Chapter 8 #2
By the time I got back to my place, the buzz of the race was long gone, replaced with a restless itch under my skin. Livvi had slipped away before I could gain any real ground, and her polite smile replayed in my head like a highlight reel of rejection.
Shower. Food. None of it helped.
Finally, sprawled out on my bed with sore muscles and my phone glowing in my hand, I opened BookPad, the one place that never left me second-guessing.
ReadToLiv.
She was online.
I didn’t even think before typing.
TheWriteGuy
Long day. Tell me you’ve got something to distract me.
The typing bubbles appeared almost instantly, and my body relaxed, that tight coil inside me easing like it always did when she popped up.
ReadToLiv
Depends. Do you deserve a distraction?
I smirked, sinking deeper into the pillows. She had no idea how much I needed this. Or maybe she did.
TheWriteGuy
Probably not. But I’ll take one anyway.
ReadToLiv
You sound cocky.
TheWriteGuy
Confident. There’s a difference.
ReadToLiv
Mm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that.
My grin stretched wider. She never let me skate by unchecked, never gave me the easy ego stroke everyone else seemed eager to hand over. Which was exactly why I kept coming back.
My thumb hovered over the keyboard longer than usual before I typed again.
TheWriteGuy
You ever have one of those days where everything seems to be going your way but something still feels just a little off?
The typing bubbles paused. Then returned.
ReadToLiv
Yeah. More often than I’d like.
TheWriteGuy
Same. Thought I’d shake it off once I got home, but it’s still there.
ReadToLiv
So you came here looking for a reset.
I stared at her words for a second, realizing she’d nailed it.
TheWriteGuy
Maybe I did. You’re kind of good at that.
ReadToLiv
At what?
TheWriteGuy
Making me forget the rest of the world. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Her reply didn’t come right away this time, and my chest tightened. Then finally her response came through.
ReadToLiv
That’s … actually really nice to hear.
TheWriteGuy
It’s true. Doesn’t matter how the day goes, this is one part I always look forward to.
I let my gaze go to the ceiling, exhaling a long breath. In person, I’d spent the whole night trying to impress Livvi, trying to get her to look at me the way women usually did. With ReadToLiv, I didn’t have to try. She didn’t fawn. She didn’t flatter. She just … got me.
ReadToLiv
Me too. Truth is … I needed this too. It wasn’t the easiest day on my end either.
TheWriteGuy
Want to talk about it?
ReadToLiv
Not really. But … thanks for asking. Not many people do.
I stared at that line until the screen dimmed. Not many people do. My jaw clenched at the thought, surprising me with how much it mattered.
TheWriteGuy
Even if you don’t feel like talking, I’m here.
Another pause and then more bubbles.
ReadToLiv
Careful. Keep saying stuff like that and I might start expecting you to mean it.
TheWriteGuy
I already do.
Her typing bubbles lingered, disappearing and returning, like she was weighing her words.
ReadToLiv
… You’re trouble, you know that?
TheWriteGuy
Trouble how?
ReadToLiv
Saying things that make a woman forget she’s supposed to be rolling her eyes at you.
I laughed under my breath, the knot in my stomach easing.
TheWriteGuy
Don’t worry. You can roll your eyes and still admit I’m your favorite part of the day.
ReadToLiv
Favorite? Bold assumption.
TheWriteGuy
Accurate assumption.
ReadToLiv
Someone’s sure of himself tonight.
TheWriteGuy
Or maybe just thinking you like me more than you let on.
ReadToLiv
Dream on, WriteGuy.
TheWriteGuy
I do. All the time.
ReadToLiv
Oh, no. Don’t tell me this is a Raelle-and-Cassemir level fantasy.
TheWriteGuy
Guilty. I’m the brooding warrior prince and you’re the smart-mouthed heroine who pretends not to like me.
ReadToLiv
Pretends? Bold assumption #2 of the night.
TheWriteGuy
Again—accurate.
ReadToLiv
You know Cassemir only started to get Raelle because she let her guard down, right? If she’d held out longer, he’d still be mooning over her from a distance.
TheWriteGuy
So what you’re saying is … there’s hope for me.
ReadToLiv
I’m saying you’re a ridiculous flirt.
TheWriteGuy
A ridiculous flirt who enjoys talking with a woman who lets another side of him come out too.
ReadToLiv
You almost sound genuine …
TheWriteGuy
Maybe I am.
I stared at the screen longer than I meant to, a smile tugging at my mouth.
It was easy with her. Easier than I wanted to admit.
With Livvi, I’d felt that spark—instant, sharp, electric—but it came with edges, with the need to posture, to play my usual game, to hide whatever flicker of something else I felt.
With ReadToLiv, I could drop all that and just be … me. Not perfect, not flashy—just me.
ReadToLiv
Okay, so now I’m curious. You’re all heartfelt and sincere … does this mean we’re back to the Cassemir-and-Raelle comparison?
TheWriteGuy
Only because I need a win in my fantasy life. Real life … that’s complicated.
ReadToLiv
Real life always is. But I’m listening.
TheWriteGuy
Picture this. Now that Raelle is accepting of what has been going on between her and Cassemir, and now that she can’t deny their connection, everything else—the battles, the chaos, the impossible odds—feels sharper, more urgent.
Every moment matters, every word carries weight.
Not only do they have their own personal quests to complete, they must also figure out how each other will fit into the paths they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
ReadToLiv
That’s … kind of beautiful. I think I get why you love writing it so much.
Everyone has their battles, right? And the harder you fight for the life you want, the harder it is to let someone else into it.
Sometimes, it feels like you have to choose between your own path and …
something else you want but aren’t sure you can have.
TheWriteGuy
Exactly. It’s not just about two people falling for each other—it’s about what it costs them.
About how much harder it is to let someone in when you’ve already built walls and sworn to stand on your own.
But sometimes … sometimes the right person doesn’t tear down those walls.
They slip through the cracks you didn’t even realize were there.
And suddenly, you’re not standing alone anymore.
ReadToLiv
So what you’re saying is, Raelle’s in way over her head, but she’s pretending she’s fine with it? Classic. I give her three chapters before she admits she’s hopelessly smitten and it all blows up in her face.
TheWriteGuy
Three chapters? You think she’ll hold out that long? I give her two—tops. She’s already slipping, she just doesn’t know it yet.
ReadToLiv
Poor girl. Fighting fate never works out well in fantasy. Or in real life, come to think of it.
TheWriteGuy
True.
I stared at her last messages far too long.
Raelle and Cassemir were fictional, caught in my imagination, yet I couldn’t help thinking of myself and this strange double life I was living.
With ReadToLiv, everything felt effortless and reckless, like I could say anything.
With Livvi … things were messier, harder to explain.
And yet I couldn’t deny that I was stuck between two paths, both sides demanding more.
The crazy part was, I couldn’t tell which one of them I was thinking about more. Every time I closed my eyes, it felt like they were both there—making my heart race in two directions at once, each leaving a mark I couldn’t ignore.