Jay's mind was a whirlpool of anxiety as he stared at the entrance, every worst-case scenario flooding his thoughts.
Was Alexio some kind of bully, toying with him just like the others did back at school? Maybe he was going to walk in there and find himself face-to-face with the people who had tormented him for years. Maybe it was all just a cruel joke.
His breathing grew shallow, his fingers tightening on the phone as the minutes ticked by. Every time a person walked by, he stiffened, expecting it to be her—or him—but no one seemed to be coming for him. The only sound was the low hum of traffic in the distance and the occasional passing car.
Jay felt his heart hammer in his chest.
He had been standing there for what felt like an eternity.
"Should I just leave?,"
No. His curiosity was too strong now. He had to know. Even if it was a trap, he had to know who this person was, what they wanted.
Finally, after what felt like hours, he pushed open the café door and stepped inside. The warmth hit him immediately, the scent of coffee and faint perfume filling the air.
He took a deep breath and scanned the room. There were a few other patrons scattered around, absorbed in their own games, but none of them seemed to be watching him.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 9:00 PM.
Was he late? Or was Alexio waiting for him, observing from the shadows? Jay couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, though he couldn't tell where the gaze was coming from.
His pulse surged again, and for a moment, he almost turned around and walked right back out.
Who even was Alexio? The name didn't ring any bells. Was it just another gamer trying to mess with him? Someone who'd seen him play online? The thought made Jay's stomach churn. He wasn't sure if he was ready for whatever this could be, but something deep down told him he couldn't walk away now.
With a hesitant breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The warmth of the cafe hit him immediately, a stark contrast to the biting cold outside. Jay tried to steady his breathing, his heart racing as he scanned the room, eyes darting over the sea of players absorbed in their screens. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't her.
Lia.
She sat in the far corner of the room, a fierce expression painted on her face as her fingers danced over the keyboard. She had her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, and even though she was focused on the game in front of her, her presence was impossible to ignore. It was one of those things. The kind of magnetic aura that made it impossible to pretend she wasn't there.
But Jay had a different kind of awareness. He recognized her instantly. He had seen her at school a million times. Lia, the popular girl. The one who seemed to have everything—perfect grades, perfect looks, always surrounded by a group of friends.
But there was a mystery about her that always had people whispering behind her back. There were rumors.
Rumors about her being a genius, but also about her sometimes vanishing from school for days. There was talk that she wasn't as perfect as she appeared. Some said she was arrogant. Others said she was just too focused on her own world. But the one thing everyone could agree on? She was someone who never seemed to care about what anyone thought of her.
And now, here she was, in front of him, the one person he least expected.
Jay hesitated at the entrance, his mind racing. "Could it be them?, is the popular girl at school. Alexio#455?" he thought.
His heart jumped into his throat as he realized she had just spotted him. Her lips curled into a smile, the kind that was a little too knowing, a little too sharp.
"He-llo?" Jay called, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Man this is awkward, huh? Shuujin?" Lia said with a smile.
Jay froze. His pulse quickened, and for a split second, it felt like the walls were closing in on him. He hadn't planned on this. He hadn't planned on facing her.
In fact, he'd spent the past few days imagining that this moment wouldn't come. And yet, here it was.
How did she know who he was? His mind raced, the pieces of his reality slowly shifting into something he wasn't sure he could understand.
His heart hammered in his chest as he opened his mouth, but no words came out. How could she possibly know his handle, Shuujin? His mind felt like it was on fire, and he tried to keep himself composed.
But every part of him screamed to run, to avoid the confrontation that had suddenly become unavoidable.
Lia tilted her head, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "The most quite kid in class, huh?" she said, drawing out the syllables like it was a secret she'd been dying to tell him. "You're not so quiet after all."
Jay's stomach twisted. He tried not to let his panic show.
He glanced around the cafe, but his anxiety only grew as more players around him started to notice the interaction.
What if they knew? What if they connected his real life to his in-game persona? The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize him, someone to start spreading rumors about the kid who had everything handed to him and still couldn't make it through a simple day.
"W-What do you want?" Jay finally managed to stammer, his voice cracking under the pressure. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for her to be involved in his life.
"I know you've been trying to keep your distance from all this," Lia said, her tone shifting. "But listen, there's something big coming up. A tournament. A huge one. And I need you on my team."
Jay blinked, his mind scrambling. "huh?"
He tried to focus, tried to process her words, but they felt like a whirlwind, sweeping him off his feet. A tournament?
"No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "I can't. I don't—I don't play with other people."
But Lia was unfazed. She leaned in, her eyes locking onto his with a calm intensity. "You've got something special, Shuujin. I've seen your gameplay. You're good. And I'm not the only one who's noticed.
The tournament's coming up, and I need someone who can actually handle the pressure. Someone who's ready to prove they're more than just some random player in the ranks."
Jay felt his chest tighten. This was real. This wasn't just some joke or trick. This was a serious offer, and the weight of it almost crushed him.
He could feel the eyes of the other players on him. They weren't staring outright, but they were aware. And that awareness… it made him feel exposed. It made him feel like he couldn't breathe.
"Why me?" Jay asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Lia's lips curled into a small smile. "Because you're the best player no one knows about. But I do. And I think it's time for everyone else to see that too."
She stood up, her movements graceful, confident. "Think about it. You don't have to do this alone. You don't have to hide behind the screen anymore. You can be part of something bigger."
Jay stood frozen for a moment, his mind racing.
Part of him wanted to say yes.
Part of him wanted to finally feel like he belonged, like he had a place where he wasn't just the kid who didn't matter.
But the other part—the part that had been hurt so many times before—was terrified.
Terrified that this was just another trap. That once he let his guard down, once he let people see him for who he really was, they'd tear him apart.
He wanted to run, but Lia's words echoed in his mind, pulling him in. "You can stop running now."
Maybe, just maybe, it was time to face the world he had been hiding from for so long.
But as she walked away, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that he had just stepped into something much bigger than he could handle.