What My Gamer Boyfriend Doesn't Know

§PROLOGUE

My hands were ice, but his were a furnace.

For a guy I’d sworn to hate ten minutes ago, my new neighbor, Dalton Reynolds, was doing a terrible job of being a villain.

He knelt before me, my bare, frozen feet cupped in his large, warm hands, his brow furrowed in concentration as if he were defusing a bomb and not just saving me from my own stubbornness.

His touch sent a jolt through me, a dizzying, unwelcome spark that had nothing to do with my fever.

"Better?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated straight through my bones.

I could only manage a weak nod, my throat tight.

And as he looked up at me, his expression unreadable, all I could think was: *This man thinks I'm a single mom with two kids, and he still showed up. What the hell is wrong with him? And what the hell is wrong with me for liking it?*

§01

As a card-carrying corporate drone, my life ran on two things: caffeine and the blissful escape of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang after a soul-crushing day.

For the past six months, that escape had a name: Dalton.

He was a jungler god, his gameplay a brutal, elegant ballet of destruction.

I was… not.

My specialty was playing support heroes like Estes, essentially becoming a walking health potion for far more competent players.

He was a man of few words, his voice a calm, captivating rasp that sent shivers down my spine.

But under my relentless assault of "Captain, you're amazing!" and "Captain, save me!", he'd finally cracked, and our surprisingly sweet online romance began.

"Stay in the fountain, don't move. I'm coming for you," his voice purred through my headset, a promise of rescue that was far more thrilling than it should be.

It was pure bliss.

I was lounging on my couch, my Siamese cat, Thor, purring contentedly in my lap, while Dalton carried our team to yet another victory.

"Captain! It was that bird-man who pecked me! Get him for me!" I commanded playfully, pointing at the screen as if he could see.

I stretched, a wave of satisfaction washing over me.

That's when I saw him.

My tabby cat, Odin, a furry little agent of chaos, was creeping across the dining table.

His paw was outstretched, hovering menacingly over my last clean water glass.

A primal scream ripped through my apartment.

"Odin! Don't you dare touch Mama's glass!"

I threw my phone onto the couch cushions and launched myself into action.

The great cat-chase of the evening had begun.

§02

After a frantic scramble that involved leaping over furniture and narrowly avoiding a face-plant, I finally had the furry delinquent in my arms.

I returned to the couch, breathless, only to find the words GAME OVER glowing accusingly from my phone screen.

Oops.

I slipped my headset back on, pitching my voice into its sweetest, most apologetic tone.

"Captain, let's go again! We can totally hit Mythic rank tonight."

Silence.

The "start" button remained un-pushed.

Just as I was about to check if my headset had died, his voice, now laced with a strange hesitation, came through.

"What... what were you just doing?"

He must have been wondering about my sudden AFK moment.

I rushed to explain, eager to win back his favor.

"Oh, that was just my Odin. He almost shattered my water glass—it would've been the fourth one this month! If he breaks another, I'll have to start drinking from a bowl."

There was a pause. A long one.

"...You have a kid?"

I blinked, confused. Doesn't every modern adult have a fur-kid? I'd seen pictures of his Golden Retriever on his Instagram. What was the big deal?

"Of course. All my coworkers have them. But my Odin is just so mischievous," I lamented. "I think it's genetic. Thor is an absolute angel. He just curls up in my lap whenever we're gaming."

"You have *two* of them?!"

I could practically feel the shock radiating through the headset. I didn't get it.

"Yeah. I was worried Odin would get lonely by himself," I explained, feeling like a responsible parent. "This way, they can keep each other company. The two kids can just play together."

I proudly stroked Thor, who was now snoring and showing off his fluffy belly.

A new, strained quality entered his voice.

"You've been playing with me for months... calling me Captain... Does the kids' father know about this?"

His voice was trembling slightly. I tilted my head.

"What's their father got to do with anything? I haven't seen that guy in ages."

Odin the tabby and Thor the Siamese had both been unceremoniously dumped on my doorstep by their feral parents.

It was my own fault for feeding the stray cats in the neighborhood.

I was constantly being shaken down by these deadbeat cat-dads who were all about romance but allergic to responsibility.

I felt a surge of righteous indignation.

"And if I ever see their father again," I declared fiercely, "I swear I'll have him neutered."

§03

The silence on the other end was deafening. I worried I might have scared him.

"Don't worry, Captain. I've locked Odin in the bedroom. He won't interrupt us again."

I tried to lighten the mood.

"Hey, you want me to let Thor say hi? I think he likes you. He always comes over for a cuddle whenever you speak."

But before I could finish, the notification popped up: your teammate has left the lobby.

He was offline.

I sent him a single question mark on WhatsApp.

I watched the three little dots appear and disappear. `typing...`

And then, nothing.

"Meow?" Thor looked up at me, purring. I shrugged, mystified.

His internet must be bad. I'll ask him tomorrow.

But the next evening, my WhatsApp was a barren wasteland. No messages.

This was weird. No matter how late he slept or how early he woke, he always sent a "Good morning" or "Good night."

Did he forget?

I put on my best playful voice and sent him a voice note.

"Caaaptain~ What are you up to? You haven't talked to your little healer all day. Don't you miss me?~"

The two blue checkmarks appeared instantly. Then, `typing...`

I waited.

Five minutes passed. I texted: `Finished cuddling your other healers? My turn yet?`

Ten minutes. Left on read. I texted again: `Captain, I think my eyes are broken. I can't seem to see your replies.`

Half an hour. Still nothing.

I laughed, a bitter, angry sound. `Hello, stranger. I'm getting married tomorrow. You're invited.`

My phone immediately buzzed with an incoming call from him.

"You're getting back together with your ex-husband?" His voice was rough.

I leaned into the lie, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"If a certain someone doesn't start replying to my messages, I'll go out and marry the first man I see on the street. I'll have another kid and make you the godfather."

A long, heavy silence stretched between us.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, his voice strained. "I just... I wasn't sure how to face you."

"What's there to face? There's nothing a round of MLBB can't solve. And if there is, we'll play two!"

I was ready to brush it off. So he bailed on our promise to hit Mythic rank last night. Big deal. We could just do it today.

"Come on, log in! I need that shiny new border."

But something was wrong.

§04

The Dalton who had once carried me through impossible fights was gone.

Tonight, he was making clumsy mistakes, missing his cues, playing like a rookie.

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