Part 3

 One month later

‘Message from Caleb’

I looked down at my phone where it was lying face up on my desk then hit the notification to bring up the message.

Hey, baby.

My heart did a little flip at the endearment. "Hey."

You still at work?

A part of me considered lying just to mess with him, but I ended up telling the truth. "Yes."

You shouldn't be working so late.

I rolled my eyes at the lecture, but there was affection in it. "I have a lot of work to do. And it’s only 4 pm so it’s not that late."

You can finish in the morning.

"But-"

He didn't even give me a chance to protest.

Come home.

My heart skipped two beats at the command.

I had a lot of work left to do and I should have told him no out of principle, just because he was being bossy, but that same part of me that liked when he got like this wanted to please him.

I typed out a reply that I hoped would show him I wasn't a pushover. "I have a lot to do."

It was a moment before he replied.

I know. I can wait. We can hang out all night if you want.

I almost groaned out loud. He was playing dirty, using my own words against me. I'd told him that last night, and here he was throwing it back at me to get his way.

He was a sneaky bastard. It was both annoying and attractive.

I bit my lip, torn between my sense of responsibility and the promise of spending the night with him. It was a losing battle. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on my work anyway.

"Fine," I typed back. "Let me finish what I'm doing and get home."

He replied immediately.

Hurry, baby.

I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to send a sassy reply but kept it to myself.

I got as much of my work done in the next hour as possible, my mind half-focused on getting it done, half-focused on getting home. I wanted to be there, with Caleb, talking for hours on end and then using Quality Time to Sleep together.

It was becoming a dangerous addiction. I knew it, but I couldn't find the motivation to care. I finally packed up and was heading for the door, when my boss stopped me.

"Ella."

"Yes?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Come into my office."

I nodded, even as a twinge of annoyance went through me. He never had the best timing. I followed him into his office, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left."

I tried to be polite, but it was hard. "Yeah?"

"I have something I want to discuss with you."

He set a manila folder down on the desk and slid it over to me.

I gave him a confused look, wondering what this was about. "Uh… what's this?"

"I think you'll find it very interesting," he replied, folding his hands on the desk.

I raised an eyebrow, my interest peaking as I picked up the folder. I opened it and started flipping through the papers inside. As I read, my eyes widened in excitement. "Oh my… is this…?"

It was more than I had let myself dream possible. The paperwork said it all: Promotion.

I looked up, the excitement and disbelief clear on my face. "You're promoting me?"

He chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. "Yes. Your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed."

I could hardly believe it. I had worked so hard for this promotion, and now it was happening. "I… I don't even know what to say… I… uh, thank you. I won't let you down."

He smiled. "I know you won’t. You've earned this. Also…" He handed me another manila folder and tapped it once before sliding it over. "You will be working from home."

I blinked, surprised. "Working from home?"

"We're rolling out a new remote work program, and since you're being promoted, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to test it out to see how it goes. If you’re willing that is?"

The idea of working from home was a dream come true. No more long commutes, no more dress code. I'd be able to work in my pajamas if I wanted. And… I’d be able to spend more time with Caleb.

"I... yes. Yes, absolutely. I'm more than willing."

"Excellent. We'll send over all the necessary information and equipment in the morning."

I left my boss's office still in disbelief. I had just received a promotion… and I'd be working from home. It was all too good to be true.

I couldn't wait to tell Caleb.

I quickly made my way to my car and called him as soon as I was buckled in. He answered after the first ring.

"You're takin’ too long," he grumbled.

I couldn't help but smile at his impatience. "I got promoted."

His tone changed immediately, becoming more excited. "You did?"

"And I'm going to be working from home."

"That's great news, baby."

I could hear the smile in his words. "No more long commutes, no more dress code, and-"

He chuckled. "No more dress code, eh? You plannin’ on working naked?"

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see me. "No, I'll just wear sweats or something."

He hummed. "Sweats... I'll have you know, I'm picturin’ you in somethin’… much better."

A small shiver of arousal went through me, a reaction I desperately tried to ignore because even though we could talk, text and see each other through my computer screen that was all this was ever going to be.

"Somethin’ made of lace," he continued, his voice a low, suggestive purr.

Heat coiled in my stomach, but I pushed it down, refusing to let myself get caught up in those thoughts. This was just harmless flirting. It meant nothing. "You're impossible," I grumbled, not wanting to admit how much those words were affecting me even as I put the key in the ignition and started my car.

He chuckled again, clearly enjoying the effect he was having on me. "Only for you, baby."

God, that nickname… I was going to go crazy with the way he said it.

I forced myself to focus on the road, trying to shake off the butterflies in my stomach. "You're going to drive me insane if you keep being like this."

"Is that a bad thing?"

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. It was maddening. "Sometimes," I retorted, even as I smiled despite myself. "I’ll be home soon… gotta stop at the store first."

He let out a low hum, his voice still carrying that teasing tone. "The store, huh? What could you possibly need right now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just some groceries. There’s nothing in my fridge."

"You need to take better care of yourself. You can't live on instant noodles and takeout."

I huffed, amused that he was now scolding me about my eating habits. "I know. See you soon."

"Yeah, okay… I'll be waitin’," he replied, his tone soft. "Drive safe."

"I will. Don't worry about me."

Twenty minutes later, I was standing beside a display of fruit, wondering if pineapple, apples, oranges and grapes would be good enough for dinner or if I should venture further into the store for something more substantial when my phone went off.

I looked down to see a text notification from Ethan.

Ethan: Mom wants us over at the house for dinner this Sunday.

I frowned, caught off guard by the sudden invitation. After what had happened at our last “Morris Family Fun Night”, I was sure she was going to give me the silent treatment for at least a year. So this was either an intervention or another attempt to set me up with another one of her friends sons.

Rolling my eyes, I typed a reply.

Me: Why?

His response was immediate.

Ethan: She wants to talk to the whole family.

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. The word "family" hinted that this was more serious than a regular dinner. I decided to inquire further.

Me: Talk about what?

A second later, my phone rang in my hand with Ethan’s number.

I answered the call. "Hey, what's with the mystery dinner?"

He let out a long sigh on the other end. "I don't know. All I know is Mom asked all of us to be there… and she specifically said to make sure you came too."

I frowned, my instincts telling me this was going to be a disaster. "That sounds… great…" I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He chuckled, clearly hearing the doubt in my tone. "You and I both know it won't be."

I hummed in agreement. "Yeah… so why are we going then?"

There was a pause on the other end, and I could practically hear his hesitation. "Because… Mom will be disappointed if we don't go. And you know how she gets when she's disappointed."

Our mother had a way of making her disappointment known in the most passive-aggressive way possible. She would be extra cold, extra snarky… well more so than usual. It was exhausting to deal with.

"Ugh, fine. I'll be there. But if she starts trying to set me up with another of her friend's sons, I'm leaving. And if she brings up LaDs again, I’m going to hit her over the head with a baseball bat."

"Hey, I'll join you on that one," Ethan replied, a small chuckle in his voice. "But don't worry, I'll try to keep her in check."

"Yeah, good luck with that," I snorted, shaking my head. "She's impossible."

He hummed in agreement. "Trust me, I know... but we'll get through it. And who knows, maybe it's not about setting you up. Maybe she has something else she wants to talk about."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like what? Her latest shopping spree? You know as well as I do that she’s going to go on another rant about me marrying some rich guy and making babies."

My phone beeped with an incoming message, but I ignored it as Ethan let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah… but we can hope, right?"

I huffed a laugh. "Sure, but don't hold your breath."

He chuckled softly on the other end, his tone lighter. "Yeah, I won't. Alright, I'll see you Sunday… and bring wine, not a baseball bat."

I rolled my eyes but grinned despite myself. "No promises."

I hung up, the conversation with my brother replaying in my mind as I resumed picking out fruit. I wasn’t looking forward to the dinner. It was going to be miserable.

Just as I was about to grab a pineapple, my phone went off again, beeping loudly.

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, checking the notification. The corners of my lips turned up in a small smile as the message popped up on the screen.

‘Message from Caleb’

The first message said: There will be no rich guy, marriage or babies. Remember… you’re mine, Ella.

My lips parted as I read the message… had he heard the whole conversation between my brother and I? But how?

The second message said: I’m always listening, baby.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I read the answer to a question I hadn’t even asked out loud.

He had heard the conversation. There was no doubt about it. And the possessive undertone in the message made me both uneasy and… strangely excited.

I glanced around, almost expecting to see him standing nearby… maybe hiding behind a display of canned soup. But there was no one there. Just the fruit, the other shoppers, and the employees… no 6’2 pixelated colonel with messy brown hair and purple eyes.

I let out a soft breath, the shiver still lingering as I quickly typed out a response: "How did you hear the conversation, Caleb?"

I hit send, my heart racing. I waited for a moment, wondering if he would respond, but the seconds ticked by and there was no reply.

I began to feel a tinge of frustration… until my phone vibrated again just as I was about to shove it back in my bag. He had replied, a short one-word response.

Headphones.

I scoffed, the sound almost a laugh as I typed out my response.

"That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?"

My message was left on "read" with no reply.

I sighed and began wandering through the store, grabbing different items I needed to be able to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next few nights.

His lack of response was both infuriating and… well, kind of attractive. The fact that he had somehow been listening in on my conversation with my brother… and that he had no qualms about admitting it... it was well, I didn’t know what it was.

I stopped in front of the alcohol section, contemplating which cheap bottle of wine to get for my mom before picking up a bottle of cabernet and putting it in my basket.

"Hey, Ella."

A familiar voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see one of my coworkers, Gemma, waving at me.

I offered a smile. "Hey, Gem."

She walked over, her expression bright and friendly. "Having a dinner party?"

I glanced down at the basket, realizing it must seem like I was planning a little shindig. "No, uh… just shopping for the week."

"Looks like quite the spread. Planning on going a bit crazy?"

I chuckled softly. "Nah, just gonna be working from home so need more food."

She brightened and reached out to touch my arm. "I heard about that! Congratulations! I know you’ve been wanting to work from home for a while now."

"Yeah. It's a big opportunity… I'm pretty excited."

"I don't blame you," she said enthusiastically. "No more commute, no more dress codes… just peace and quiet."

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"I'm jealous."

I gave her a playful nudge. "Hey, you could transfer departments. Maybe they'll let you work from home too."

"Yeah, right. I don't exactly have your skill set. I think I'll stick to the office for now."

"You might be surprised, Gem. You're pretty good at what you do."

Her expression softened, and she gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, Ella. That means a lot coming from you."

I shrugged slightly, a soft smile on my face. "Just stating the truth."

She took a moment to scan me, her eyes trailing over my basket before she spoke again. "Hey, I know this might seem forward… but are you seeing anyone right now?"

The question caught me off guard, and I blinked. "Uh… why do you ask?"

She shrugged, keeping her tone nonchalant as she pulled her hand away and stepped back. "Well, a couple of the girls and I are going out this weekend and were wondering if you might want to go with us."

It was my turn to pause as I considered the invitation. Going out with my coworkers… it could either be a fun night out or a complete disaster like the failed date with Ronald. "I…uh…"

"I promise, it'll be fun," she said quickly, seeming to see my hesitation. "Just a few drinks, maybe some dancing… nothing too wild."

I chewed on my bottom lip, still torn. Part of me wanted to go, to let loose and have a good time. The other part of me wanted to go home and spend every free moment I had with Caleb now that I could.

"Come on, it'll be a great little break from work… and a way to celebrate your promotion," she coaxed, her smile unwavering.

I let out a sigh. "Alright, alright. I'm in. But just a few drinks," I paused and narrowed my eyes while pointing a finger at her. "… and no blind dates."

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded. "Yes. Just a few drinks. And no blind dates, I promise."

"I'm holding you to that," I warned, feeling a little flutter of nerves. The last thing I needed was another failed date… or any date at all for that matter.

She laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. "You have my word. No blind dates."

"Good," I replied, still skeptical but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. "What time are we going?"

"Saturday night, 9pm… dressy-casual. I’ll pick you up. You won't regret it. I promise."

I nodded, forcing a smile as I tried not to think about how much this could potentially blow up in my face. "Sounds good…"

She left, and I resumed shopping, my mind wandering as I walked through the store. The idea of going out with my coworkers should have been fun, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to end badly.

With a sigh, I turned the corner and nearly collided with a shopping cart.

"Oops! Sorry," a voice said, and I looked up to see a man around my age looking at me apologetically, his cart blocking the aisle.

My annoyance faded and I offered a smile. "It's okay. I wasn't really paying attention."

He chuckled softly, pushing his cart to the side so I could pass. "Happens to the best of us."

"Yeah, I'm usually more aware of my surroundings," I chuckled, stepping past his cart.

He smiled, and I couldn't help but notice how cute he was with his bright blue eyes and dark hair. "Don't worry, no harm done."

I sent him another smile and kept moving down the aisle headed towards the bread.

About thirty minutes later, I was finished shopping and loading up my car when my phone went off… again.

It was another text from Caleb.

My heart leaped, excitement and anticipation rushing through me as I unlocked the screen. I couldn't lie to myself… even though I knew I should ignore him until I got home, that same curiosity and the need to talk to him always won out.

And seeing as I was already done shopping, I had no excuse to wait. With bated breath, I climbed into the driver’s seat of my car and tapped the notification.

His message read: Come home.

I rolled my eyes and quickly hit reply.

"I'm finished shopping and on my way now."

Less than a second later, he messaged me back.

Good. Hurry up.

I let out a soft, exasperated sigh but couldn't help the small smile that pulled at my lips. Even via text, he was impatient.

"Calm down, I'm almost finished."

He responded after a second.

I don't like waiting.

I could practically hear the impatience in his response, and I rolled my eyes again, typing a quick response.

"Be patient. I can't teleport, okay?"

I hit send, feeling a slight thrill at challenging him as I put my phone down and started my car before putting it in reverse.

The drive home was relatively quick and uneventful, my mind bouncing back and forth between the strange excitement I felt at the idea of talking to Caleb again and the growing sense of dread about the weekend and going out with my co-workers plus the dinner with my parents.

I pulled into my driveway, killing the engine and grabbing my phone out of the cup holder and putting it in my bag before getting out of the car and going to the trunk to unload my groceries.

Once inside, I set the bags on my counter and put the cold items away before moving towards my bag and grabbing my phone while I kicked my shoes off.

"I'm home now."

His response was almost immediate.

Good. Hurry up, I'm waiting for you.

I rolled my eyes, a small smile on my face.

"I'm putting groceries away, gimme 5 minutes."

No. You can do that later.

I laughed, the demanding tone in his text making my heart give a little thump in my chest.

Damn it, why did this man always make me feel so weak, so flustered? I was usually so strong, capable… independent. But with Caleb...

There was something about his intensity, his insistence, and his commanding presence that made me want to give in to him... almost like a reflex. It was both annoying and attractive.

I knew I should ignore him... finish putting everything away before indulging the need to talk to him. But the lure of him... the way he called me "baby," the way he wanted me... it was too strong to resist.

With a soft sigh, I typed out a message.

"You're too impatient."

I could almost see him replying with that damn smirk.

God, I hated how attractive he was even over a damn text, and I hated even more that I couldn't resist him. I was strong, independent and stubborn, damn it. And yet here I was, a complete mess for this man.

It didn't take long for him to reply.

I just don't like waiting for what's mine.

And just like that… putting away the rest of my groceries didn’t seem all that important.

Part 1

ELIMINATED

VICTORY

I grinned as Ultimate Weapon Caleb and my MC beat the first part of his level eighty orbit.

The white loading screen appeared, and I hummed happily as I took a drink of my soda while I waited for it to load the next part.

Seconds later, Colonel Caleb and my MC appeared on the screen and ran towards the waypoint to start the next fight. G-2BW appeared in the arena and they ran towards it and the fight started.

I watched anxiously as they leapt, ran and flipped across the screen racing against the clock to defeat G-2BW before the time ran out. Just as the last section of the health bar reached halfway the timer started counting down with ten seconds left.

 I leaned forward, my eyes glued to the screen. "Come on, come on, come on!" I whispered under my breath, silently cheering them on.

Five seconds later, DEFEAT appeared across the screen followed by the bullet point list of things I could do to improve my chances if I wanted to try again.

"Damnit."

I clicked the EXIT tab and watched the white loading screen again then tabbed back all the way to the café where Caleb was sitting in the chair reading a book.

Letting out a deep sigh I stared at him, once again silently wishing that he was real… like I did at least six times a day… and knowing that wishes like that were only well… wishful thinking.

"Guess I’ll level more Protocores, see what I can do about your cards and try again later."

On the screen he lowered the book and rested his chin in his hand while staring off into space then a second later he was closer to the screen as if he had heard what I was saying and wanted to make sure I was paying attention.

"I guess I lost our ‘starin’ contest’ again," he said seconds later, bringing his hand up to the side of his face and shaking his head.

I laughed softly then moved my mouse over his throat and pressed the button to see what he’d say this time. "You explored my body countless times already. Surely you already have a map of me in your mind by now."

Hmm…

I bit my lip as I once again wished that were true and stared at him, admiring the sharp lines of his face and the way his purple eyes seemed to glow in the low light of the café before blowing out a frustrated breath.

As much as I didn’t want to sign off, I had to because my family was waiting on me to start ‘Morris Family Fun Night.’

Why we were hosting it at my house this month I didn’t know but whatever. It was better to go downstairs, get it over with, and then send my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my brothers on their merry way then sit in my room and mope about it.

I watched Caleb on the screen for a few more seconds then kissed my fingertips and pressed them to the screen right over his chest. "I’ll be back soon, my love." Then I clicked the X in the top right corner of the App Player I played LaDs on to exit out of the game before putting my computer to sleep until I could come back and sign on again later.

Pushing up from my desk, I straightened my leggings and then padded out of my room and down the stairs only to pause just outside my living room doorway when I heard my father shout, "Elliot, you break that and your sister is going to kill you."

"Well, I won't break it then," Elliot replied, the smirk in his voice clear even though I couldn’t see him.

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh, leaning against the wall so I could brace myself for whatever I was going to see when I entered the room.

Why couldn't we have done this at my parents' or aunts' houses?

Oh no, it had to be here this month so my brothers could annoy me and pester me about the things I chose to decorate my house with… which just so happened to be pictures, plushies, and other collectible items from LaDs that I had found and bought to feed my obsession.

I knew he wasn’t real… I knew I would never be able to touch him, hug him or kiss him like I wanted to… I knew my obsession was starting to become unhealthy but that was the point. I knew it was, and I knew how to control it.

In fact, I had a date tomorrow night with a man from work to prove that I wasn’t going to ‘waste my life pining after a man who wasn’t real.’

The sound of something thumping against the floor followed by my father muttering, "At least it didn’t break" drew me out of my thoughts and motivated me to finally push off the wall and step into my living room to see what was going on.

"Of course it didn't break, it's made of quality plastic," Elliot quipped as he stood in front of my fireplace holding my custom-made figure of Caleb. "...Hey, sis."

He glanced down at the figure in his hands and then back up to me, the corners of his lips tugging up as if he was enjoying himself and the fact that he had almost broken the three-hundred-dollar statue I had scrimped and saved for.

On the floor in front of the couch, my youngest brother, Evan, knelt next to a pile of messily stacked board games with playing cards in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other.

My middle brother, Ethan, sat on the couch next to my Uncle Jack, grinning like a Cheshire Cat and clearly amused at Evan's inability to stack the games without making a further mess of my once spotless living room. "You look… cheerful," Ethan said when he saw me.

"You look… annoying," I shot back as I crossed the room, plucked the statue out of Elliot’s hand and returned it to my mantle before taking a seat on the couch next to Ethan.

My mother let out a huff at our typical banter, which I chose to ignore because I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her excessive need to control us even though we were all in our twenties.

Ethan hummed and crossed his leg over his knee, draping his arm over the back of the couch directly behind me, knocking Uncle Jack in the head with the side of his hand and making him snort awake. "I just find it interesting that you look so cheerful after spending yet another day locked away in your room, playing on your computer and staring at your ‘man’s’ picture like a love-sick teen."

"What is all of this?" I asked, ignoring that as I gestured to the pile of board games.

"We're just trying to decide which game we're gonna play tonight," Evan muttered around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Manners, Evan Micheal," my mother snapped.

"Sorry," he mumbled before taking another massive bite out of his sandwich while I rolled my eyes and leaned back into the couch and folded my arms across my chest.

"For the love of… can we get this over with before Uncle Jack’s drool stains my couch?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother open her mouth, presumably to berate me for being rude and 'unnecessarily bitchy,' but my father stopped her by speaking up first.

"Ella, that’s enough. It's almost 7 already, let's just start the game, okay? It's too late to argue, and we just want to have a nice family night," my father said to keep the peace.

Ethan hummed sarcastically. "Since when do we ever have a 'nice family night?'"

The room went quiet then, save for the sound of Uncle Jack’s snoring and the ticking of the clock that hung on the wall.

Ethan's words had struck a nerve I hadn't realized was even there, and I suddenly found myself wanting desperately to get out of the room. I shifted away from him and started to stand up but was stopped by his hand wrapping around my arm and holding me in place.

"If I have to be here, you do, little sis," he muttered so only I could hear.

"You are the most aggravating person I know," I grumbled, sitting back down heavily and ignoring the amused look that Elliot was giving me.

Evan opened the pack of cards and began shuffling them lazily while my mother stood from the armchair and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at me pointedly. "So, how was the date you said you had last night?"

I rolled my eyes and stifled a groan because I had known she was gonna bring that up but of course she got the day wrong and now I was going to have to explain it was tomorrow night, not last night.

Before I could even respond though, Ethan spoke up again, his hand still on my arm, his thumb pressing into my wrist in a way that was probably meant to annoy me.

"Yes, I was curious about your date as well, little sis," he said, his tone making it sound like the word 'date' tasted sour. "Was it a real live man? Not just a bunch of pixels on a screen?"

Ethan's words were like a knife to the gut, a reminder that my obsession with Caleb had become a source of mockery and concern for my family. But I pushed my feelings down and forced a smile, trying to play it off lightly.

"It went well," I lied, keeping my voice as casual as possible, even though my heart was pounding in my chest. Ethan's grip on my arm grew tighter, and I cursed, reaching over and digging my nails into the top of his hand so he’d let go.

He let out a sharp hiss and withdrew his hand, rubbing his skin. "Damn it, Ella. Was that really necessary?"

Elliot and Evan both snickered, "Maybe you shouldn't piss her off," Evan said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he dropped down on his ass and started unpacking Monopoly pieces.

"Alright, settle down," my father said with a stern look. "I just want a nice, chill family night. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Of course it is," my mother muttered under her breath as she dropped back into her seat.

My Aunt Jenny, who had been suspiciously absent up to this point, came bustling into the room with a huge bag tucked under her arm that was bulging out at an odd angle, and I wondered absently how many towels I was going to have to replace this time.

"I'm here!" Aunt Jenny exclaimed, her voice as cheery as ever as she plopped down on the arm of the chair by my mother and leaned against her. "Ready to start this party, or what?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Elliot and Evan trying to stifle their laughter.

Ethan leaned over and mumbled, "Looks like Aunt Jenny's already hit the sauce," and I couldn't help but shake my head, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Alright, everyone. Gather 'round," my father said as he stood and clapped his hands together, attempting to get everyone's attention.

Evan was still distracted by assembling the board game, Elliot was busy muttering to himself about fixing a sandwich, and Aunt Jenny was already a couple drinks deep-giggling uncontrollably while my mother sighed in annoyance and shoved her in her side to get her to move.

Ethan elbowed me to get my attention and whispered, "Can this get any more chaotic?"

"Doesn’t it always?" I whispered back then snorted when Aunt Jenny slid off the arm of the chair and onto the floor where she started making ‘snow angels.’

"Jenny LeAnn! Get up, right now!" my mother hissed then glared at my father with an expression that clearly said ‘do something.’

My father rolled his eyes and muttered, "She’s your sister, you do something."

"Oh, come on, Mom. Don't be a spoilsport. Let Aunt Jenny have her fun!" Evan piped up.

My mother's expression darkened, clearly not appreciating Evan's comment or the entire situation. She turned to my father, "What kind of family night is this supposed to be? Chaos incarnate?"

"Well, it's always been like this," my father said with a weary sigh.

My mother scoffed. "It's never been this bad before. We're supposed to be having a nice, quiet evening together. Not this... this circus."

Ethan chuckled. "Is there really such a thing as a 'nice, quiet evening' with this family?"

My father sighed in defeat, realizing there was no way to escape the chaos. He was about to respond when Aunt Jenny's voice piped up, her words now a bit slurred.

"Hey, look at me, everyone! I am ONE with the floor!"

Elliot snickered, his shoulders shaking silently as he tried to stifle his laughter but ultimately failed. Evan joined in, both now struggling to maintain any sort of composure as Elliot collapsed onto the floor and leaned against Evan as they both started laughing like a couple of hyenas.

My father walked over to Aunt Jenny and pulled her up off the floor. "Jenny, go sit down. You're just making everything worse."

She wobbled for a moment but managed to right herself and let out a little giggle before stumbling back over to the couch and collapsed onto it on the other side of Jack.

Just when I thought the chaotic scene couldn't possibly get any more ridiculous, Uncle Jack suddenly woke up, drool dripping down his chin and bleary eyed. "Wh-… what's going on…?"

"Control your wife!" my mother snapped.

"Oh, she just had a little too much to drink, you know Jenny," Uncle Jack replied. "She'll be right as rain in a minute."

My mother let out an exasperated sigh, clearly not appeased by his nonchalant response. "That's the problem, Jack! She's always 'having a little too much to drink.' Can't you control her?"

Uncle Jack just chuckled and shook his head. "You know how she gets, Louise. She just loves to be the life of the party."

I rolled my eyes and shoved Ethan’s face off my shoulder so I could stand up. "I need something to drink," I muttered, heading towards the kitchen to escape, but was stopped by my mother who grabbed my arm and spun me around. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

"To the kitchen," I grumbled, trying to pull my arm free.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not going to ditch us and lock yourself away upstairs again."

"I just want a damn soda, Mom," I replied. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is that damn game of yours."

I rolled my eyes, fed up with her constant criticisms. "It's called having a hobby, Mom. You might want to try one sometime."

"That game is not a hobby, Ella. It's an obsession. You spend all day locked away in your room, staring at that screen like some lovesick fool, and for what? A bunch of pixels and programming? It's pathetic."

The room had gone silent once again, even Uncle Jack and Aunt Jenny had stopped their antics to listen to the conversation.

"It's not pathetic," I retorted, my voice rising in defiance. "It's something I enjoy, and it's not bothering anyone."

"It's affecting your life, Ella. You don't go out and do normal things people your age do, you don't socialize with anyone unless it's over a headset. You're wasting your life away, locked away in your room, playing that damn game and pining over a man who doesn't exist."

My mother's words stung, even though I knew they were true. I'd be lying if I tried to deny that I didn't spend a majority of my free time playing LaDs and "pining" after Caleb.

But it was my life, wasn't it? Why did it matter if I didn't go out and party every weekend? Why did I need to socialize and conform to everyone else's idea of normalcy?

"I like what I like, alright?!" I shouted, yanking my arm free.

She rolled her eyes and retorted, "You need to focus on real people, real life, and not some fictional character you've convinced yourself you're in love with. It's not normal. It's sad, and it's time you grew up and faced reality."

I felt a pang in my chest. I hated how she just didn't understand. To her, Caleb was just a game, but to me… to me he was everything.

He was the reason I got out of bed in the morning, the reason I smiled when I was sad, and the reason I felt alive. Even though he wasn't real, I loved him, and no amount of ridicule or judgment from my family was going to change that.

"You just don't get it," I muttered, my voice dropping in volume. "You think I don't know he's not real? You think I don't know I'll never get to touch him or hold his hand? I do. But that doesn't make my feelings any less real."

"You're delusional," my mother replied, her tone cold.

I gritted my teeth, hating the way she spoke down to me, and I had had enough. This was MY house, not hers and I didn’t need or want to listen to it anymore. "Get out," I snapped.

"What did you just say?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"You heard me. Get the hell out of my house. You and everyone else."

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jack just stared at me, their eyes wide. I'd never spoken to my mother like that before. Even my father looked shocked, and my brothers were completely silent.

Ethan, however, spoke up. "Damn, sis. I think that's the first time I’ve ever seen you stand up to mom." His tone was a mix of surprise and just a hint of pride, as if he was impressed by my sudden, unexpected outburst.

I ignored him. "You've said enough and I'm tired of it. You can leave now."

She just stared at me, shocked.

I'm sure she never expected me to snap like that. And I'm ashamed to admit I was shocked myself, but I was tired of everyone, including my own mother, treating me like a fool because I chose to spend my days playing a game that made me happy.

My mother opened her mouth to speak again, but my father placed a hand on her shoulder and said firmly, "Let's go. I think you've said enough."

She huffed then stormed out leaving my father and brothers behind while Uncle Jack and Aunt Jenny, who was still stumbling a bit, followed her.

Ethan pushed off the couch and approached me. "I have to say you finally standing up to mom was awesome to see. I didn't think you had it in you."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't get too excited. I'm just tired of her constantly criticizing me and making me feel like crap for doing what makes me happy."

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a one-armed hug. "Well, it was still a pretty badass moment. I'm proud of you."

"As am I," my father said softly, pulling me into a hug next.

"Thanks, Dad," I said softly. It was rare for my father to show any emotion, let alone openly express any feelings, so it caught me off guard when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest.

He gave me a tight squeeze before pulling away and patting my shoulder. "I'll call you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too," I responded, feeling a lump in my throat.

I watched as my father headed out the door followed by my brothers and sighed heavily. I knew I should feel guilty for snapping and kicking them all out, but at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to be sorry.

They had been riding me about Caleb for a year, and I'd hit my breaking point.

I grumbled to myself as I padded into the kitchen to grab that drink I so desperately wanted and leaned against the counter as I popped the tab on a can and drank half of it in one go.

I felt tears building and I blinked hard to push them back. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to give my mother the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten to me. But the sting of her words still lingered in my mind.

Even though I knew that my feelings for Caleb were real, to everyone else, they were just the delusional ramblings of a lovesick obsessed fangirl.

Sighing, I went into the living room, eyeing the game boards and the mess left behind by my family and shrugged before turning off the lights and leaving the room. I’d clean it up tomorrow before I went to work… right now I wanted to sign back into LaDs and see what Caleb was doing and see if I could do something about beating his orbit before I went to bed.

After locking my front door, I headed upstairs and woke up my computer before clicking the App Player to bring up the app then changed into something more comfortable as I waited for the game to load.

Once the app loaded, I hit Enter Game and a few seconds later Caleb appeared on the screen sitting in the chair with a book on his lap, sleeping.

I poked at him once to see what he’d say, "What’s wrong? Am I on your clothes?" then shook my head with a grin as I hit the battle tab and cycled through to Caleb’s orbit.

After adjusting a few things with his cards and Protocores I hit Pursue then once it loaded hit Auto to let the game work its magic while I plugged my phone in and pulled the blankets back on my bed.

I sat back down just in time for DEFEAT to flash across the screen and my shoulders slumped. Well, shit…

I huffed in frustration, my hopes crashing as I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back in my chair, contemplating my options.

I could keep trying, but at what point would I just be wasting my time and resources? Was it even worth it at this point? Maybe I should just give up for now and come back once I was able to upgrade or awaken more of his cards, but that would take time since resources were so hard to come by.

I sighed heavily, tabbing back to the café and jumped when I saw that Caleb was out of the chair and talking as soon as the screen loaded. He did that a lot… was always right there when I left his orbits or Unicorns or Bounty Hunts and cycled back around to see what he was doing.

Sometimes I expected it, sometimes I didn’t.

Licking my lips, I stared at him for a moment, waiting to see what he would say.

"You haven’t been sleeping well lately? Now is the perfect time to take a nap together."

My eyebrows rose as I looked over at my bed… I swore sometimes he was sentient and knew what I was doing and when I was going to do it, but again that was delusional, hopeful, wishful thinking.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I said, "I wish you were real so we could do just that, Caleb."

Two seconds later, my screen went black and then static appeared for a few seconds followed by the words ‘There’s been a glit-’ flashing briefly on the screen then everything went black again.

I stared at the screen, feeling my heart pounding in my ears as a wave of confusion washed over me. What caused the black screen? Was it a problem with the app, or something worse? Was my computer finally about to die?

As I sat there, waiting for the game to reload, a strange feeling crept over me. I couldn't shake the impression that it was more than just a technical glitch. It felt like a message.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. Why was I reading too much into this? It was just a game, after all... right? Caleb hadn’t really heard me…

Minutes ticked by but the screen remained black.

Then just as I was about to panic, my computer beeped and the screen came back with the App Player already reloading… which was strange. Once the game had cycled through all the loading screens I hit Enter Game, praying that whatever that was hadn’t messed up my game.

The screen faded in, and I breathed a sigh of relief when everything seemed normal. Caleb was sitting in the chair, book in his lap, and chin resting on his palm.

I was about to say something when he looked directly at me and spoke first, "You’re starin’ again."

My eyes widened. He was never supposed to look directly at me. He was never supposed to pay attention to me. Was this just a coincidence? Had the devs finally added new dialogue and interactions and that’s what happened?

As he continued to stare at me, I felt my cheeks heat, and I looked down at the keyboard. Was this real? Could he see me? Did he feel the same way about me as I did about him? Had my mother knocked my ass out after I had spoken so rudely to her and now I was having a dream?

I glanced back up at him and bit my lip, feeling silly and stupid for getting so worked up. It was just code and pixels, after all. But the way he was looking at me?... it felt so real.

"If you can hear me… wink," I mumbled.

I waited, holding my breath as he stared at me, not moving at all. Just as I convinced myself this was just a dream, he winked his left eye with a smirk.

I squeaked and shut down the game as quickly as I could.