“I’ll still sleep,” I tell him quickly, “but the stream will stay going even while I’m resting.”
“Do people still watch when you’re not there?”
“Yeah. My mods will do some stuff to keep chat occupied and my roommates are planning a little podcast segment as well. There’ll be stuff happening but the main thing is just beating this game.”
“I’ll do my best to check it out when I can,” Maki says, pushing his plate to the side now that it’s empty. “I still don’t understand everything but I’d like to support you.”
I smile, ignoring the way my stomach is turning into goo. “I’d really like that, Maki. It’ll make me smile to see your name in chat.”
Maki mirrors my smile.
“Oh! Before you finish your shake, let’s take that picture.”
“Okay?”
I slide out of my side of the booth and sit next to Maki. I pull out my phone, flipping the camera around so we can see ourselves.
“Pick up your shake, like this,” I say, holding mine up so it's at the bottom of the picture. “Okay, now grin. Or tilt your head towards me. Yeah, like that. Perfect.”
I take a few pictures before setting my shake back down. Then we look through them, picking the best one.
“I’ll post it on my account and then tag you in it. Do you want any of the others for your social media?”
“Can you send them to me, please?”
“Of course,” I say with a grin, sending them over. Just remembering that I have Maki’s number fills my stomach with little flutters. This is going so well and I know I’ll be texting himin the future. I could even call him if I wanted. Knowing that makes my chest warm in a way I do my best to ignore.
I quickly follow Maki on social media before posting the picture, capturing it ‘from biggest hater to biggest fan’. People are gonna love that.
Maki posts a similar picture and tags me in it. Instead of writing anything, he simply puts three milkshake emojis as the caption. We both close out of the app, knowing our notifications are about to go a bit wild and wanting to stay focused on each other instead of social media.
“Thank you,” Maki says softly. “I think my manager will actually like this post. Plus, she’ll probably be happy some of your fans might become interested in volleyball.”
I grin up at Maki, only now realizing I’m still sat next to him instead of across from him. His body is bigger than me which is unfair because I’m already a tall guy. I’m never outrunning the short king allegations.
His body is strong and big. Everywhere we touch, my body tingles, like electricity stuck under my skin. I can feel my face warming, but I ignore that, not wanting to tip Maki off to what’s going on inside my head. I really am a disaster gay, getting all flustered just because I’m sat next to a handsome man!
“I’m glad I could help,” I tell him, just as softly. “Getting to know you was really fun, Maki.”
“Would it be okay if we did this again in the future?” Maki looks nervous as he asks and I’m not sure why. Of course I want to see him again! This dinner might have started off a little awkward but by the end, I find myself having a great time. Maki is something interesting and worth getting to know.
“I would love that!”
The waitress drops off the check and I quickly snag it, standing up and pulling out my wallet. I give her some cash with a nice tip on top, handing it over right away.
The two of us make our way outside and the cool air helps clear my head a bit. I point in one direction. “I’m going that way.”
“My place is that way,” Maki says, pointing in the opposite direction.
“Alright,” I say with a nod. “Then I guess I should be off. I’ve gotta rest up before my marathon stream.”
Instead of stepping away, Maki steps even closer. I look up at him. My breath is stolen from my lungs. I’m not used to this type of height difference and I’m cursing the way my heart seems to skip a beat.
Maki’s hands tense into fists before relaxing again. He stares at me with such intensity it’s making my knees a little weak. Finally, he opens his mouth.
“May I kiss you goodnight, Rin?”
I suck in a harsh breath, almost choking on it. I feel the tips of my ears turn bright red. “What?”
