"Are you all right honey?" she asked with concern in her voice.

I didn't say anything for a moment while my mind digested the scene before me. A table stood in the middle of the room. Two computers sat on the table. They were obviously connected to each other. The chairs were a light blue and obviously made for comfort. Propped against one of the monitors was an eight by eleven rectangular box. Across the top of the box, written with a fiery logo were the words Warcraft III.

My first impulse was to turn and run, but then my mind remembered the good times I'd had with Jeannie. Maybe this time, things would be different. A feeling of lust welled up inside me. I turned and looked into Deanna's eyes. The look there told me that she felt the same.

In a hoarse whisper I said, "Let's play."

She smiled and once again grabbed my hand. Together, we walked toward the chairs.

Cheers,
Angela