Lemira fumbled her way off the couch, her movement catching the attention of a pair of lean, handsome hands that reached out to her side. She glanced up, meeting the gaze of the owner of those hands.
A deep voice came from above her, “Better grab onto this cane, you’re gonna need it!”
Lemira coughed dismissively, “No need.”
The moment her feet hit the ground, she stubbed her toe against the corner of the coffee table, grimacing in pain.
“Sit down, let me have a look.”
Orion, looking slightly exasperated, crouched down in front of her, shining the flashlight from his phone on her foot. Lemira stared blankly at the man before her. His side profile, bathed in the dim light, seemed to be wrapped in a warm glow. He was already strikingly handsome, but from this angle, he seemed even more so.
Unable to help herself, Lemira blurted out, “Hey, do you have a girlfriend?”
Orion looked up, his eyes a deep abyss.
He stood up, “No.”
“What’s your type then? What kind of girl do you like?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. With looks like yours, how come you don’t have a girlfriend? I even saw you with a pretty lady at a diner once.” Orion paused, then looked at her, “You saw that?”
Lemira nodded, “Yeah, who’s she?”
“Just a friend.”
“Really? Just a friend?”
Orion grabbed her wrist, “Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but quite the chatterbox.”
As Lemira followed him, she could feel the warmth from his grip on her wrist.
She looked down at their intertwined hands, a small smile playing on her lips.
Orion said he didn’t have a girlfriend?
Did that mean she had a chance if she pursued him?
The thought crossed her mind
was quickly dismissed. Orion seemed like a hard catch, and she didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship over a rejection,
After escorting her back to her room, Orion stood at the doorway without entering.
Holding his phone, he advised, “Get some sleep, call me if you need anything. And don’t open the door for strangers!” “I know, I’m not a kid.”
Lemira turned on her phone’s flashlight, “I can see just fine.”
With that, Orion left.
She couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something odd about Orion, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The next day, Lemira woke up to a flood of notifications on her phone.
Remembering the events of the previous night, her heartbeat quickened. She didn’t rush to the next room but lingered in bed for a bit longer.
Upon checking a gaming forum, she stumbled upon a thread about herself.
“Who’s the Mystery Man Behind Streamer SweetLemon?”
Curious about who this “mystery man” could be, Lemira clicked on the post, only to find screenshots of the gifts..
[Lucian Langston, the CEO of
Langston Group, last night bombarded the streaming room with numerous gifts, spending over 10 thousand dollars, clearly showing a special relationship. But with rumors of falling out with a big sponsor, as Streamer Evelina publicly accused, Lemira’s now hiding on PixelStage, even afraid to show her face, lest the sponsor discovers her identity.]
Lemira was both amused and bewildered by the absurdity of the allegations.
But the discussion was already rampant, with many speculating about her having a wealthy backer, enabling her to ignore Alaric’s invitation. Lemira reposted the message on the forum with a clarification: [All these claims are baseless.]
Yet, her attempt to set the record straight seemed to fall on deaf ears.
The trolls started to insinuate that she was kept by a sugar daddy.
Jessica, incerised by the rumors, anonymously posted: [Your thoughts are downright filthy. Streamer Lemon’s relation with the Langston family isn’t like that at all. I’m her classmate, I can recognize her voice.]
Soon, another comment popped up: [Finally, someone speaks up. Is Streamer Lemon actually Miss Langston?]
The thread exploded with speculation.