Page 71 of Fake Game

I look at the mountain of boxes just in the living room. I have absolutely zero motivation to open them. Maybe I should’ve just thrown everything out and started new. Minimalism is pretty in right now.

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

I give her a half-assed smile, and she rolls her eyes playfully before going to speak with the movers.

Thank the Gods she came to help me out. I’d be seriously lost without her.

Literally. I can’t even see over some of these boxes.

I look around my new place, which is a lot larger than I expected. Even with all the boxes piled up, I can tell I lucked out with the stunning open floor plan and two massive bedrooms. When Parker said he was getting the apartment repainted, I thought he meant because the previous tenants ruined the walls. Nope. He’d gotten the entire apartment painted an extremely sheer pastel pink color. He even went so far as to get a doorbell system installed to give me peace of mind. It seems a little much for an apartment on the fortieth floor of a high security building, but it makes me feel better now that I’m living alone again.

I gnaw on my bottom lip as that sinking feeling returns.

It is going to be an adjustment, not having Jackson down the hall. Sure, he’s just an elevator ride away, but it’s not the same. His body emits waves that calm my nerves, and I just feel safer when he’s around.

Point in case, last night was the best sleep I’d had in weeks.

Even though I woke up this morning to an empty bed.

Sure, I mean, I know he goes to the gym at 6 a.m. like clockwork, but…I don’t know.

All my stuff is out of the penthouse now, too. I don’t even have a legitimate reason to head back up there unless I want to seem needy or annoying.

My phone buzzes repeatedly, and I pull it out to see a notification from my mod.

RICK:groceries are on their way. Should arrive by seven

RICK:and I’m having a sponsored package from that cosmetics company rerouted to ur new place

RICK:and don’t forget to dip into the Discord tonight

ME:thanks :) appreciate it

RICK:do you want me to keep ur stream scheduled this week?

ME:……..I guess

ME:I still have to set up my stuff tho

RICK:k – just let me know

I let out a small puff of air as I weave my way into my new streaming room. I’ve already begun unpacking in here. I didn’t trust Parker’s movers enough to handle my set up beyond getting the furniture situated—my PC build alone is worth a couple of grand, and some of the gear is custom. Replacing any of it would be hell.

Trying to distract myself, I begin unboxing all the individual components and cords, setting them up on my desk in just the right way. It’s meticulous and keeps my brain focused as I perfect the aesthetic I’ve spent years curating—which is basically bubblegum e-girl-core.

After what feels like way too long, I plug the final cord into the outlet and watch as the room comes to life. My PC is an ombre pink lightshow, my keyboard sports a flickering rainbow wave, the LEDs lining the ceiling shine a bright magenta, and my gamertag shines on a neon pink sign on the wall. A calm settles over me as my safe haven returns to me.

I hadn’t realized how much I missed having my own streaming room. Part of me worried that I would never feel at peace in here again after the incident. Granted, I tweaked the room setup slightly from how it used to be—no sense moving into a new place and creating a mirror of my old one. But still.

I move on to another box, ripping it open to reveal my streaming equipment. My fingers pause on the edges, the contents inside glaring back at me.

I’d taken a bit of a break from live streaming since moving in with the guys. It’s not like I could stream from Parker’sroom without people asking questions. I’ve just been uploading prerecorded content to my channels. But now that I have my space again…

Come on, Deer.

I take a deep breath and begin lifting out the pieces of my ring light. There is no way I would let this haunt me. The longer I avoid it, the worse it will get. I’m not going to lose my career to these assholes.

“I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

---