I couldn't fully rest with so many obligations to meet. But thinking about Eva, Lila, and others gave me a boost, and finally, I took a moment to meditate. That was a common practice to increase my efficiency. Then, I turned back to face the screens.
After sitting in front of the computer for a long time, I finished the tasks needed for Amber and went to eat the lunch that my dear Lila had prepared for me.
I still needed to edit Eva's music. We were posting as much as possible because we wanted to monetize the channel to have more leverage at negotiations with her parents. Soon, I'd have a dreaded family meeting that made me nervous, but at the moment, I had to focus on finishing the editing.
At that point, I got a message from Max asking if I wanted to play games with him. I hadn't had any chance during the week. In fact, I hadn't played at all this month. I really wanted to say yes, but I had work to do.
I explained that I couldn't, but he offered to help instead. He'd already helped me with some things for free before, and on that Sunday, he was my lifesaver, allowing me to finish everything much faster.
Max could be a bit odd, with unusual hobbies like studying perfumes, and an obsession with video games. But despite it all, he was a genius with a computer in his hands and was always helpful to friends. If he had a bit more common sense, he'd be a really cool person.
It was late, but I started enjoying our game while exchanging thoughts with my friend about life. It was funny when the topic turned to girls. After so long without a proper conversation, our roles had reversed, and now I was the one giving advice.
Honestly, looking back, I remembered how clueless Max could be. Even though he was slightly more experienced than me, his advices were terrible. I wondered if one day I'd look back at my own tips for him as just as awful. Only time would tell.
"You're playing with that nerd friend of yours again," a female voice interrupted our game.
"Yeah," Max replied, not caring. "What do you want? I'm in the middle of a match; don't interrupt me."
"I just want to watch, don't be so annoying!" Helena complained. "Besides, why don't you turn on the camera? It's boring not seeing who you're talking to. You too, nerd, turn on the camera."
Apparently, I had a new nickname. 'Nerd' didn't sound great, but it was okay; at least it was better than 'pervert', as Eva unfortunately kept calling me.
"Sure, no problem. How's the lighting? Can you see me?" I asked, looking for the light switch to turn on something at home.
"You play in complete darkness? Even my brother isn't that weird," she teased.
"Now it's your turn, right?" I commented to Max, but he refused to turn on his camera for some reason. Before he could make more excuses, I heard a 'fight' as Helena tried to grab the mouse from him and force him to turn the camera on.
Thanks to this, I saw a pair of bouncing breasts on my screen, hidden only by a thin white shirt, which was sticking to her body with sweat. Her nipples were perfectly outlined, and I could see the full shape of her chest as she continued her 'fight' with Max.
"Uh, sis?" Max gave up and tried to signal to his sister, who still didn't catch on.
"What is it, bro?" She pushed him out of the chair and took his place, her bouncing chest now right in front of me on the camera. "So, what are you playing?" she asked, waving at the screen.
"Sis, pay attention to your clothes!" Tired of trying to be indirect, the black-haired boy yelled.
As soon as she heard that, her face flushed bright red. Her blushing, tomato-red face was quite cute, but I held back laughter to avoid upsetting her. Embarrassed, she fumbled with buttons a few times before finally closing the camera and calming down. Afterward, I heard her muffled voice scolding her brother:
"Why didn't you tell me earlier, idiot?"
"I tried, I really did!" They argued for a bit longer, but it was obvious she was in the wrong.
In the end, she just gave up. Later, Helena apologized to me, which wasn't necessary, but I preferred not to mention that.
After about 10 minutes, she joined back in, this time on her own account and in a different outfit. Now, she wore a low-cut black shirt that showed a bit of her bra, which was sexy but revealed much less than before.
We spent some time talking and playing, which was fun. Helena was a pretty cool girl.
After all that, I got a message from Vanessa saying that her night had been a lot of fun and that I should have joined. Attached was a photo.
It was a selfie showing her in a chic dress that perfectly shaped her body, with a deep neckline. She also wore a lovely necklace with a small moon-shaped pendant at the end. Without a doubt, she looked magnificent that night, with heavy makeup highlighting her sensuality and beauty.
In the photo, she had a big smile, and in her right hand, she held a wine bottle as if it were cheap beer. I found it funny: the contrast between her glamorous look and her casual, slightly tipsy, attitude at a bar.
Next to Vanessa, I noticed long, silky white hair belonging to a woman whose face and much of her body were hidden. She had thick, sensual thighs and appeared to be quite busty as well.
Anyway, I avoided staring at the photo too long like a pervert and simply replied with a photo of myself, revealing my tired look. I exaggerated an exhausted and sad expression, and on the computer, I left some codes visible from my work session.
I added the ironic comment: "I'm sure it wasn't more fun than a weekend of hard work."
She replied laughing, started a bit of small talk, but then disappeared. Unlike her usual directness, that day she was looser and more willing to chat and joke, likely because of the alcohol. It was fun, and I made a mental note to take Vanessa out for drinks someday.
And thus, my weekend ended, but the exhausting days continued, with my biggest challenge approaching.
On Monday morning, I faced a problem: Zack. The annoying rich kid had decided to spend the night drinking at the shop, and when I arrived, everything was a mess, with the drunk sprawled across the counter in the way.
Fortunately, Eva, who also worked night shifts, seemed more used to dealing with his inconvenience. We managed to get him to move elsewhere and make trouble somewhere else. Cleaning up was the easy part.
After that, all I could think was: "The day didn't start well, sigh!" I worried that it was a bad omen for what was to come.
Regardless of the omen, good or bad, the big issue of the day arrived: the meeting with Eva's parents. So, I went to her house, and they sat across from me.
The clock's second hand ticked away as the time passed.
Outside, the weather was perfect for a swim, and I could see birds flying freely on the horizon.
I really didn't want to be there; anywhere would be better. The tension was so thick it almost felt tangible.
After a long 15 seconds, no one had spoken. I took a deep breath and assumed my responsibility. I began with the most friendly greeting I could muster.
I tried guiding the conversation, starting with lighter topics before moving to the main point. Intimidated by the situation, Eva left the entire conversation to me.
Then, I started explaining our plan. I talked about how feasible it was to run a YouTube channel and other things. Honestly, I used a lot of lies, or at least exaggerations, but there was no other option. It was a long talk just to make them believe the internet could be profitable… It was a real pain in the ass!
Then Eva chimed in, expressing how much it was her dream. The tension remained high and uncomfortable. We'd had several similar talks before, but never with such a critical context.
In the end, Eva made it clear that she would follow her path regardless of their wishes. She emphasized that she had achieved financial independence from them. At the very least, she could manage on her own income, so they couldn't stop her.
The mood worsened as tempers flared, and I had to scold everyone to avoid a bigger fight.
In the end, after much effort, they seemed to accept her dream… with some kvetches, of course. They wanted to meet with her monthly and get more updates.
Since they lived nearby and offered to visit, I found this fair. It was natural that they'd worry and want to stay informed about their daughter.
They also wanted a time limit for this venture: one year. After that, Eva would need to go to college. She reminded them that they had no power over her. But losing their relationship entirely would be unfortunate, and all the effort so far had been to avoid that.
After much negotiation, I convinced both sides to compromise. The limit was extended to two and a half years, with Eva promising to stay in contact. While they agreed not to criticize or interfere with her dreams and to act more like supportive parents.
After that, apparently, everyone was going to see something at the cinema. Eva's mom even invited me to go with them, saying that I was basically her son-in-law now. Eva blushed timidly, while her father didn't like the idea at all and forbade me to go along.
In the end, I was just happy it was over.
"From today onwards you will be my manager, pervert", Eva said and apparently changed my nickname from 'pervert' to 'manager', which was good, I guess...
Either way, it would be short-lived.
That said, the next day, Lila and I decided to talk about something else with Eva: affair.
In this case, it was Lila who took the lead in explaining that we were together. The girl was initially very sad, saying she would give up on me and even move away a little if she wanted.
"No, no, I'm not jealous or anything. I don't have any problem with the closeness between you two," Lila explained. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to be my and his girlfriend."
Directly, the girl made the proposal, surprising even me. To complete the next phase of Eva, I needed to have sex with her. So I talked to Lila to help me with this, but I didn't expect her to be so direct.
The girl was surprised at first, then she got angry and called me a pervert. She looked like she would be in a bad mood for a long time. I would need to wait until he let her stress out, then try again.
At least, her affection for me basically hadn't diminished, so despite her bad mood, deep down she still liked me. I sighed thinking about the future. Naturally, convincing girls to share wouldn't be so easy. Then I opened a smile ready to face the next challenges.
"Master, what do you think about me leaving for a few days?" Then my mind was taken aback by this comment, which interrupted everything I was thinking.