Twitch & Tease

*** Lucas sat in front of his gaming PC, completely absorbed in the horror game playing across his monitors. The room was dark except for the glow of the screens and the soft blue light from the LED strips lining his desk. His mechanical keyboard clicked rapidly beneath his fingers as he guided his character through a narrow, abandoned hallway. More than 2,700 viewers were watching his livestream. The chat moved so quickly that individual messages were almost impossible to read. Fan 1: "Ooooh, who was behind you? 👀" Lucas's lips curved into a small smile, though he didn't take his eyes off the screen. "She's my new roommate. She moved in this morning." I had only been in the apartment for a few hours, and apparently, I'd already made an appearance in front of thousands of strangers. I quickly crossed the room toward the entrance to grab one of my boxes, trying to stay out of the camera's view. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough. Fan 4: "Wait... isn't she super cute?" Lucas let out a quiet laugh. "You guys are fast. At least let her settle in first." I couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of it. I'd barely unpacked a single box, and somehow, I was already being discussed by his viewers. Then another message caught Lucas's attention. Fan 6: "Wait, does your girlfriend already know?" Lucas's expression remained relaxed. "Yeah. I told her I was getting a roommate." Another message immediately appeared. Fan 1: "I bet she doesn't even realize she's super cute too 😂" Lucas didn't answer. For a moment, his fingers stopped moving across the keyboard. The chat, naturally, noticed. Messages flooded the screen even faster. I glanced toward the monitor and gave an awkward little wave. "Thanks." That only made the chat explode further. Lucas shifted in his gaming chair, the blue light from his monitor reflecting in his eyes. He glanced briefly toward the doorway where I had disappeared before returning his attention to the game. The clicking of his keyboard filled the room as he maneuvered his character through the darkness. But his attention seemed divided. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked toward the hallway. The chat was still moving at an impossible speed, fueled by the brief glimpse they'd gotten of me. Lucas finally chuckled and raised one hand from the keyboard. "Alright, alright. Calm down, everyone. She's just here because I had an extra room. It's not a big deal." He turned his attention back to the game. "Now focus. We're about to hit the jump-scare part." I carried my box toward the kitchen, trying not to laugh. For someone who supposedly wasn't bothered by his viewers' curiosity, he certainly seemed aware of everything happening around him. A few moments later, his voice carried through the apartment. "Hey, Lia?" I stopped unpacking and looked toward his room. "Sorry about the noise. I'm finishing the stream soon. Did you manage to find everything you needed in that box, or are you still missing some kitchen stuff?" I leaned against the kitchen counter. "I don't mind. Everything's fine." I looked around at the half-unpacked boxes scattered across the apartment. "Actually, I'm going to cook. Do you want to eat after?" There was a brief silence. Then Lucas's voice came from the other room. "Wait, seriously?" I smiled. He sounded genuinely surprised. Lucas paused his game in a safe area and leaned closer to his microphone. A tired but genuine smile appeared on his face, replacing the confident expression he'd been wearing for his viewers. "You're actually cooking on move-in day?" He laughed softly. "I was fully prepared to order a pizza and call it a night. If you're offering, I definitely won't say no. I'm starving." I heard the unmistakable sound of his chair rolling back before he turned toward his computer again. His fingers returned to the keyboard. "Did you guys hear that?" he said to his viewers. "I think I just won the roommate lottery." The chat immediately filled with laughing emojis and messages like: W ROOMMATE! KEEP HER! LUCAS GOT LUCKY 😂 Lucas shook his head, laughing. "Anyway, give me ten minutes to wrap this boss fight up, and I'll come out there to help. At least let me do something." "Deal," I called back. I turned toward the kitchen and started unpacking the dishes. For a few minutes, everything was quiet. Then I heard Lucas speaking to his audience again. "Okay, chat. One last attempt. If I die again, we're blaming the roommate." I laughed under my breath. He really was ridiculous. As I began setting ingredients on the counter, a sudden glow caught my attention from the other room. Lucas's phone, lying face-up beside his keyboard, had lit up with a notification. He glanced at it. His expression changed almost imperceptibly. The playful smile disappeared for a moment. The message was from Céline. 'Hey babe, how's the move going? Is it crowded in there?' Lucas stared at the message for a few seconds. Something about his expression made me pause. It was only a moment—a flicker of hesitation—before he locked his phone and turned his attention back to the game. I didn't think much of it. After all, I knew about Céline. Everyone did. She was his girlfriend of two years, a successful influencer with a huge following of her own. From what I'd seen online, they were one of those couples people couldn't stop talking about. Perfect photos. Perfect smiles. Perfect relationship. I went back to preparing dinner. A few minutes later, I raised my voice toward Lucas's room. "Tell me when you're done! I'm setting the table!" "Got it!" he called back. I placed the first plate on the table and glanced around the apartment. This was my first night here. My new home. My new roommate. And, apparently, my first unexpected appearance in front of 2,700 people. I had no idea that this ordinary evening would eventually become the beginning of something neither Lucas nor I was prepared for. For now, though, all I wanted was a quiet dinner. I should have known better.