September 2020
Mike sat in the middle of the couch, browsing through Jenny's list of bookmarks on YouTube. She was lying with her feet dangling off again and her head resting on his lap. "Click on V's account," she said, idly kicking her feet. "She's probably posted something new by now."
Mike clicked over to V's page, noting the growing number of videos that were being posted there. "Woah, she's really ramped up since last month. A lot more multiplayer stuff here now."
"Yeah, she said that she's been streaming with a broader group. The let's play videos weren't generating the views. She still has them sometimes though, but this keeps her busier now. I don't think we've played anything for a while, she always scheduled for something or another."
She put Mike's left hand on her head again, silently chastising him for not stroking her hair. Mike had been stopping by more often when Andy couldn't, mostly to check up on her and keep her company. Evy or Tal would often tag along to see her and make sure Anna was doing alright. Evy was currently in Anna's room, keeping her pre-occupied. It had been four weeks since the news, and she was slowly getting back to her usual self but would have moments of grief. Whenever those hit, Evy, Tal or Jenny would wrap her up and just hold her until she stopped crying. It was becoming less often now.
Mike clicked on a newer video where he could hear V talking to a dozen or so other streamers in an Among Us lobby. Rather, it was a mod that they were playing that allowed them to proxy chat, which led to all sorts of weird interactions. V also had a little avatar in the lower corner that synced up her real-life motions that was pretty funny.
They sat there, watching the increasingly hectic play throughs, laughing as players jokingly lost here shit, and cracking up when someone started singing in the Kermit voice. When Mike stopped stroking Jenny's hair, she would clutch his arm under her chin. She had definitely become a lot clingier, but Mike didn't mind one bit, he was just happy that she was largely back to her normal self.
In Anna's room Evy was lying on her bed, hanging her head off it to look at Anna upside down. Anna was sitting on a big cushion, reading out one of her works. Evy had encouraged her to write more to help her deal with everything she was feeling, and it had been helping. Some of her stories were about loss, naturally, but she had started writing more poetry that was lighter and more hopeful. She was reading one of those to Evy now.
"I really love the way you write," Evy said, rolling over and placing her hands under her own chin. "It's so evocative, like I can see the flowers and even smell them."
"Thanks," Anna smiled at her. "I like this style for poems as you can really paint a picture for the reader. It helps convey what I'm feeling." She smiled a bit shyly, "I actually kind of adopted it from one of your scenes."
"Huh?" Evy thought through her stories, but couldn't come up with one in this style, since she tended to write less atmospheric scenes and focus on conversations and interactions. "Which one was that?"
Anna's smile tightened a bit into a mischievous grin, "It's actually inspired from your scene with the baroness."
"No," she gasped in disbelief. "How did you get this from that?"
Anna giggled and began, "You had such an amazing back and forth with the characters that just made me feel like I was there. I could feel every time she drew nearer to him, hear the uncertainty in his voice, feel her touching him so tenderly. You barely put in any descriptions, but I could feel it all, and that's what I wanted here. There isn't any dialogue, but I wanted to be able to really paint the scene, with all the details I could imagine."
"Wow." Evy crawled halfway off the bed and looked and Anna closely. "You are so horned up right now, oh my god!"
Anna squealed and pushed Evy's face, causing her to collapse in a giggling pile on the floor. "I am, oh my god. I go back and read that all the time. She's just so, aggressive and vulnerable at the same time. It's so forbidden." A little shudder played down her spine at the thought.
"Well, it looks like you've learned something about yourself," Evy grinned at her and plopped herself down next to her. "Now, we just need to you act on it."
"No, no no no. I couldn't. Oh my god, I would die." She shrank at the thought.
"Yes, you can. You've been playing around it far too long now." She was holding Anna's shoulder, lightly shaking her. "Next time you're alone with him, just keep eye contact, that's the whole thing." Anna was giggling and desperately trying to escape. Evy shook her again. "You just stare into his eyes and make him yours." Anna squealed again and broke free, grabbing a pillow and smothering her own face.
Evy didn't relent, trying to pry the pillow away. "You're so close! Just. Be. The. Baroness!" Anna was shaking from laughing so hard that Evy flipped over the bed with pillow in hand.
"Alright, alright, I get it." She gasped between bursts of laughter. "I'll be the baroness. I'm strong and confident. Now stop before I burst a blood vessel, my face is so hot." A frazzle haired Evy poked her head up over the bed and grinned victoriously.
On the couch Mike and Jenny were looking at each other wondering what the hell the commotion was in the other room. "Those two are up to something. I swear, they're like teenagers whenever they get together."
"I don't know where I went wrong with that girl," Mike sighed. "It's hard being a single dad."
Jenny giggled, "What about your domestic partner? Is he an absent father?"
"Oh, he brings home the bacon, but is it so much to ask for some TLC sometimes? A woman has needs."
Jenny laughed hard and turned to snuggle into him, "What a terrible partner, I'd never do that. I'd love you forever and never let you go. I'd spend the rest of my days with you." She froze, suddenly realizing what she had said aloud. A long moment passed in silence, with only the steady sound of his breathing in her ears. She slowly peaked up at him to gauge his reaction and caught him nibbling his lower lip, appearing to be deep in thought. The moments continued to pass, with neither saying anything. Jenny was agonizing over what she had just blurted out, completely in her head playing out a million scenarios. What is he thinking now? What if he rejects her? What if he accepts? What about Andy? Would she tear apart the group? Would she lose her best friends?
Some laughter in Anna's room jolted her out of her state and brought her back to the present. She slowly disengaged, "Would you like something to drink? I'm suddenly very thirsty." She rushed to the kitchen without looking at him.
"Actually, I'm supposed to meet up with Andy in a bit, so I should probably head out here pretty soon." Jenny started to hyperventilate, imagining what they would talk about.
"Calm down, maybe it's nothing, "
she told herself.
"Maybe he didn't hear. Stop making it weird. If he says anything, play it off as a joke."
