Her boyfriend, Seth, collects games, which in of itself isn’t all that uncommon, but the thing is, he seems to have some sort of obsession with them one might say. 

Seth seemingly cares for each game deeply, regularly cleaning each box and the shelf they are displayed on with pride.

Vacuuming is like second nature by now for Alice's boyfriend it seems, he also cleans up often after vacuuming to cover up the real reason why he actually vacuums that much. By now everyone would suspect that Seth is just a clean freak, but Alice knows him too well, he just does it so that less dust settles onto his games, console and computer setup. 

She almost feels offended with how Seth thinks that she doesn’t know him well enough to figure that one out, but as long as she doesn’t have to vacuum herself she won’t complain. 

Another thing she should also probably feel is jealousy. Seth collects video games, a very common thing to be doing, he takes care of them, great, but another thing which she has come to notice is just how fond he is of them. 

Not just in a casual way. The way his hands gently runs along the covers of the box in which a CD resides, the way his eyes fill with joy and gentleness, looks of adoration, love even. Seth looks at his games just like he does at her. 

Alice could be jealous, could be mad or even irritated by that. 

So today she decided she had enough and so today was the day she would confront him about it. 

A sigh made its way out of her throat at those thoughts, trying to gather them as best as she can, this could go down really badly if she didn’t tackle this topic with care. The sound alerted Seth to her presence in the room looking up from the game, hands quickly grabbing it at the sides as if they hadn't been gently stroking the packaging absentmindedly, doing so subconsciously.

Alice just strode to the couch from the doorway where she was casually watching it all go down and letting her body sink deep into the couch next to her love, exhausted already even though they haven’t started talking.

The look Seth gave her was not surprise, more questioning, probably guessing what had gotten his girlfriend so tired on such a pleasant day. It was sunny with a few clouds here and there, the temperature wasn’t too high but also not too low, exactly how Alice liked it, so her contradicting mood seemed to puzzle him. So like the good partner he is, he asked her, while softly placing the game onto the coffee table giving her all of his attention, “What’s wrong?”

Now that’s the problem, isn't it. 

Alice's eyes wandered from his face back to the game on the table and back to Seth. Alice had to do it. She knew that much, if she didn’t do it now then when? There would probably never be a right time to just talk about it, she could pretend like she didn’t notice his adoration for his games, but she just felt like she would be lying to him if she didn’t speak her mind now. 

“Nothing really. Nothing is wrong, it’s just-” she tried to begin, not even knowing where to start whatever this conversation was supposed to be. Alice really didn’t have a plan on how to address this whole situation, heck, she didn’t even know what the end goal here was. Well preferably Seth wouldn’t think that she was crazy and that they will be together. But he wouldn’t break up because she just assumed that- but what if-

“,,,,it’s just?” Seth hesitantly enquired breaking his girlfriend's train of thought after a while of silence trying to make eye contact with her. She didn’t even realize that her eyes started drifting towards the room in general and not him. 

The sigh that followed from her yet again was involuntary as she shook her head and focused back onto her boyfriend. It’s better to rip that bandaid off now than wait. So in a last attempt to seem earnest about this Alice sat up a bit straighter facing her boyfriend fully and putting on a serious face. 

With the new found courage she continued and just straight up asked, “Are you in love with your games?” 

Without Seth responding immediately, instead just looking at her speechless, Alice started to grow self conscious and nervous, already second guessing herself she added quickly looking away from him, “or something-”

It was quiet, shame evident on her face and a tension which could be cut with a knife. 

But Alice was not a coward, she started this conversation so there is no time to back out now. So she looked back. Meeting her loves eyes she could tell just how surprised he truly was, mouth open, clearly expecting anything but that question. 

She doesn’t blame him, it’s not everyday your partner asks you if you love an inanimate object.

Thankfully for both of them Seth didn’t let them both marinate in this awkward silence which manifested itself in between her question and his shock. Instead of surprise a hesitant questioning look yet again appeared on his face and just as unsure he answered, “Of course I love my games? I mean I did buy them, would be counterproductive to hate them-”

Clearly Seth didn’t know how literally she had meant the question, or maybe judging by the shock just didn’t want to face the truth. 

Alice started to feel a little guilty, she doesn’t know if her boyfriend himself knows about that part of himself, maybe it was bad to address it like that out of nowhere? What if he wasn’t ready to face the truth yet? Did she just push him into deep waters with that inquiry? No, she had to confront him, he would probably never open up that chapter of his identity himself.

Though still maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Looking away from him and letting out a frustrated groan she did without thinking, because dang was she embarrassing herself here it seems. 

Not meaning to appear mad she gently started speaking again “No I mean like,,, do you love them, like- you do-” turning around to look him in the eyes, she needed to look at him, “me?”

“How can I be in love with my games?” Seths voice wasn’t laced with disgust or judgment, it felt more like he was speaking rationally, not like something he wants to say, something he has been conditioned to say.

It didn’t sound forced, it seemed more like a question that he is finally daring to ask himself more than her, but masked behind confusion.

Alice's features soften at that, her body finally relaxing some more into the couch now that she knows she isn’t being judged because of this whole mess she started..

Gosh did she love the man in front of her.

With a soft smile on her lips she shared her reasons why she suspected it, “You look at games, your whole collection, with such fondness and it isn’t just for a moment or two, i have found you on this exact same spot just holding your games appreciating them as if there was nothing else around you for like almost hours it seems like. The way you always clean your hands before grabbing your controllers to not dirty them. Every time you get the chance to play a game you always seem to light up, even when it is a horror game.”

A blush has started to form on Seths cheeks with what adoration his partner was talking about him, but she just continued on, “You think I don’t know that you only clean up so often just so you have an excuse to vacuum, so that there will be less dust on your precious games? I mean I am not complaining. Most of the time I listen to you talking about them and sharing little facts with me while you play. Sometimes it feels like you know more about them than yourself.”

As if lost in thought Alice finally explains her main argument, “You handle them with gentle care. You look at them, your whole collection, with such fondness, with such love and adoration-” 

Seth just continued to listen carefully with sort of a curiosity as if he himself hadn’t picked up on that stuff himself. He tries to look for eye contact because her hands seemed to be more interesting to Alice at that moment than her partner, but she gives it to him while finishing her thought,  “You look at them like you look at me.”

It was surprising to see such a neutral and matter of fact expression on her, as if she just said the most normal truth there was out there, as if she just stated that the sky was blue and that the sun is shining. 

It was certainly not what Seth needed from her right now. He tried to figure out what he was supposed to do, what was his most beloved feeling about all of this? Is she mad at him? He couldn’t tell. Seth would be lying if he’d say that he wasn’t at least a bit more nervous than before.

Alice in turn just let out a deep breath slumping back into the couch like at the beginning of this conversation, relaxing yet again, as if a huge weight just magically erased itself. Closing her eyes for a second appeared to be the right choice for her at the moment. Seth probably needed some time to think and Alice needed a second to finally relax a bit. 

She still didn’t know how this conversation would end, so a break before the storm appeared to be the right thing to do.

After a while of just silence she opened her eyes back up looking at her boyfriend and he in turn just sat there without any visible expression, just blank. After all this Alice wasn’t scared to ask yet again just differently, “Are you object-sexual?”

He heard that same question asked during some online games before while playing with random people. It was said in a mocking manner, as a joke, a, at best, distasteful joke in his opinion, but he didn’t say anything against it, too scared to be labeled as one and be ridiculed for it. That joke wasn’t even directed at him, still he somehow felt the need to pretend to laugh,so he wouldn’t become the next target of such jokes, that term being used very very loosely. Guilt and shame feeling his stomach at that memory.

But hearing it from Alice, said in such a carefully genuine manner, it just made him snap out of his spiraling thoughts, focusing back on his girlfriends gorgeous eyes. Even though the question was as straightforward and self explanatory as one could get Seth couldn’t help but let his body take over, “Am I a what?”

Alice with the patience of a saint just repeated “An object-sexual, or well- a object-romantic person? Whatever you want to call it. Are you that?” 

No hesitancy nor disgust was noticeable in her voice, but still, her partner decided that the best course of action would be changing the direction of the conversation by ignoring the question and responding with, “I love you.”

That reply made her chuckle a bit to herself. Affection laced through each word, his girlfriend adoration for Seth more than evident, “I don’t doubt that, never would. I know how much you love me, believe me I love you too.” 

Before her partner could even lower his gaze, Alice couldn’t help but reach out to his face and gently place it on his cheek, stroking his warm skin with her thumb, trying to reassure him, “So much.”

The other just looked at her so she continued, the next words came easy to her as if it was breathing air, “I love you and I would never judge or shame you for being you, especially not for doing something as human as loving. I am here my love and I am here to stay with you.”

The affection in Seths eyes and the deep red color on his face made her falter for a second, but she continued nonetheless, “Look, I don’t mind you loving your games and all that-” 

Now it was her turn to blush, “I even think it is kinda cute how you try to involve me in this thing you two have by letting me play with you, or be so adamant about me watching you play and sharing tidbits of information about the game you are currently fixating on, or sharing fun facts with me. The way you adore us both and try to include us is, well, adorable.”

Before Alice could be interrupted by her boyfriend, who was already opening his mouth, probably to deny it and say something stupid that he only loves her or something like that, she raised her other hand a little signaling that she was not yet finished, “So no, I don’t mind sharing your love with” not knowing exactly how to address the games without sounding maybe a bit weird about it she just motioned her hand to the shelf with all of the games displayed there, “them-”

Alice blamed her awkwardness of the delivery the way that being attracted to things wasn’t all that common, or at least wasn’t talked enough about. Her first time even hearing about it was on TV and people mocking it on the internet mostly, so her views on the whole matter weren’t all that educated until now after she decided to look it up for the sake of this conversation. 

Maybe that’s why her boyfriend didn’t even want to imagine himself being someone like that, because of the ridicule and mockery? Did Seth think that she would make fun of him or something? She couldn’t help but feel sick at the thought. Maybe that is why he felt so nervous talking about it?

But she can’t help but notice that she herself purposely avoided saying ‘games’ right now. Was she actually assuming that her boyfriend would think that she was making fun of him while just mentioning them in the context of loving her and them? 

Perhaps they both have some work to do when it comes to that part of his identity, if it turns out to be true that he indeed loves them more than he would ever like to admit.

Almost missing Seths answer with how quietly he said it she was forced out of her thoughts yet again, “I don’t know-”

Alice wanted to check what he meant with that, but now it was her partners voice to cut her off before she could even begin, “I don’t know if I am-. I don’t know if I love them.”

It sounded kind of like a lie to both of them, they both knew already that he indeed loves them, but isn’t yet ready to face it. The defeated and disappointed look, because of his inability to pinpoint what he is feeling about it all still made Alices heartbreak. 

Quick to reassure she declares, “You don’t have to label yourself if you are unsure, you don’t even have to label your relationship with your games, okay?”

She waited until Seth nodded, “We can figure it out as we go. No matter how long it will take, I am here for you. There is no rush.”

The promise was sealed with a simple innocent kiss on the mouth, Alice wanted to make sure that he knew that she wasn’t going anywhere and that they would walk this road together. Wanted to make sure that he knew that she wasn’t disgusted of him for that and that she didn’t view him any different. 

There was this soft silence around them, just basking in the unspoken confession that Seth might be in love with an object, or well multiple. It was comfortable and neither made an effort to break it. 

Seth is probably having a lot of questions about himself right now, Alice can’t imagine what it feels like to have to reevaluate a whole part of her identity, so in an effort to take his mind off of things for now and maybe calm him down a little from this stressful conversation she breaks the silence and asks eagerly with joy “Soooo what were you gonna play this time?”

His girlfriend was right, because her boyfriend was in fact lost in his own thoughts, but he seemed to welcome the distraction. It won’t truly stop his raging thoughts about being object-romantic, but for now that was exactly what he needed to calm down. He felt tired after that emotional rollercoaster. 

Gosh did he love his girlfriend. 

And at the back of his mind he also allowed himself to think for the first time, gosh did he love his games too.

Happily, regaining some energy back, he puts in the CD into the console and explains in detail what the game is about and trading information about it as he goes. Alice just adds her two cents to the conversation, telling him what she liked about it and asking questions, showing him that she was paying attention. 

Even though this little set up wasn’t unusual, them often doing exactly this, Seth couldn’t help but be happier this time around. 

Happy about the fact that he is surrounded by the person, and things, he loved most.