Chapter 53

Caleb's face darkened as he listened. Girls went out of their way to get his attention, even stopping his friends to ask for his number. Yet Elise Whitmore had just said she didn't like him at all.

The way she and her brother looked at him made their contempt painfully clear. The embarrassment of his confession gave way to anger.

“You want to interfere?” he snapped at Theo. “That depends on whether you can actually stop me.”

He hadn't finished speaking before a fist struck his face.

Theo's lazy manner was gone. “Let's find out.”

Elise's heart jumped. Her third brother was really angry.

Caleb was no stranger to a fight, and years of basketball had given him quick reflexes. As far as he was concerned, Theo was a rival. He wasn't going to take a punch without returning it.

“What gives you the right to compete with me?” he demanded, breathing hard. Then he lunged.

The two of them grappled, trading blows so fiercely that Elise couldn't get close enough to pull them apart.

“Theo, stop fighting him!”

She didn't even know Caleb. Why make more trouble over him? Theo usually treated everything with such indifference that she'd never seen him fight anyone with this much determination. He was a professional gamer, too. She didn't know whether he had a match coming up, but an injury could interfere with his training even if he didn't.

For someone who spent so much time at a computer, Theo was surprisingly tough. He wasn't losing; his blows came from awkward angles that caught Caleb off guard. Caleb didn't hold back either, though, and Theo took hits of his own.

People began gathering around the noise. Some recognized Caleb, a familiar face at the plaza; a few students recognized the man who had just carried their team through a game. They watched in shock, none daring to step between them.

Caleb had a reputation for fighting, but Theo wasn't relying on strength alone. He found openings, and as Caleb tired, Theo forced him to the ground. By the end Caleb could barely fight back. His face, arms, and stomach had all taken blows; Theo seemed to have come away with little more than bruised hands.

Only when Caleb lay there too exhausted to move did Theo release his collar and stand.

He looked down at him and gave a short laugh. “Now, say that again. Can I stop you or not?”

Caleb could hardly force air through his throat, much less answer. He'd never expected this man to be such a formidable fighter.

“And if you bother her again,” Theo added, “you won't get off this easily.”

Caleb had no reply.

Once the fighting was over, a few students who knew him hurried forward and helped him up. From what they'd overheard, Caleb had confessed to Elise and kept pestering her, and this man had hit him for it.

“Isn't she Miles Whitmore's sister?” one asked.

“You actually went after her? Aren't you afraid Miles will come after you?”

Elise came to the plaza often, and word of Miles standing up for her had spread. Everyone knew how protective he was of his sister. Since then, nobody had dared crowd her off her skateboarding space or pick on her. Plenty of people had crushes on her, but none had been willing to get past Miles first. What had Caleb been thinking?

A metallic taste filled Caleb's mouth. His whole body hurt, and seeing Theo's satisfied expression only made him angrier. He'd approached Elise because Miles wasn't there. If she agreed to date him, what could Miles do about it?

He hadn't expected to run into yet another “brother.”

Elise hurried over to examine Theo. A bruise was forming at the corner of his mouth, and the skin on his knuckles was scraped and bleeding faintly. A player's hands mattered more than anything, and he'd hurt his.

“Theo...” Her throat tightened. She didn't know what else to say.

He glanced at her and seemed to understand. Reaching up, he ruffled her hair. “Perfect excuse to skip training. I can take a few days off openly now.”

This time she didn't dodge. She lowered her head and let him rub her hair.

“You did it because of me...”

He scoffed before she could finish. “Because of you? Don't flatter yourself.”

She looked up. Theo gave her a sideways glance, a careless smile on his face.

“I wanted a break from training. Besides,” he added, letting his eyes travel pointedly over her, “would I really fight someone for you?”

Her gratitude disappeared. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Getting angry would only make her sick, and nobody could do that for her.

Caleb's friends led him away, presumably to a hospital. Theo's injuries were minor, and no amount of persuasion would make him go. Elise had no choice but to follow him to dinner.

After they'd ordered, Theo cleaned the utensils and remembered Caleb's confession. “Next time someone like that bothers you, just hit him. Can you do that?”

“You're good enough on a skateboard. Why can't you think on your feet?”

He'd warned Caleb not to harass her, and now he was denying he'd fought for her. He was obviously concerned, but too proud to admit it.

“Oh,” Elise said stiffly.

Her lack of enthusiasm didn't stop him. He went on for quite a while about being careful when she was out on her own.

When the food arrived, Theo picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks. The cuts on his hands were superficial and would heal in a few days, but the movement tugged at the broken skin. He hissed, and the pork fell back onto the plate.

He was about to try again when Elise reached over with her own chopsticks and placed the piece in his bowl.

Theo's hand paused in midair. He stared at the pork for several seconds, then slowly raised his eyebrows.

That was new. He'd spent years eating with his teammates; it was an achievement if they didn't fight over the food, let alone serve him any.

He glanced up. Elise had turned her face away, her lips pressed tight in a deliberately unhappy expression that seemed designed to hide her embarrassment. His mouth curved.

Three or four more times, his injured hands apparently failed him. On the next attempt Elise finally snatched his bowl, filled it with food, and put it back in front of him.

“Eat.”

“Thanks, Ellie,” he said, his voice softer than he realized.

She turned even farther away, nearly presenting him with the back of her head. Theo knew better than to push the trick much longer. If she caught on, she'd be angry.

He changed the subject. “Are you sure you won't move in with me?”

She didn't react. He sighed, half serious and half teasing. “My hands are hurt. I can't even eat properly, and there's nobody to look after me when I live alone.”

The injury really wasn't serious, but Elise was softhearted. Perhaps he could use the opportunity to persuade her.

“Hire a caregiver,” she said, concentrating on her own meal.

He'd just been teasing her. If they lived together, wouldn't he do it every day?

“I'm poor. I can't afford one. Not everyone is a little heiress like you.”

She looked up, baffled. “Didn't you inherit money? How can you be poor?”

Their parents' estate had been divided among the brothers long ago. Even Miles had inherited a substantial amount. How could Theo have nothing?

“It's all tied up in the team.” Some of his money was invested there, though he did have a little to spare.

“Then why did you say you'd support me?”

“I figured you wouldn't eat that much.”

She studied him for a moment. “You're lying.”

“Look at it this way,” he said patiently. “I only have one house. You have five. Doesn't that make me poor?”

“Then sell your house and hire a caregiver.”

Theo rested his chin on his hand and gave her a languid look. What a hardhearted sister. He would have to try something else.

After dinner, he said, “Want to come over for a while? I bought a new single-player game. It's easy. Play a few rounds with me? I won't go easy on you this time.”

Playing with Elise felt different from training or competing, and he wanted to do it again. If he could coax her over, he would also have more time to persuade her to stay.

She stared at him. “Your hands are like that, and you still want to play games?”

He couldn't even pick up his food. Had her brother lost his mind?

“Besides, I need to study,” she said firmly. “Julian hired a tutor for me, and the tutor's coming to the house tonight. I have to get back.”

The lessons had helped her understand things that had once confused her. She'd broken through a plateau, and although each additional point grew harder to earn, her average had risen by several points after a period of tutoring.

“Tutoring?” Theo asked.

“Yes. I want to get into the top university in the country.” She spoke with conviction. “So I need to study hard. I can't keep playing games.”

The match she'd played with him at the esports event had been an exception. She couldn't make a habit of gaming whenever she felt like it.

Theo raised an eyebrow. In their previous life her grades had been ordinary, and she had ended up at a less selective university. He hadn't known her ambition had been so high. She must have been disappointed when things didn't work out.

Thanks to his second life, he even knew which university she'd attended. For a moment he considered telling her that her efforts would fail; she might as well spend the time playing with him. Then he abandoned the idea. He'd only just coaxed her into a better mood. What if he discouraged her and made her angry again?

Theo had driven to the plaza. Once they were in his car, Elise messaged Ethan to tell him he could go home; she wouldn't need a ride.

He pulled up beside the house after dark. As she unfastened her seat belt, she hesitated.

“Theo, it's late. Would you like to stay here tonight and leave tomorrow?”

She'd wanted to persuade him to move home for some time, but interruptions kept getting in the way, and then he'd annoyed her. She hadn't found the right opportunity until now.

Theo looked toward the house, its outline indistinct in the dark. It was older than he remembered. Despite regular repairs, its walls showed their age. The sight left him with a tangle of feelings.

He turned away. “No, thanks.” His voice had gone quiet.

Elise gathered her courage. “Julian doesn't blame you anymore. Come home, Theo. Julian, Adrian, and Miles would all welcome you. Shouldn't a family live together?”

Surprise crossed his face. He fell silent and reached toward his pocket as if to take out a cigarette. Remembering something, he stopped and withdrew his hand.

“Did he tell you?” he asked at last.

She nodded. “That's all in the past. Nobody blames you.”

There had been nothing wrong with his wanting to become a professional gamer. Their parents' deaths had been an accident, unrelated to that choice. Yet Theo had never let it go.

He said nothing for a long time. Finally he sighed.

“Go on inside.”

Elise kept watching him. He reached over to rub her hair. “Let me think about it.”

Even after she went inside, Elise couldn't decide whether that meant yes or no. Would thinking about it help him come around?

She finished her tutoring session, took a shower, and lay on her bed still feeling a little low. Then her phone buzzed. Nora had sent her a string of messages.

Nora: Oh my God, your brother is streaming!

Nora: Jade waited a whole month and never caught him live. I only just became a fan and he's already on, hahaha!

Nora: [Link: Fin is actually livestreaming!!] Come watch!

Elise tapped the link. PUBG filled the screen. A character labeled SK_Fin was rapidly searching buildings for equipment. In a small window at the bottom left, Theo lounged in his chair, his mouse hand moving fast. Bandages were plainly visible on his knuckles and at the corner of his mouth.

Comments swept across the screen.

[What did I just find in the middle of the night?!]

[Fin is live? What special occasion is this?]

[What else? It's the end of the month.]

[Hahahaha.]

[Trying to make your quota now? What were you doing at the beginning of the month? Have you no shame?]

[What happened to his face? Did he get in a fight?]

[There's a bandage on his hand too!]

[He can still play like that with an injured hand? Incredible.]

Team members with streaming contracts had a set number of hours to broadcast each month. Spread out, it would only take an hour or two a day. Players like Fin, who disliked streaming, instead scrambled to meet their hours at month's end, sometimes keeping the stream on while they ate.

Elise sat bolt upright. What happened to taking a proper rest because his hands were injured? He'd fooled her again!

[I bet he's muted us again.]

[What kind of heartless man did I become a fan of?]

[I'll forgive the coldness because he's handsome.]

Fin rarely talked on stream and interacted with the comments even less. Watching him could feel like watching a silent film. In fact, he'd turned off comment notifications and was concentrating on the game.

He disliked livestreaming, but every month he found a way to get through the required hours. After dropping Elise off, he'd been restless and wanted to play a few rounds to settle his mood. Remembering how many hours he still owed, he'd turned on the stream as well. His hands were only scraped; the injury didn't stop him playing.

Elise studied his expressionless face. It looked different from usual. The less expression he showed, the more she could tell something was bothering him. Had she said something wrong today?

Her eyes fell on the bandage on his hand. A strange thought occurred to her. Even if he needed streaming hours, surely the platform would understand if he couldn't broadcast because he was hurt. He was a star player; surely they'd give him some consideration.

He'd said he was poor. Could he be working so hard, even with injured hands, because he needed money?

Perhaps she could help him out. If she handed him money outright, though, he would only tease her again.