Chapter 111: Behind You...

I walked toward the staircase and climbed up before disappearing into the hallway.

I walked straight to Sylvia’s room without looking back to check if she was coming after me.

I pushed her door open and immediately stepped inside before closing it behind me.

The room was still a mess.

What we had used for sex and our clothes were still scattered across the bed. The sheets were wrinkled, and the pillows were out of place.

I took a deep breath and picked up my bag from the floor where I had left it.

I looked back at the bed and shook my head.

"When Sylvia comes back, she will clean up," I muttered.

I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

I opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind me.

Once I was in the hallway, I opened my bag and brought out my phone.

The screen lit up immediately.

My eyes widened.

"20 missed calls?"

I stared at the screen for a few seconds and quickly checked the notifications, wondering what could have happened while my phone was away.

There were all from my teammates.

I slipped the phone into my hand and walked back to my room faster.

I pushed my door open, got in, and closed it behind me.

The room was quiet and slightly cooler than the hallway.

I walked toward my reading table and pulled out the chair.

The chair made a soft scraping sound against the floor as I sat down.

I turned on my system.

The screen slowly came to life, filling the dark surface of the table with a soft glow.

Just then, my phone rang again.

I glanced down at it.

Camila.

I swiped the answer button and put it on speaker.

"Lia," Camila called immediately. "Where have you been?"

"I’m sorry. I went downstairs to eat and left my phone in my room," I said, not wanting to tell her the whole story.

I didn’t want to explain the situation with Janina.

It was embarrassing enough that I had let my jealousy ruin my appetite.

Camila let out a deep breath.

"Fine. Just log in. We all are waiting for you," she said quietly.

"Thanks, Cam," I replied before ending the call.

I opened the invite link Camila had sent to me and logged in.

Everybody was already there, waiting for me.

The familiar usernames appeared on the screen, and I immediately opened the chat.

I typed.

Amelia: I’m sorry, everyone.

Almost immediately, messages started coming in.

Sasha: Hey, don’t apologize. At least I got to sleep for a while. Hahaha.

Caleb: It’s fine. Let’s get started.

A small smile appeared on my face.

I had expected them to complain about waiting for me, but nobody seemed angry.

I typed quickly.

Amelia: Sure. Thanks, everyone.

I entered the game.

I put on my headset, adjusting it until it covered my ears comfortably.

A moment later, the other team we were playing with arrived.

The soft music from the game played in my ears, followed by the countdown.

Three.

Two.

One.

The game started.

I leaned closer to the screen.

My fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as the sounds of footsteps, gunfire, and distant explosions filled my headphones.

My eyes followed every movement on the screen.

For the next few minutes, everything else disappeared from my mind.

All I could think about was the game.

Then—

Knock.

Knock.

I kept my eyes on the screen, not saying anything.

Another knock came.

This time, louder.

My fingers didn’t stop moving.

"Come in," I said, my voice slightly distracted.

I was too focused on the screen to care who it was.

The door handle slowly moved.

I heard the soft click of the lock, and the door opened.

Cold air from the hallway slipped into the room.

But I didn’t look back. I kept my eyes on the screen, my fingers moving quickly as the game continued.

Then I heard footsteps enter the room.

I frowned slightly.

Who was it?

I still didn’t turn around.

"Give me a second," I muttered, keeping my eyes on the screen.

The footsteps stopped behind me.

I immediately knew who it was.

Sylvia.

She walked over to me and placed a small plate of sliced fruit in front of me. The sweet, fresh smell reached me almost immediately, but my attention was still fixed on the bright screen in front of me.

For a second, I looked at the plate and then I looked at her.

She was standing beside me, watching me quietly. Her eyes moved from my face to the screen, as if she were trying to figure out how long I planned to keep playing.

I gave her a small smile before turning my attention back to the game.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

Sylvia seemed like she wanted to say something. I could feel her presence beside me even without looking at her.

But before she could speak, Camila’s voice suddenly came through my headset.

"Lia, come over to me."

"Okay, almost there," I replied quickly.

My fingers tightened around the mouse as I moved it faster from side to side, my eyes following the movements on the screen. The sounds from the game filled my ears through the headset, making it hard to focus on anything else.

Sylvia remained beside me for another few seconds.

I could almost feel her eyes on me.

When I finally glanced at her, she was staring at my screen with a quiet expression.

Then her eyes shifted back to me.

She didn’t say anything.

She simply turned around and walked away.

I noticed the movement from the corner of my eye, but I was too focused on the game to stop her.

"Come on, come on..." I muttered under my breath as I leaned closer to the screen.

My heart raced as the game became more intense. My fingers moved quickly across the mouse and keyboard, and the voices of my teammates continued coming through the headset.

By the time I finally remembered Sylvia, the room had already gone quiet.

I turned around and she was gone.

I blinked and looked toward the doorway, but there was no sign of her.

I hadn’t even realized when she left.

The plate of fruit was still sitting beside me, untouched.

I stared at it for a moment before turning back to the screen.

The game continued, and just like that, my attention was pulled back into it.

I reached for one of the grapes from the plate and popped it into my mouth without taking my eyes off the screen.

It was cold and sweet, but I barely tasted it.

"Lia, behind you!" Camila suddenly shouted through the headset.

I immediately moved my character to the side.

"Got it."

My fingers moved quickly over the keyboard as I tried to escape the attack. The room around me had almost disappeared from my mind.

All I could hear were the game sounds, Camila’s voice, and the quick tapping of my fingers.

"Nice!" Caleb exclaimed.

I grinned. "Of course."

Sasha laughed through the headset. "You’re getting too confident."

"I’ve always been this good."

"Sure you have," she replied teasingly.

I laughed softly and leaned back in my chair.

For the first time since I came upstairs, my mind felt completely clear.

I noticed Sylvia wasn’t back yet.

I glanced toward the door, and it was still open.

I frowned slightly.

Had Sylvia left it like that?

I couldn’t remember.

I turned back to the screen and continued playing, telling myself I would check on her after the game.

A few minutes later, Camila spoke again.

"Lia, are you listening?"

"Huh?"

"I said we’re almost done."

"Oh."

I blinked and looked at the progress bar.

She was right.

"We’ll finish this round and stop," I said.

"Good. Because you’ve been playing like your life depends on it."

I laughed. "Maybe it does."

The others laughed too.

I smiled and focused on the game again.

Soon, the final opponent appeared.

My grip tightened around the mouse.

"Everyone, stay close," Camila ordered.

"I’m coming."

I moved forward with the others, my eyes fixed on the screen. ℴℴ𝘮

We attacked together. The battle became chaotic.

My heart pounded as I moved my character around, dodging attacks and trying to land mine.

"Left!"

I moved.

"Now!"

I attacked.

The opponent’s health dropped.

"Almost!" I pressed the button again.

The screen flashed.

VICTORY.

"Yes!"

I pulled off my headset and leaned back with a relieved sigh.

Finally.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand before looking toward the plate beside me.

Only then did I realize I had barely eaten anything.

I picked up another piece of fruit and slowly chewed it.

My eyes drifted toward the doorway again.

A small frown appeared on my face.

Where had Sylvia gone?

I checked the time on my phone.

It was later than I expected.

I stood up from the chair and stretched, feeling the stiffness leave my shoulders.

"Sylvia?"

No answer.

I walked toward the door and stepped into the hallway.

The house was quiet now.

I looked left and then right.

Nothing.

I started walking toward the stairs, wondering if she had gone downstairs.

But before I could reach them, I heard a faint sound coming from somewhere behind me.