Adrian
William’s family room had transformed into a full-blown gaming arena.
Jeremy sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch with a console in his hands, his face glowing with an almost excessive sense of pride—like someone who’d just had a baby and couldn’t wait to show it off to the world.
The large TV in front of us displayed the game’s menu, gunfire and fast-paced music blasting in the background, as if celebrating the birth of his newest project.
“The opening’s sick, right?” Jeremy said with a grin. “This is the 2.0 beta tester version of the one that’s already been released.”
William sat beside me, a beer bottle in one hand. “Yeah, yeah. You are allowed to be proud. The first version was already a huge hit.”
“Because it deserved to be,” Jeremy shot back. “Come on, Adrian. Try it.”
I sat down, took the controller, and gave a brief nod. The moment the game started, old instincts kicked in. Themovements felt familiar—aim, shoot, dodge, repeat. My focus locked onto the screen as adrenaline slowly built. But for some reason, every few minutes, my eyes still drifted to the other side of the room.
Elena was sitting on the carpet, keeping Haille company as she played with her colorful building blocks. Astrid sat nearby, occasionally laughing softly and commenting on whatever Haille was doing. Elena looked calm. Relaxed. Her hair was loosely tied back, her expression gentle as she spoke to our daughter.
That sight should have been enough to calm me.
It wasn’t. Not completely.
“Nice shot,” Jeremy exclaimed when his character went down from my fire. “Alright, alright. I admit it. You’ve still got it.”
I let out a small snort. “Old reflexes.”
Before I could continue, someone suddenly sat far too close beside me.
Beatrice.
I caught her perfume even before I turned my head. She leaned slightly toward me, her knee almost brushing my thigh, a small smile on her lips as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
“Looks fun,” she said, glancing at the screen. “I don’t think I’d ever be good at games like that.”
I stiffened—not abruptly, but noticeably. I shifted my body just enough to put distance between us, keeping my space without saying a word.
Jeremy caught it instantly.
“Hey, Bea,” he said quickly as he stood up. “Don’t bother him. I want to hear his review. Come on, stick with me.”
Beatrice blinked, clearly disappointed, but eventually got up. “Huh... fine.”
Jeremy handed the console to William. “Here, bro. You take over.”
William grabbed it without missing a beat.
As they walked away, I released a slow breath.
William glanced at me, a crooked smile forming. “Sorry about that. Honestly, I don’t get what my brother sees in her. Astrid gets annoyed too sometimes. But—” he added with a small shrug, “—we all know it probably won’t last.”
“Right,” I replied shortly.
From across the room, Jeremy shouted, “Will! Try the map you played yesterday!”
William groaned. “Yeah, yeah.”
While William was fiddling with the game settings, my gaze drifted back to Elena.
She laughed softly as Haille knocked over her own stack of blocks, then clapped her hands as if it were a huge accomplishment. My chest tightened for no clear reason.
