When the kiss ended, Veyra was red to the tip of her ears. She didn’t shy away like usual, and her gaze was locked on me. I heard her breath through her mouth.

  Her body suddenly slid down on the seat. She yelped, grabbed onto the right handrest of her wheelchair, and said, “Help…”

  I sprung up right away, lifting her from her shoulders, back onto her seat. The push-ups I’d done gave me the strength to lift her easily enough. “Is that good?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  I sat back down next to her. The awkward silence continued, both of us too flustered to look at each other. I really just kissed her. I just went for it. She hadn’t pushed me away.

  “So, um,” I said. “I definitely do not feel the ick, when I look at you.”

  “Do you really believe what you said?” Veyra asked. “That I’m… better looking here than in VR?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Do I need to kiss you again?”

  Her eyes were spinning. “Uh, sure?”

  I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then I held her hand, and we continued sitting there, just watching the event pass. I could only hear the muddled beat of the music in the distance. A few people stood awkwardly in the distance, behind game pods, glancing in our direction.

  “I think people saw that,” Veyra said.

  “Oops,” I said. “Looks like we have fans.”

  We kept holding hands.

  Softly, she asked, “Do you really not mind? That I’m paralyzed?”

  “I’m surprised for sure,” I said. “But really, I’m just relieved.”

  “Relieved?”

  “You had me stressing out with this whole ‘You won’t like me in real life’ thing. I was afraid of a lot of things. But you’re still you. The same Veyra I know.” I grinned, looking at her. “And I was right. You look amazing with glasses.”

  “So you still want to date me?”

  “Yep,” I said. “Do you?”

  She remained flustered with an awkward smile on her face, but she paused to think. “I think we should go on another date. Like, to talk about our futures and stuff. Our previous agreement of online dating is not really valid anymore.” She rubbed her cheek. “So that’s to say, I want to date you. I just don’t want to disappoint your expectations. I can’t have kids, for example.”

  “Having kids is not a very efficient method of leveling up,” I said.

  She smiled, eyes pointing at her thighs. “Looks like you’re also you in real life.”

  “I’m just happy to be here with you. I’ll definitely go on another date.”

  “You can pick the spot,” she said. “And if it’s bad, I’ll berate you for it.”

  “No, no, you’ll definitely need to help me out,” I said. “I know the good locations in Wonderwind, but I haven’t explored this Sweden server yet.”

  She laughed, hitting her hand on her thigh. “Want to go exploring afterward?”

  “We’ve got time today,” I said.

  “After Worlds,” Veyra said. “I have time then. Right now, I’d like to focus on our performance. I usually get dizzy in new places.”

  “Sure,” I said. “You don’t get dizzy here, though?”

  “LAN events are familiar. I traveled to one with my mom to play Starcraft.” She smiled, recalling a memory. “Imagine joining a local tournament, and your opponent is an eleven year old paralyzed girl playing on a wheelchair with one hand. I finished fourth.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  I laughed with her, and for the next thirty minutes, we chatted about nothing significant. Still, it felt like the most important conversation I’d had in years, much more valuable than any of the scoldings I’d received for making Wonderwind my full time job, or my dad’s threats of making me homeless.

  We could finally talk about our real lives now, without Veyra shying away, telling me she only existed in virtual reality. I asked her who the Thai woman with her was, and I learned she was Veyra’s assistant and a good friend, who had been half the reason why Veyra had the courage to come here. She then asked about my life as well, to which I reluctantly admitted that I still lived with my parents until I figured out what I wanted to do in life.

  “I was actually kicked out the very day we met,” I said. “I was homeless for a bit, until I won New York’s PvP cup and my parents wanted me back.”

  “Really?” she said with a laugh. No part of her looked judging.

  People kept glancing at us while we talked, and one teen boy eventually came to ask for our autographs. He had a huge poster with dozens of top players’ signatures. He came to me first, letting me pick a spot. I drew the same heart with an A with a dagger inside it.

  Veyra saw my signature, the one I copied from her, and her head snapped to me. I smirked like an idiot. While giving me a side-eye, she drew her own heart signature next to mine. The teen asked for a picture. We smiled for him, and he happily moved to his next target.

  Veyra pouted at me. “Aiden… Your signature…”

  “That’s a secret.”

  “Why is it the same as mine!?”

  I laughed and teased her for a bit, until I revealed that Greenwitch also asked me for a signature, and I copied hers. She rolled her eyes.

  It didn’t take long for another person to approach us, though something was different about her. The tall black-haired woman in sunglasses walked with confident steps—the opposite of everyone else’s nervousness—with footwork that took my attention. I’d seen this person somewhere before. She wore a leather jacket with black jeans and sneakers.

  She took off her sunglasses, and my protective instincts kicked in right away as I recognized her. I sprung to my feet and stood between Veyra and her.

  It was Annath.

  “Why is it,” I asked, “that every time someone interrupts us, it’s always you?”

  “I’m here to talk,” she said. “And apologize.”

  I frowned at her, trying to read her look. Her face was slightly softer. She wasn’t scowling like she did when meeting us in Wonderwind. She had her hands calmly to her sides. Nothing about her looked hostile. Not apologetic either, but her words sounded honest enough.

  I stepped ever so slightly to the side.

  “Seven,” Annath said. “Or Veyra, rather. It looks like I must apologize.”

  Veyra looked away.

  “You played well today,” Annath said. “I take back my allegations. I’ll post an apology on the forums. You truly were a top player all along. How did you get so good?”

  “I’ve told you many times. It’s practice.”

  “You aren’t the only one who practices quick-casting every day,” Annath said. “It still doesn’t make sense how you’re so much better than everyone. But you are not cheating. The devs watched your data today and confirmed it to me.”

  Veyra shrugged.

  Annath stood, and the look in her eyes shifted to a more demanding stare. “I admit, I am upset. Why didn’t you enter competitions back then? There were so many ways you could have proven you’re not cheating. Instead, you gave us no proof at all and made us rely on trust.”

  “I was a seventeen year old girl, bullied by a whole community,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do…”

  Annath crossed her arms. “Either way, I’ll apologize. I don’t expect us to become friends. Have you checked the brackets? They just came out.”

  “We have not,” I said.

  “I’m playing against you, first match tomorrow,” Annath said. “You two might be top players, but your duo entry stunt won’t work. You’ll be in the losers’ bracket. Feel free to climb to the finals. You might finish second. But you won’t beat me.”

  We both frowned at her. “You know what, Annath,” I said. “How about you go home to enjoy a nice evening and leave us alone.”

  She snorted. “Tomorrow, we’ll meet on stage.”

  She put her sunglasses back on, turned around, and walked off. A small crowd had gathered to watch. Everyone stepped out of the way, letting Annath pass. She headed straight through a set of curtains, into the player areas. She didn’t even need to show her pass for the security guard at the entrance to let her in.

  Veyra opened her phone, studying the brackets. She bit her lip. “It’s true. We’re playing Annath straight away. Tomorrow at one pm.”

  “We’ve practiced,” I said. “We’ll win.”

  “I’ll need to focus,” Veyra said. “I should head back to the hotel. I’ll memorize spell formations and work on our strategies.”

  I must have looked sad to hear we wouldn’t spend more time together today, because she added, “It’s not because I don’t want to be with you! Really, it’s not. I just get too flustered when I’m with you. I can’t focus on the game. I’ll fail a combo mid-match at this pace. It’s best if the next time we meet is on stage tomorrow.”

  “Alright,” I said. “I’ll try not to flirt with you. We’re going on a date after we win this thing. Let’s lock that in, and I won’t bother you until then.”

  She nodded. “Thank you. I like you, Aiden. Even if it doesn’t always look like it, you’re my favorite person. And my first kiss. See you!”

  She unlocked the wheels on her chair, then pushed forward, escaping me.

  ***

  “Looks like… it went well?”

  “Aree, why are you red?” Veyra asked.

  “Uh, no reason… Where to go? Back to the hotel?”

  “You didn’t see the, um…?”

  “I saw it, yes,” Aree said. “He really just went for it, huh? Did it feel good?”

  “Aree!” Veyra said, hiding her face in her hand. “I’m supposed to focus on a tournament here!”

  Aree laughed awkwardly, and they headed back to the hotel.

  Patreon! That means the rest of the book can now be binged. I admit the Worlds arc has a lot of cliffs, so uh, binging it will definitely be the best option >:)