Page 56 of Now Streaming

Theo shrugged. “I knew the moment I held a knife in my hand that I wanted to be a chef. And I was six.”

“That’s because you’re certifiably insane.”

“All I’m saying is, whatever’s going on between you two, it isn’t just a con fling. You’re not going to forget about her the second you get home and fall back into your cave. I get that your privacy is important to you, and I respect you for that. But you’re using streaming as a way to hide, Hayden. If you really don’t do anything to help her with this, you don’t deserve her.”

Theo walked into the kitchen, leaving Hayden to stew on his own, and he couldn’t help but feel the words hit him like a freight train. Min was important. The thought of leaving her out to dry for this, for photos of them together, left him feeling nauseous. Maybe she would forgive him for it, but she would always see him as yet another person who dropped her at a low point in her life. And Hayden found he couldn’t stand that. He was slowly realizing that he didn’t want to be just another person in her life. He wanted to betheperson. And that was terrifying.

His phone beeped an alert and Hayden glanced at it, then froze. He had an alert notification telling him another article about Min had dropped. He opened it, skimming, finding more of the same information already published, but stopped as he scrolled further down. There were new photos, this time from LA, when both he and Min had been leaving the Bleeding Sword corporate office after that first disastrous meeting. It looked like it was shot from across the street, but they were both in it, talking to each other, standing close. Hayden could remember the moment before they had walked separate ways to their cars, when she had said a begrudging “thanks” before storming away from him. Peering at the picture, Hayden thought they certainly didn’t look as loved up as the ones in the bar did. But there was no mistaking that he was the same guy from the Waterfront photos.

How the fuck did someone get these? It was one thing to see Min across a bar at a huge fan convention, but on a busy LA street? The first time his and her paths had ever crossed? There was something going on here, something Hayden was missing. But he sure as fuck wasn’t going to stop until he figured it out.

CHAPTER18

MIN

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. You go off and win your tournament and make everyone rue the day they were assholes to you. While you’re doing that, I’m going to take a quick trip back to LA and set his house on fire. I’ll be back in time for dinner. I’m feeling tacos.”

Brittany was moving around her hotel room, on a mission. Min vaguely noted that the room looked like Brittany—her clothes everywhere, a camera set up in the corner with a patterned drape so she could stream her “Getting Dressed” content for her channel. Brittney doled out fashion advice for every budget, and her fans loved her for it. On her channel, she was chipper and bright and the personification of sunshine.

But in real life, Angry Brittany was an anarchist waiting for an excuse.

“You’re not going to set his house on fire. It’s not his fault.” Min could feel how exhausted she was as she lay on the bed in Brittany’s room, almost completely burritoed in the comforter. She had come here after crying her eyes out in her room alone, when it had gotten to be too much and she needed a change of scenery, needed a friend to help calm her down before the tournament. Although now that she thought about it, Brittany wasn’t really anyone’s first choice to calm down a situation.

At Min’s words, Brittany whirled around, pointing an angry finger at Min. “Don’t you fucking dare pretend like he’s innocent in this. He’s a fuck-up and a loser and he doesn’t deserve you. And maybe he knows that, but he’ll definitely know it after I put tampons in his gas tank.”

Min groaned. “Brittany, we’re not going near his car.”

“Why the fuck not?”

Brittany paced, hands on her hips, fire in her eyes, and for the first time, Min realized Brittany was in goth girl mode—leather jacket she probably found at Goodwill, tight ripped jeans, and an old worn-out Dashboard Confessional shirt. Brittany dressed with her mood, and her current mood was to destroy. Min took a deep breath.

“I like him, okay. I like him a lot. And yes, he’s being a dick, and yes, he needs to be punished for it. But he also has things going on that I can’t tell you or talk about that make his reaction to this situation understandable and even sympathetic. So, until I sort through my own emotions and figure out how I want to handle everything, nothing is going to be set on fire and gas tanks are going to be left alone. Is that clear?”

Brittany’s boot tapped on the carpet as she stared at Min, searching. Finally, her shoulders loosened and she dropped onto the bed next to Min with a sigh.

“You never let me have fun.”

A laugh almost escaped Min. “Is Robbie aware of what a pyro you are?”

“Of course not. I already terrify him. He couldn’t handle it if I showed him the real me.” Brittany said it with a laugh, but something about her tone had Min raising a brow.

“Um, should we unpack that?”

“Absolutely not. So, what are you wearing to the tournament tonight?”

Leave it to Brittany to focus on the fashion. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure if I should go. Everyone’s pissed, saying that I’m trying to cheat. Before that, someone trashed my hotel room. I’m feeling like the universe is sending me signals, and I should probably start paying attention.”

Brittany snorted, throwing an arm around Min and pulling her into a hard hug. “Bullshit. That’s not the universe, that’s men who are garbage trying to tarnish you. How did they find your hotel room? I didn’t even know where you were staying, and I’m so deep in your business I’m practically a butt plug.”

Min laughed at that, but after a moment she quieted. She hadn’t thought about it before, since she had spent quite a few months convinced the universe was against her. But this one didn’t make any sense.

“No one knew where I was staying,” she said slowly, her brain trying to connect dots that didn’t make sense. “That was part of the deal. Hayden and I would stay apart from the other streamers for privacy. No one but the company knew what hotel we were at, and they had signed an NDA.”

“Okay, that’s suspicious. Did the cops ever send you the security footage?”

Min bit her lip. “They did, but there wasn’t much. Just a guy covered in a large hoodie. He did a good job of disguising himself.”

Brittany stilled, serious. “Do you think it was Hayden?”

---