Chapter 1

As my PlayStation loaded, connecting agonizingly slow, my heart pounded against my chest. "Please be on," I mumbled to myself, relief washing over me as the home screen finally appeared. It was a bit pathetic, really. I had never seen Alex's face before, but every time I logged on, I silently prayed that he would be online.

For the past three months, I had been playing this online game with Alex. We had communicated solely through messages, never hearing each other's voices or seeing each other's pictures. I knew he was thirty and lived in Liverpool, which was quite a distance from my tiny one-bedroom flat in London. Yet, there was something about him that consumed my thoughts.

My imagination had conjured up an image of Alex in my head – strong, handsome, and mischievous. One thing was certain, he had a great sense of humor. His messages never failed to make me laugh on a daily basis.

Having been an online gamer since the age of fifteen, I had accumulated a wealth of experience by now, at twenty-eight. My day job was in game development, if you could even call it that.

I lacked friends who weren't gamers, so we rarely socialized outside of our homes. I eagerly launched the game that Alex and I always played, holding my breath in anticipation. Work had been incredibly demanding with a looming deadline, and my boss constantly breathing down my neck. Strangely enough, after a stressful day of creating games, all I wanted to do was sit and play one for the entire night.

A broad grin spread across my face like a fool when a message suddenly appeared in the corner of my screen.

Alex: "Finally, you're online!" My cheeks ached from the wide smile as I swiftly responded to him.

Jessica: "Yep! I also bought a microphone today!"

I plugged in my brand new headset and positioned the microphone near my mouth. I had countless similar ones at work, yet the idea of using one for gaming never crossed my mind before. I usually didn't vocalize much while playing. But when Alex asked if I had one, explaining how tired he was of typing out his game strategies, I immediately bought one.

I was thrilled when Alex invited me to join him in our game, and I couldn't help but giggle like a child when I clicked accept. As both our avatars appeared on the screen, his voice suddenly came through my headphones.

"I can't believe you finally got a damn microphone," he exclaimed. My heart fluttered upon hearing his husky and irresistibly sexy voice. His strong accent only added to his allure.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I chuckled, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Wait," Alex interrupted abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the TV.

"You're a woman?" His voice quivered, and my stomach sank. He had no idea I was a woman? It was my fault entirely since my gamer tag and avatar didn't reveal my true gender. I was pretty sure I had been mildly flirting with him in our messages, but either I was terrible at flirting or he wasn’t picking it up at all.

"Yes," I murmured.

"I'm so confused," Alex chuckled, and I joined in, lightly massaging my forehead.

"Sorry, I thought you knew," I whispered, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. "Do you mind?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"No!" He burst into laughter, and I leaned back, grinning at the sound. "I'm actually relieved; I thought I was somewhat gay for a moment," he chuckled. My laughter grew louder as I settled comfortably on my sofa.

"What do you mean?" I giggled, definitely flirting.

"Every time I logged on, I was hoping you would be online too," his words made my cheeks blush, and my stomach filled with butterflies. "So yeah, I'm really fucking glad you're a woman. I don't know why I didn't think to ask before, sorry," I heard him laugh again, and I relaxed my shoulders. This evening was perfect.

"It's going better than planned," I thought to myself.

"Hey, what's your name?" Alex's voice sent shivers down my spine, causing me to snap back to reality.

"Jessica, what about you?" I realized that after three months of messaging, we had never asked each other that simple question.

"Alex!" His laughter carried a sense of relief.

"Oh, so it was just me hiding then," I whispered, feeling foolish.

"Definitely just you. My full name is Alexandra," he replied.

"That's cute," I interrupted, fully engaged in flirting.

"Don't ever call me that," he chuckled. "You sure know how to impress a woman."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, hearing him laugh once again.

"I'm just joking. So, what do you do for a living?" I responded, trying to match the same tone as his.

The controller lay idle on the coffee table, indicating that it was clear we wouldn't be playing anytime soon.

"I develop games for Backstreet," I mentioned.

"What!?" Alex exclaimed, causing me to burst into laughter.

"Jessica, my God, no wonder you're so good," Alex's use of my name made me smile wider, and I yearned to see his reaction.

"And how about you?" I asked, running my hand over my leg.

"Oh, super boring, I'm a project manager. Like, stupid boring. Are you single?" I couldn't help but stifle another giggle and closed my eyes, feeling a rush of excitement in my stomach.

"I am. Are you?" Suddenly, nervousness flooded over me.

What if he said no?

"I am as well. One last question before we start playing," he said.

"Hmmm," I replied, disappointed.

"Could you please give me your phone number? I woulf to give you a call tomorrow." I couldn't suppress the giggle, making me feel childish, like a twelve-year-old. "Certainly."