Ping Me (Masked Streamer Romance)

Chapter 1

one

. . .

Wednesday

Sitting at my computer desk, I glance at my phone briefly before returning my attention to the video game I’ve been playing all morning.

In a desperate attempt to level up my skill, I’ve been making furniture for the last hour.

Next up is gardening. On my days off from work, cozy, relaxing games are my go to.

The quiet fan from my PC is like ASMR, even with Kaelum’s occasional snoring. He stirs slightly, waking from his deep slumber with a yawn.

“Hi, you,” I chirp. “Rise and shine.”

He rubs his eyes sleepily. “Good morning.”

“I’m so hungry and dying for a coffee,” I whine dramatically.

“Same. I was up pretty late,” he mumbles.

After a quick fluff of my pillow, I flop onto my queen-sized bed feeling a bit tired myself. By this point, I had already showered and dressed in jeans and a black halter top.

The friendship between Kaelum and me has been one of the only stable things in my life since my recent break up.

By ‘recent’, I mean one year ago today. My ex and I were together for a few years, but in my gut I always wondered why we were together at all.

It was challenging enough to have nothing in common and, while I thought he was attractive, I never felt a spark to justify the connection.

I’ve always wanted to feel that magnetic pull, the undeniable chemistry, but in the two years I was with him, I didn’t feel that once.

Looking back, I wonder why I stayed with him for so long.

He wasn’t very romantic. Sometimes he wasn’t all that kind.

If anything, he was pretty mean and selfish for the majority of our time together.

We’d get into arguments and then he would apologize, only to do the same thing the next day.

After a year of being emotionally and physically neglected—the unhappiest I’d ever been— I finally left him.

I think that was the first time I had ever actually put myself first. I moved in with my best friend and made a pledge to work on bettering myself.

Thankfully, I have the best friends anyone could ask for.

In the last year, my friends have helped me realize there’s so much more to life.

In the time I’d spent with my ex, I had grown accustomed to living in constant dread and walking on egg shells.

When Jasmine, my roommate and best friend, offered to get an apartment with me, I happily accepted.

We had been best friends since middle school and she knew I was looking for a fresh start.

We toured several apartments as soon as her lease was up and found this adorable spot in downtown Boston.

Within days, we had made it our own special oasis.

Kaelum and Lucien had always known I was interested in gaming, so when they suggested I join a voice call and play with them, I was excited.

It’s safe to say that gaming became not only a fun little hobby but also a great coping skill for me.

Night after night I joined them, finding contentment in not only the virtual worlds I escaped to, but in their voices.

Even with most of Kaelum’s tousled brown hair in his face, I admire the way the sun’s rays light up his blue eyes. These phones are something else—it almost looks cinematic.

“What time did you end up going to bed?” I ask him.

With a soft hum, he shrugs and rolls onto his side so his face is scrunched up against his pillow and a singular brown curl falls across his eyelid.

In the background, I spot the collection of water bottles on his nightstand—some empty and some untouched.

I glance to my own bedside table and giggle to myself, noticing my own array.

“Had to have been after four in the morning at least,” I guess.

“Mmm. Something like that,” he agrees. “We were so locked in to the game. Shit is addicting. I just remember being happy when I saw you waiting in this video call lobby. Luce and I joined right after we were done.”

“I don’t even remember crawling into bed, honestly.”

His eyes fall shut. “Mmm.”

He’s quiet for a while, other than the sound of his deep steady breaths, and I realize a disconnection must’ve happened at some point in the middle of the night since Lucien wasn’t on the call. I add him back into the video call and he answers after the second ring.

“What happened?” he mutters, his voice sounding muffled from the emerald green sheets wrapped around him.

God, hearing him speak is something else. Describing his pitch as deep would be an understatement. He has such low range at times, it gives you this feeling.

Not to mention he’s also so brutally handsome.

With his disheveled, jet black hair, and striking, light amber eyes, I swoon.

The curtains must be drawn to the side, because the sun’s rays fill the room as he turns onto his side, illuminating his eyes.

Curse the guys who have been blessed with long, thick, dark lashes.

He rubs at his nose briefly, his septum ring sideways.

“Maybe you rolled over and ended the call,” I guess.

“Mmm, maybe,” Lucien mumbles, most likely sleep-talking.

“You passed out early, didn’t you, Nora?” Kaelum accuses.

“Oops.”

He chuckles under his breath.

“I was exhausted,” I point out. “Yesterday was my third double in a row.”

“Yikes,” Kaelum replies. “You’ve been picking up a lot of shifts.”

“I don’t mind it,” I tell him. “I work at my favorite bookstore. Living the dream, you know.”

“Be real with me. Last night’s stream was so boring it put you to bed,” Kaelum mutters sarcastically.

“Not true at all,” I counter. “If anything, your voices were like ASMR. They relaxed me to the point of curing my crippling insomnia.”

“Ha,” Lucien snorts, opening one eye briefly before turning away from his bright window.

“Nice play,” Kaelum jokes. “Your moderator privileges are being revoked, though.”

“Bullshit. You’d never take mod privileges away from me. You know that’s literally the only thing I want in life,” I tease, although a part of me isn’t joking. I do love having the power to mute and ban the occasional weirdos who pop up in his stream chat. I find enjoyment in helping them.

He sighs groggily. “You’re right. I’d never un-mod you. Luce, on the other hand…”

“Mmm,” Lucien half-chimes in. “I’d never.”

“Did you guys rank up?” I inquire, hopeful.

Kaelum smirks, his eyes shooting open. “Eternity, baby! Fucking finally.”

Eternity is a high level rank in competitive mode on a game the boys had been playing for weeks. It’s only one rank below the highest, and not many people are able to hit it.

With an excited squeal, I sit upright. “You’re serious?”

He nods, locking his deep blue eyes with mine.

“Hell yes,” I cheerfully squeal. “You guys are insane. So proud of you.”

Reaching Eternity is a huge accomplishment.

To other people, it’s just a video game.

A lot of people don’t take into account how much time and effort goes into gaming, especially when it’s competitive and you’re getting paid to play well.

Kaelum and Lucien work their asses off and have amassed such a large following that they get to monetize their streams.

Lucien snores away while his propped-up phone falls over, giving us a beautiful view of his popcorn ceiling.

“It was hell,” Kaelum mumbles through a crooked smile, “but we got there.”

“Now you get to play in the tournament, right?”

“Correct.”

“I can’t believe I missed it,” I say with a defeated sigh. “I won’t miss any more streams. Scouts honor.”

“It’s all good. We clipped the win for you so you could watch later.”

I smile, grateful.

“Why don’t you play in the tournament with us?” he asks.

An embarrassed laugh escapes me as I roll my eyes. “You’re hilarious.”

“You’re beautiful.”

With another eyeroll, I scroll through their accounts on my tablet in search of their win last night.

After I’m finished watching it, I meet his gaze, catching the smirk playing across his face and the gleam in his eyes.

We always have this flirtatious, playful banter between the three of us, but more so Kaelum and I.

Lucien always tends to be more subtle about it.

A warm feeling prickles in my chest. I care about them both deeply. As a friend.

Just friends, I remind myself.

Friends who occasionally wonder what the other friend’s moans sound like.

My face flushes. Kaelum observes me through the phone for a moment before continuing. “We’ve known each other for, what, twenty years now?”

“Five,” I correct.

Lucien groans quietly in his sleep.

Kaelum’s eyes soften as he speaks. “I wish we lived close. I’d grab a coffee with you.”

My heart twinges. He’s been my best friend for so long and the distance between us really sucks.

I met Kaelum and Lucien back in college when they were streaming games from their dorm rooms between classes and late at night.

Even though they’re both successful engineers now, they’ve built a large community and continue to stream on the side.

When we graduated from school, we vowed to always stay in touch, no matter where we ended up in life. Not long after I moved to Boston, I got into a relationship while they remained in San Diego, and somewhere along the way we stopped talking as often as we used to.

After I left my ex, I ended up reaching out to them.

I really appreciate the types of friendships where you can call and catch up, and everything returns to normal, as if no time had passed.

At the time, I was going through a lot, and they were really understanding of my situation and never took advantage of my vulnerability.

One night they asked if I could fill in and moderate a stream for them, and I found a strong connection in their community.

They also encouraged me to pick up hobbies to help fill the void. After years of not picking up a single book, I had fallen in love with reading again.

As anonymous, masked video game streamers, I’m happy to have their trust, and I also trust them wholeheartedly. With all the creeps and predators hiding online, you really have to be careful these days.

On stream and socials, Kaelum’s username is itsKaldren, and Lucien’s is itsLuceifer.

They never show their faces to anyone—and even though I know their real names and where they live, they’ve made it clear that they know I’d never do anything to jeopardize their privacy.

It’s very important to them, which means it’s important to me, too.

With a sad grin, a memory hits me. “Remember when we used to grab coffee before class?”

He smirks. “Good ol’ college days. That coffee was nasty as fuck, though.”

Bursting into laughter, I nod in agreement.

“Don’t even try to disagree with me on that,” he warns.

“Coffee is coffee,” Lucien chimes in, half asleep.

“It was more about the experience,” I joke.

“Luce, shut up,” Kaelum snarls. “You never even tried their coffee.”

“Did too,” Lucien objects, panning the camera back to his face. “I had the last sip of yours on occasion.”

“Oh, shit. You’re right,” Kaelum says, his brows furrowed. “You took a few sips once and then passed right back out.”

“ADHD,” I tell him. “Does the same to me. I just drink it for the taste at this point.”

Lucien lets out one quiet, but noticeable, snore.

“Dude. Just go back to bed,” Kaelum orders.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Lucien shoots back, scowling at something on his phone. “Fuck. Low battery.”

“Do you ever remember to charge your phone?” I tease. “Go in there and put it on the charger for him, Kae.”

Annoyed, Kaelum shakes his head. “I’m too comfortable to move.”

“If only I was there,” I say.

“I wish,” they say in unison.

“Hey, Lenny,” Kaelum says with a crooked grin. “I know we don’t live down the block from each other anymore, but I ordered your usual for you. Coffee and food will be there in ten.”

With a warm heart, I smile. “What would I do without you?”