chance meeting,
love lasting.
on a seemingly normal night, a famous creator raids a smaller streamer and sets off a chain of events that lead him to his dream girl.
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"Nalani Beth, why are you just now calling?"
I glanced at the clock. "It's only eleven, Mama."
She huffed on the other end. I could feel her death glare like she was right in front of me.
"Is everything okay?" I prompted, slowly sitting up. My head throbbed, every muscle in my body aching.
"You haven't called in two weeks. You said you'd let me know how it went."
I rubbed my forehead. "What?"
"The interview! What is going on with you, young lady?"
"Nothing," I yawned. "Tired."
"You're hungover," she ground out, and before I could say a word, she said, "Don't even try to deny it, missy."
"I'm an adult," was my only defense.
"We'll talk about that later. How did the interview go?"
"I didn't get it. They wanted someone with more 'presence'." I popped an aspirin, draining more than half the water Major left.
"That's bullshit, and code for 'bigger boobs'."
"Mom!"
"Did you at least apply somewhere else?"
"Everywhere else wants the degree now, not a month from now when I graduate."
She sighed, her disappointment seeping through the phone.
"But there is one that I might try."
"Go on," she drawled, and I knew it was paired with narrowed eyes.
"It's for Fuller Events—they do a lot of high-end weddings. It's super competitive, though—"
"So, no problem for you?"
"Mama, it's not that simple."
"Lani, you want it, right?"
"Well, yeah—"
"Then go for it!" she cheered, the sudden noise shooting straight to my pounding head. "The worst they can say is no."
Rubbing my forehead, I rolled my eyes. "That was only encouraging before the first rejection."
"From failure, you learn," she said in a Yoda voice, clearly proud of herself.
"I need to get ready for work," I grumbled. "I'll call you tonight, okay?"
"Okay, sweetheart. Have a good day hungover!" she teased, hanging up instantly.
When the call disconnected, the unread messages popped on screen. I reread only one, my heart picking up with every word. Broken memories of the pathetic drunk I was last night started popping up.
