Jake hated the feeling of disconnecting from the Dive Gear. He would always feel slightly sick in the stomach and light-headed. Disoriented, he used his hands to get up from his lying position, as his legs rotated to the floor. Finding solid ground he inhaled and exhaled slowly and got up from the bed. He walked hesitantly back and forth in the room, getting his bearings back. He still could not get used to this shitty feeling. Feeling better, he walked to the tall mirror laid against the wall. He looked exactly like Odin: dark hair cut short and brown eyes, an oval face with a few Asian traits. He was handsome. Glancing down at his shirtless body, he grinned at his carefully sculpted six-pack. He was a bit vain about it. And he knew it. It was kind of dumb but he felt good about himself when he was strong and fit. And a six-pack was his way of showing himself he was fit. Looking away, he opened the closet nearby and took a white T-shirt that he put on over his black shorts. He then tried to comb his hair to the left side, pushing strands of it with his hand. He shrugged at his failure. He then opened the door and walked out of the dark bedroom.
It was 9: 15pm and way past the usual dinnertime. Jake walked into the living room, ready for a scolding of some kind. He glanced left at the kitchen and dining table. The latter was ready with empty plates and a steaming pot. He then turned his head to his right. Seating on the couch, covered by a big blanket, a brown haired woman wearing glasses was glaring intensely at him. Jake stepped forward, raising his hands in the air, signifying his surrender. She raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. He stepped forward again, bringing him in front of her in the small living room. Still unimpressed, she patted the empty part of the couch next to her. Jake stopped himself from grinning as he sat down next to her. She slapped his leg as he put them up on the small table. He almost laughed. She was just nitpicking. He put his right arm around her as his left arm took the blanket and draped it over the two of them. She snuggled up, laying against his chest. He kissed her forehead and grinned as he asked: “Mad at me?”
She looked up at him and frowned as she saw his grin. She shook her head and sighed. She then closed her eyes and said: “Just a bit. You’re lucky I was streaming.”
Jake nodded. Just like him, she was an avid video games player. But unlike him, she enjoyed streaming and interacting with her community. Most days, she streamed some PC games in the late afternoon for a few hours. While she enjoyed streaming, it was quite taxing mentally, and he sometimes worried for her. He tightened his hold around her and kissed the nape of her neck. Charlotte groaned: “You should eat first.” He chuckled, as he switched his expression, making puppy eyes at her: “Can I have a kiss first?”
She reddened. “Sure.” She closed her eyes, turning her head towards him and perking her lips. He moved forward, clasping her cheek and kissing her. His heart always beat quicker around her. Breaking the kiss, he got up, readjusting the blanket around Charlotte in the process. She shook her head and got up as well, holding the blanket around her. Her cheeks were still red as she said: “I’ll have dinner with you.” Jake raised his eyebrows: “This was a setup.” She shrugged. Jake laughed as he said: “You should just ask me for hugs and kisses if you want them.” She did not answer and moved to sit down at the table.
Charlotte was prepared to ignore and forget about the setup. But Jake had other plans as he stood behind her and slid his hands inside the blanket, holding her by the waist. He kissed her neck again and spun her around, looking into her eyes. Her eyes were his favorite part of her. They should have been both brown. Somehow, her left eye was partly green and partly brown. It was a genetic mutation of sorts. Jake kissed her again, this time introducing his tongue in her mouth. She answered in kind. While Charlotte was always shy about her intentions, and would make complicated plans to get intimacy, she was not shy when it got to it. And Jake was quite proactive, which made it easier for her. Their kiss stopped and they sat down at the table.
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Tonight’s dinner was a stew. Charlotte was not a cook. Usually, Jake would be the one to take care of cooking. Still she could make simple dishes. She had just put beef potatoes and tomatoes with some spices and water in a pot. Jake put food on her plate first and then served himself. They ate in silence side by side. She finished eating first, but did not speak. She knew using the Dive Gear for extended periods of time would make Jake quite hungry. She loved the man, but sometimes he truly acted like a child. Sighing, she put her legs up on his lap and laid against the back of her chair.
Jake looked at her inquisitively, as he finished his dinner. She laughed: “You have some sauce on your cheek.”. He took a napkin and wiped the side of his face and said: “Thanks, honey.” She shook her head at his shit-eating grin. He called her different names just to get reactions out of her. “Babe” and “darling” were fine, and “honey” was not even the worst one of the bunch. And she always let it go. Because of that damn grin. She fell in love with it. Not that she would ever tell Jake that. She would be mortified if he knew. She bent forward, kissing him on the cheek and said: “Go do the dishes.” Revenge might be better served cold, but it was pretty good when it was red-hot.
Jake got up. While he washed the dishes, Charlotte asked: “How was Arcadia?”. He grinned: “It was pretty good. I got a Chain Quest and some good Equipment. I think I’ll hit Level 10 tomorrow morning if I keep going.” She nodded: “Do you think I can stream it soon? I’m kind of sick of the MMORPGS I’ve played so far.” He laughed: “Yeah, because you finished them like six times over!” She laughed as well. It was true. She needed to play something else, and now that Arcadia Online was released, she could play it as she did not get access to the Beta. Jake continued: “I think you can start tomorrow. We’ll go buy another Dive Gear when the stores open.” She nodded and asked: “What about streaming though? We need to find something good to stream.” Jake shrugged as he thought out loud: “We could do it like usual. I get you Equipment and Skills, while you attempt Dungeon Clears and Boss fights. Arcadia is not great for solo-playing, so you should probably ask your friends to form a party with you.”
Charlotte was not against it. Between the two of them, Jake was a better player. Usually, to make her streams more interesting, he would get her hidden pieces, Equipment and Skills as well as carefully crafted strategies. She had built her streaming career on his hard work, which was why they shared all they had earned from it. With time of course, she got better at playing, and went out on her own, which relieved the burden on Jake, who like her also worked a day job. But while hers was more relaxing, in IT, he worked as a cook in the Italian restaurant two blocks away.
But, Jake had taken the next three days off to play Arcadia, and she wanted to play with him. There was one caveat: her relationship status was unknown to her viewers, which would make streaming with Jake sort of questionable. Quite a few of her viewers were under the impression she was an attractive single woman and watched her stream because of that.
She decided to ask him: “Can I play with you? I’d rather we party together, even if it’s just for three days. You took them off and I want to spend time with you.”
Jake was almost tongue-tied. Lord, he loved that woman. His shit-eating grin appeared: “Of course you can. We can play just the two of us for the next three days and you’ll just start streaming after.” She nodded. They both knew that it would be better to leave her relationship status ambiguous. At least for now: her viewership was not stable enough, and he was too lazy to deal with the hassle of being in the public eye. He put the last plate to drain and sat down on the couch. Charlotte laid against him, hugging him. She kissed him softly and briefly, and asked: “Are you going to quit your job?” Jake nodded. She might be shy but she was perceptive. However, he had a very good reason why. She continued: “I know you hate the job, but why?” He grinned again: “They’re going to open up Real-World Trading in Arcadia Online in a week. When it opens, Players will be able to sell Coins and Items for money. And I have a really good idea to get those Coins.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Jake was acting mysterious on purpose, but she knew him. Jake specialized in PvP. Whatever game he played, he would always research its PvP system. She hugged him tightly and said: “Don’t get caught again. It’s pretty stressful to date an assassin.” He laughed as he said: “Don’t worry babe. I have a pretty good plan for tonight.” She scoffed. Of course he was going to play again.
“Is it your Chain Quest? “she asked. He nodded: “It’s pretty important. I’ll finish it fast and I’ll go to sleep right after.” She raised an eyebrow: “What time?” Sheepishly, he answered: “Midnight?”, as he brushed her hair over her ear. She nodded: “Go. You better take a shower first.” Jake did a military salute: “Yes, ma’am!” She giggled and said: “I love you”. He kissed her: “I love you too”.