AllFreeNovel
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“I’m sorry for laughing,” he said with a serious look on his face. “It must’ve hurt to be broken up over something so silly.”
“We were together for a year beforehand. We were even living together. There were other things wrong but what ultimately broke us up was NLA,” I said.
“Well, I’m happy that NLA brought us together,” Alex smiled. He put my hand down and instead squeezed my thigh. “And if it makes you feel any better, I won’t leave you, even if you de-rank all the way back to Iron V.”
I barked a laugh and elbowed him in the ribs. “You make me feel safe, Alex. I don’t know how you do it but you have the patience of a saint and just your presence makes me calm and I haven’t felt that before. It’s been so long since I got tilted in NLA as well. I don’t know how you know how to talk me down from that but you just do it.”
“Come here,” he said and moved his hand to pull me in by my waist. Once I was in his lap, he pressed me into his chest, burying his nose in my hair and whispering in my ear. “You make me feel things I haven’t felt for a long time, too.”
“Like what?” I asked, tracing a line with my nose up his neck and breathing in the smell of his soap.
“Happiness, for one. I was in a dark place about my injury before you came along and you turned my whole attitude around,” he chuckled in my ear.
“We shouldn’t get carried away before the stream,” I put a hand on his chest and pushed us slightly apart so our eyes could meet.
“But we can after?” Alex raised an eyebrow in question.
“Yes.”
I found myself laying in Alex’s lap not long after. We decidedan afternoon nap would do us good, considering that neither of us slept well the previous night for obvious reasons—we were both overthinkers.
A random stream was playing in the background as we drifted in and out of sleep. Alex played with my hair absentmindedly, which made my whole scalp tingle. When Alex’s lips eventually pressed a kiss to my temple, I knew my little nap had to be over.
“We have to get up, stream’s in twenty minutes,” he whispered in my ear and I groaned something incoherent.
“You’re also cold,” he ran his fingers up and down my arms. “Do you want me to go get you something? A hoodie or a blanket?”
“Hoodie, if you’re offering,” I mumbled and finally got up from his lap.
I had drifted off again while he was gone getting the hoodie. I woke up properly when he wrapped me in it.
“Do you want coffee? A Red Bull? To wake you up?” He asked.
I asked for a Redbull. He brought me a green one from the fridge and opened it in front of me before handing it to me.
“Thanks,” I said and took a big swig.
“No problem, we don’t want you breaking a nail now, do we?” he joked. I looked at the chipped lilac polish on my nails and made a mental note to get them re-done soon.
As we settled in for the stream, I became aware of everything. The way Alex’s arm brushed against mine as he adjusted the camera, the hint of pride in his voice when he announced I had officially joined Team Solid, the warmth of his presence so close to me. It was all so overwhelming now that I was allowing myself to notice it.
As usual, the chat was filled with quickly moving messages. But today I noticed something that made my heart sink.
XoXMZ
OMG they are so cute together!
NLAs4Life
When are you guys going to admit you’re dating?
Lexsta
Just kiss already!
I tried to ignore it, but the messages kept coming every time Alex and I looked at each other for a second too long.
I got into the first game, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched and judged. The chat’s shipping comments made me hyper aware of every little interaction between us. Every time Alex laughed at something I said, every time he looked at me with those warm eyes, it felt like the whole world was scrutinizing us and waiting for us to slip up.
