Dorian stared at his phone.
200,000+ likes. His follower count had jumped to 25,000.
The numbers glowed in the dark of his room, impossible to look away from. Twenty-five thousand strangers now followed him. Two hundred thousand had seen him kissing Sarah.
His phone buzzed again.
Jenna: So... 200k. You're basically a celebrity now. Do I get VIP access? Backstage passes? A mention in your memoir?
He typed back slowly.
Dorian: I don't know what's happening.
Jenna: What's happening is you're famous. My mom liked your post. MY MOM.
Dorian: Why is your mom following me?
Jenna: She's not. It was on the explore page. She sent it to me like "is this your friend" and I nearly DIED.
He didn't know how to respond to that.
He put the phone down. Stared at the ceiling.
LEVEL 5 QUEST PACK ACTIVE
TIME REMAINING: 12 DAYS, 17 HOURS
SUB-QUEST 5A: "TEARS"
OBJECTIVE: Make an attractive female cry. Tears must be genuine. Duration: 10+ seconds.
STATUS: INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 5B: "CONFLICT"
OBJECTIVE: Cause two attractive females to argue about you. Argument must last 3+ minutes. Witnesses required: 2+.
STATUS: INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 5C: "DECEPTION"
OBJECTIVE: Maintain two simultaneous romantic relationships for 7 consecutive days without either discovering the other.
STATUS: INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 5D: "REJECTION"
OBJECTIVE: Publicly reject an attractive female who has genuine feelings for you. Witnesses required: 5+.
STATUS: INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 5E: "EXPOSURE"
OBJECTIVE: Have one of your romantic targets discover evidence of another target. The discovery must be accidental (from their perspective) and cause a public scene. Witnesses required: 3+.
STATUS: INCOMPLETE
WARNING: FAILURE TO COMPLETE ALL SUB-QUESTS WILL INITIATE DEBT COLLECTION PROTOCOL.
He still didn't know what that meant. The system had mentioned it before, but the details were always vague. A problem for future Dorian.
He needed to choose someone for 5A.
Sarah? No. Never.
Maya? She'd laugh in my face.
Danielle? Mark would kill me.
Jenna? Maybe. But she's too guarded. Too aware.
Lisa.
The thought settled like a stone in his chest.
Lisa, with her paint-stained overalls and her chaotic apartment and her dog that had peed on him twice. Lisa, who'd let him crash on her couch and texted him pictures of Momo in tiny hats. Lisa, who trusted him for no reason other than that he'd shown up.
She's the one.
He hated himself for thinking it.
---
Morning came whether he wanted it or not.
Dorian stood in front of the mirror, studying his reflection. Level four face. He looked like someone who had their life together. Like someone worth trusting.
You're a master manipulator. You've got this.
He stared at himself for a long moment.
(He did not have this.)
He grabbed his jacket and left before he could change his mind.
---
Dining hall. Breakfast.
Tyler slid into the seat across from him, phone in hand, eyes wide.
"Dude."
"Morning."
"Dude." Tyler turned his phone around. Dorian's Pictura post was on the screen. "You didn't tell me you were FAMOUS."
"I'm not famous."
"Two hundred thousand people disagree." Tyler scrolled. "There are comments here in SPANISH. Do you speak Spanish?"
"No."
"Learn it. You have fans now." Tyler squinted at the screen. "This one says 'que guapo.' I think that means 'very handsome.' I agree with that commenter."
Marcus appeared, tray in hand, and sat down. He looked at Tyler's phone. Then at Dorian. Then back at the phone.
"Two hundred thousand people like that photo?"
"Apparently."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Huh. I don't get it."
Tyler: "Marcus, he's objectively hotter now."
Marcus: "Objectively."
Tyler: "Yes, objectively."
Marcus: "I don't think that word means what you think it means. I looked it up."
Tyler opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. "Wait. When did you look it up?"
Marcus took another bite. "Doesn't matter."
Dorian tuned them out. He pulled out his phone and typed.
Dorian: Hey. Free today?
Three dots appeared immediately.
Lisa: For you? Always. Momo misses her couch guest.
Dorian: Want to hang out?
Lisa: YES. I need fresh air. Let's do something outdoors. I've been in the studio for two days straight and I'm going feral.
Dorian: Outdoors?
Lisa: Yeah! There's this park near campus. We can sketch, people-watch, feed ducks. Very vibes.
Dorian stared at the message.
She wants to sketch. Feed ducks. Have a nice time.
And I'm going to make her cry.
Dorian: Sounds perfect. What time?
Lisa: 2? Momo approved.
---
The park was exactly the kind of place Lisa would love.
Big trees. A pond with actual ducks. Patches of sunlight on grass. Lisa had claimed a spot near the water, a sketchpad in her lap, Momo curled beside her on a blanket.
She waved when she saw him. "Dorian! Over here!"
He sat down. Momo immediately perked up, sniffing his pockets with intense focus.
Lisa: "She's still deciding if she trusts you. It's a process."
"I'll earn it." He pulled out a bag of dog treats. "Brought bribes."
Momo's eyes went wide. She barked once—sharp, demanding—and began pawing at his pocket aggressively.
She's not asking. She's commanding. I'm being held up by a five-pound dog.
Lisa laughed. "Subtlety is not her strong suit."
Dorian fed her a treat. Then another. Momo decided, in that moment, that he was acceptable.
---
They fed the ducks. Well, Lisa fed the ducks. Momo tried to chase them, her little legs pumping, but she tired quickly and returned to the blanket, panting heavily. One particularly aggressive duck chased the others away from the bread Lisa tossed.
Lisa: "That one's a metaphor for capitalism too."
Dorian snorted. "Everything is a metaphor with you."
"Because it is."
Lisa scooped up the panting Momo. "Someone's not as young as she used to be."
"How old is she?"
"Twelve. Maybe thirteen. I've had her since I was eight." Lisa scratched behind Momo's ears. "She's been with me through everything. Moves, breakups, art school rejections. Everything."
Momo licked her hand.
Dorian filed the information away.
---
After the ducks, they sat back on the blanket. The sun was warm. A gentle breeze moved through the trees.
Lisa leaned back on her hands, eyes closed. "This is perfect. I needed this."
Now. Start.
"Hey, Lisa?"
"Mm?"
"Can I ask you something personal?"
She opened one eye. "That sounds ominous."
"Just curious." He looked away. "Your grandmother—the one in Kyoto. Does she still not get your art?"
Lisa's expression flickered. "I mean... she tries. In her way."
"But she still wants you to be a doctor."
"She's been wanting that since I was five. It's not going to change."
"That must hurt."
She shrugged. "I'm used to it."
"But it does hurt. Right?"
Lisa looked at him. Really looked. "Why are you asking?"
Because I need you to cry. Because the system wants it. Because I'm a monster.
"Just... I know what that's like. Feeling like you're never enough for the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally."
Her eyes softened. "Dorian..."
"I'm not trying to make it weird. I just..." He trailed off. "Never mind."
"No, it's okay." She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest. "It does hurt. Sometimes. When I think about it too much."
Push a little more.
"Does it ever feel like no matter what you do, it won't matter? Like you could win a thousand awards and she'd still send crying emojis?"
Lisa's jaw tightened. Her eyes glistened. Just for a moment. Then she blinked, and it was gone.
"Sometimes." Her voice was steady. "But I can't live my life for her. I have to live it for me."
She smiled. Genuine. Strong.
A knot formed in Dorian's stomach.
It didn't work.
---
His phone buzzed. Sarah's name on the screen.
He silenced it. Let it go to voicemail.
Lisa glanced at him. "You can get that."
"It's fine. Not important."
She nodded, accepting the lie.
---
They talked more. About art. About classes. About nothing. Momo snored between them, a tiny chainsaw sound, exhausted from her duck chase.
Dorian watched the dog sleep. Noticed how heavy her breathing was. How still she lay.
"She's getting old," he said quietly.
Lisa's expression shifted. "Yeah."
"How much longer do you think she has?"
"I don't know. A year. Maybe two. The vet says she's healthy for her age, but..." Lisa trailed off.
"But eventually."
"Yeah." Her voice was smaller now. "Eventually."
There it is.
His phone buzzed again. Sarah. Again.
He silenced it. Didn't look at the screen.
She's going to ask where I was. I'll say... something. Anything. Panic later.
"It must be hard," he said, "knowing that. Loving something that much and knowing you're going to lose it."
Lisa didn't answer.
"I think about that sometimes. With people. With pets. With everything." He kept his voice soft. "You invest all this love, all this time, and in the end, they leave. Or you leave. And you're just... alone."
Lisa's hand found Momo's fur. Stroked gently.
"When she goes," he continued, "what do you have left? The art? The chaos? The noise you fill your apartment with so you don't have to be quiet?"
Her shoulders trembled.
"Who's going to be there, Lisa? After she's gone. After the shows end. Who's going to see you?"
A tear fell onto Momo's fur.
Then another.
Lisa pulled Momo close, burying her face in the dog's fur. Her shoulders shook.
Momo licked her hand, confused but loyal.
SUB-QUEST 5A COMPLETE. TEARS DURATION: 18 SECONDS. GENUINE: CONFIRMED.
Dorian sat frozen.
I did this. I used her dog. I used the thing she loves most.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Lisa, I'm so sorry."
She looked up, eyes red, confused. "For what? You didn't—" She wiped her face. "God, I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing."
"It's not. It's really not."
"I don't know why I—" She laughed, wet and broken. "You're just easy to talk to. Too easy. You get it."
No. No, I don't. I'm just good at pretending.
---
They sat in silence after that. Momo eventually calmed down, curling up in Lisa's lap. The sun kept moving. The ducks kept quacking.
When he finally left, Lisa hugged him at the park entrance. Tight. Genuine.
"Thanks for today. For listening. For... I don't know. Being here."
"Always." The lie came automatically.
"Text me when you get back?"
"I will."
He walked away. Didn't look back.
---
His phone buzzed before he reached campus. Two missed calls from Sarah. A voicemail.
He didn't listen to it.
System: 5A COMPLETE. PROGRESS: 1/5.
His dorm room was empty when he got back. Tyler was out. Marcus was out. Kyle was... somewhere.
He sat on his bed. Stared at the wall.
His phone buzzed again.
Lisa: I didn't know you had a girlfriend.
He stared at the message. His thumb hovered over the keyboard. What could he even say?
Another buzz.
A photo.
Lisa had taken a picture of them at the park. The two of them, sitting close, Momo between them, both laughing at something. A genuinely nice moment. Captured forever.
Lisa: This was a really nice day. Thank you.
Dorian's chest ached.
Then another buzz. From a different number.
Unknown: Nice photo. Sarah would love to see it.
Unknown: Should I send it to her?
[END OF CHAPTER 12]