Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades

He dealt the last hand with stoic ebullience, she shifted in discomfort. It was down to them- finalement, very apt. They had shared an enviable bond, too good to be true.

As he handed out the first card, he remembered the nascent attraction and she remembered the putrefying agony. With the second, he wondered whether things had to be the way they turned out, and all she thought was how to thwart him this one last time- revenge, she agreed, is the purest emotion. With the last pass, he wished to hold on to everything whilst she wanted it to be over, soon.

He smiled as he saw his hand- a dry grin- much to her bewilderment. She had a good set, but was it good enough?
'Maybe he is trying to disconcert me.'
'What if I lose this? I don't want to.'

He read his set, spoke to it with silent words. They admonished him well- to flash in the 1-3-2 sequence. He was sure to win, and the cards chuckled in glee. He had mastered them well, and they had been his faithful companions. The cards had never let him down, and today was going to be another such day.

She evinced her first- the Jack of Hearts and he guffawed to himself.
... Jack of all trades, definitely not the Master of Hearts...
He rolled out the Three of Spades- a faithful servant. Her impetuous sway doled out the Queen of Clubs. He watched in dismay as she perched herself for the win- another opportunity to make him miserable. He displayed his second bill- the Two of Spades- and with that, the colour from her face was drained.

Was this going to be her defeat? She could not see herself crumble in front of him. Suddenly, the air inside the room became moribund- the same stifling she felt 8 years ago with the person on the other side of the table.

She could not take it any longer and decided to end it, once and for all. She was going to finish the game, finish him.
... Don't make me lose...

Suddenly, it was all clear to her. She could not take the risk this time again. The guilt had gnawed at her for a long time, and made her a deliberate insomniac. She rose with a poised elan, held his gaze and spoke in silence;
... I will never concede to you...
As she hurried out of the smoke filled antechamber, her last card flashed on the floor. He picked it up with unassuming care, as if it was a treasure from the past. The card would haunt him for the rest of his numbered days.

It was the King of Diamonds, and he concealed a Five of Spades.