Page 10 of Cyber Revenge

Trip doesn’t say anything. But his character doesn’t move until I peel away with her.

[Text to Lydia – 11:22 PM]: I like hearing you laugh when it’s just me. You get quieter around him.

[Lydia – 11:24 PM]: I do not.

[Patrick – 11:24 PM]: Not complaining. Just... something I noticed. You act differently when it’s just us.

[Lydia – 11:25 PM]: Maybe I do.

That’s right, baby. Let it sit. Let it swirl.

We playKill ConfirmedonDerelict, a medium-sized map, with lots of chaos. Perfect distraction.

Trip and I keep locking horns now. Not in a full-blown way, but little things.

He pings a route, I ping a different one.

He tells her to fall back, and I tell her to push forward.

She hesitates between us more than once.

It gives me ideas.

I text her after the stream ends, once she’s off mic, vulnerable.

[Patrick – 12:02 AM]: Trip’s not bad. But he’s really protective of you, huh?

[Lydia – 12:03 AM]: I guess. I like playing with him, though.

[Patrick – 12:04 AM]: Yeah. I just hope you’re careful. Guys like that usually want something. The quiet ones always do.

Silence.

She doesn’t reply right away.

That’s fine.

I don’t need her to respond. I just need her tothink about it.

She texts me the next morning with a photo, cropped below her lips, cleavage spilling out of an oversized hoodie. Eyes not included. But the smile in her caption was all mine.

“You gonna play nice tonight, sunshine?”

I stare at the screen, smiling.

Oh, sweetheart.

I always play nice.

Until I don’t.

SEVEN

TRIP

She started sending me photos.

After that first dick bursting photo, nothing explicit, for a long minute.

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