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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Rye pretended like it was nothing, asking random questions while fiddling with his setup the next morning. To anyone who didn't know him, he seemed happy and at ease. But I saw the way his hands shook when he moved and the way he stumbled over certain words.
After ten minutes of skillful dodging, Rye finally gave up. He leaned back in his chair, looking at me for the first time. "What am I supposed to say?" he whispered, running a hand through his curls.
"Anything?" I suggested, tapping my foot against the ground. "We have to talk about this."
He smiled sadly. "Two months ago, you couldn't look me in the eye without turning red. How things have changed."
"Rye, seriously, talk. Do you like me?"
"I honestly don't know," he sighed, covering his eyes with his hands. "Everything's a little . . . weird."
"Well—" I started as my phone rang in my pocket. I felt his eyes on me while I checked the caller ID. "Sorry, I need to take this."
"What? Lani!" he called after me as I ducked out of the office.
"I'll be right back, okay?" I shouted down the hall, veering left into the laundry room. On the last ring, I managed to answer. "Hey, Clay, what's up?"
"My new video broke a record! Holy shit, it's still going up, too!" he babbled, his excitement seeping through the phone.
"That's great," I said, letting his good mood lift mine. "I'm really happy for you."
"Oh, I called at a bad time, didn't I?" His tone dropped, turning sheepish.
"No, no—Well, a little. I was having an awkward conversation with Rye. Apparently, he's into me." I lifted myself onto the dryer, letting my feet dangle.
"He confessed?" he ground out, his voice strained.
"Kind of. The whole thing is weird."
"I'll let you get back to that then. Good luck."
"Clay—"
The call ended there, leaving me sitting in the laundry room with more questions than when I walked in. As much as I wanted to talk to Clay, I willed myself to walk back to the office and face Rye again.
I hoped the conversation wouldn't last long so I could call Clay again with a clearer head.
"I'm back!" I slipped into the office, immediately noticing the deep frown on Rye's face.
"Who was that?" he grunted, arms crossed over his chest.
"My friend. He was super excited about something and wanted to tell me." I fought a smile, covering its beginnings with my sleeves.
