"So what are we gonna get?" I asked as my tummy rumbled.
"And here you are talking about me, huh?" Renae joked.
"Girl, shut up… KFC? CHINESE? PIZZA? What?" I asked, more intrigued by food right now than anything else.
Finally agreeing on pizza and Chinese takeout, I pulled out my new phone and started dialing nearby restaurants, making orders I found on Google.
Soon Chinese takeout was stacked high: cartons of chow mein tangled with crisp vegetables, fried rice dotted with egg and scallions, orange chicken glazed sticky sweet, Mongolian beef rich and savory, and a pile of dumplings that made Renae clap her hands like a kid once I seated everything in the back of the car.
After that, we went to pick up the pizza takeout as well. Once we arrived, I went inside and collected the boxes. They were warm against my arms—prime slices: pepperoni cups sizzling, a classic cheese pie, one overloaded with mushrooms and sausage, and another dripping with barbecue chicken. The smell of melted mozzarella mixed with the sharp tang of soy sauce—chaos in food form.
Julian had slipped us cash earlier, and we used it well. We grabbed juices too—tropical blends, apple, grape, and a couple of orange bottles—something to wash down the grease and salt when the boss battles got too real.
Renae nudged me as we loaded everything into the trunk. "See? This is how you survive VR night. Zombies, dragons, whatever—they can't touch us if we've got dumplings and pizza."
But the real surprise was the dessert stash. I had insisted, and now the bags were full of fortune cookies, almond cookies, and sesame balls from the Chinese spot. From the pizza place came cannoli, tiramisu squares, and a box of chocolate chip cookies so big it looked like a dare.
I laughed, shaking my head as we finally arrived back at the arcade, making our third trip to the lounge area as we set everything down on the tables. "You're ridiculous."
Renae tore into a sesame ball, grinning. "Ridiculously prepared," she said, crumbs on her lips.
One by one, the others pulled off their headsets, blinking at the sight of us in the lounge. The smell hit them first, then the sight of the spread.
"What the hell…" Fabian muttered, stunned.
Kevon's jaw dropped. "You guys treated everyone? Damn."
Mariann squealed, grabbing a slice of pizza. "This is insane! Thank you!"
Travis chuckled, already reaching for Mongolian beef. "You two just saved the night."
Even Jay froze, headset dangling in his hand, eyes flicking from the food to us. Titi smirked, but her eyes narrowed, tension still simmering.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "I thought food was the way to the heart. Guess I was wrong."
Everyone laughed, diving in, thanking us between bites. Plates clattered, juice bottles popped open, and for a moment, the chaos felt lighter.
But Fabian's voice cut through, firm. "Enough. Jay, Titi—get up. Sort out your damn differences. Because if you don't, are none of you not gonna like what happens next."
The room froze. All eyes turned to Jay and Titi. They rolled their eyes, grabbed some food, and stalked off to one side, muttering as they went.
Kevon broke the silence, wiping his mouth. "Boss battle next. Forget zombies. Let's do dragons, mechs, whatever. Something big." He rattled off the options, and everyone nodded in agreement, the idea sparking fresh energy.
But Mariann's smile faltered. She pushed her favorite slice away, boxing it up instead. Her mind wasn't on the game—it was on Travis. She wanted to know how long their relationship would stay a secret.
Travis noticed, sliding the box toward her. "Hey, eat. It's your favorite."
She shook her head, standing abruptly. "I'm not hungry."
Moments later, Travis followed her outside. The neon glow spilled onto the pavement as he caught up. "What's wrong?"
Mariann spun on him, voice sharp. "What's wrong? You're asking me that? I'm tired of hiding. Why don't you want anyone knowing we're dating?"
Travis sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Mariann, you're being irrational."
Mariann's eyes blazed. "Irrational? No. I want the truth. Why are you so damn scared of people knowing about us?"
Travis exhaled, his shoulders tense, gaze dropping to the pavement. "Because once they know, it changes everything. You've seen how this group is—every little thing becomes gossip, drama, fuel for fights. I don't want us dragged into that mess."
Mariann shook her head, voice trembling with frustration. "Dragged into it? Travis, we're already in it. Look around—Jay and Titi are at each other's throats, Fabian's ready to explode, Kevon's trying to hold everyone together. And you think hiding us makes it better? It just makes me feel like I don't matter."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You matter. More than any of them. That's why I'm trying to protect this. Protect you."
Her laugh was bitter. "Protect me? By pretending I'm not your girlfriend? By making me feel like some secret you're ashamed of?"
Travis winced, his hand hovering near hers but not quite touching. "I'm not ashamed. I'm terrified. Terrified of losing you if this blows up. I've seen what happens when relationships get dragged into the chaos—we're not like them, Mariann. I want us to last."
Mariann's eyes softened for a moment, but the hurt lingered. "Then stop hiding me. If you want us to last, you have to show me you're not afraid to stand with me. Out loud. In front of them."
Travis finally reached for her hand, gripping it tight. His voice cracked, almost breaking. "I can't tell you everything. Not yet. There are things… obligations… my family's already set in motion. Things I'm running from. If I tell you, it'll hurt you. And I don't want to lose you."
Mariann froze, confusion flickering across her face. "Obligations? What the hell does that mean?"
He shook his head, eyes pleading. "It means I'm caught in something bigger than us. And I swear, I'm fighting it. But please—don't think for a second that I don't want you. You're the only thing I want. I just… can't let you get crushed by the weight of what I can't say."
Her voice dropped, softer now, but still sharp. "Then you better figure it out, Travis. Because secrets don't protect love—they kill it."
"I can't lose you, baby," he pleaded, almost on the verge of tears.
Travis swallowed hard, his chest tight. He wanted to tell her everything—the secret marriage his family had already arranged, the suffocating expectations, the fortune and alliances tied to his fiancée's family that outweighed Mariann's by far. But the words stuck in his throat. If he told her, if anyone in the group knew and mistakenly slipped—for example at a family dinner—Mariann would be ruined. Her family wasn't small, but compared to his fiancée's, they'd be crushed.
He couldn't bear the thought of Mariann being taken from him. He couldn't bear the thought of her being destroyed by a truth she didn't deserve.
"I'm not hiding you because I'm ashamed," he said finally, voice trembling. "I'm hiding you because I don't know how to escape what's been forced on me. I don't have a way out yet. And if I tell you… if I tell anyone… it could hurt you in ways I can't undo."
Mariann's face softened for a moment, but the hurt lingered. "So what, I'm supposed to just wait in the shadows while you figure your life out? Pretend we don't exist?"
Travis stepped closer, his hand hovering near hers, desperate. "No. You're the only thing that feels real to me. I swear I'm trying to find a way to break free from all of it without losing you. But right now… I don't have a fucking way to do that."
Travis's chest ached as he watched her pull away, her boots clicking against the pavement as she turned back toward the arcade. He stood frozen, the weight of his fated future pressing down on him. He didn't know how to escape the marriage his family had set, didn't know how to protect Mariann without breaking her heart. All he knew was that losing her would destroy him—and right now, he had no fucking way to stop it.
His heart hurt as he watched the love of his life disappear back inside, leaving him alone in the night, torn between duty and desire, between the life chosen for him and the one he wanted with her.
______________________________________________________________________________
Titi leaned against the corner, her voice low and urgent. "I need you to get me close to Veronica. I promise I'll give you back the heirloom—no charge. Consider it my thank you."
Jay's eyes flicked toward me, watching me laugh with Renae in the lounge. For a girl he barely knew, his heart felt strangely light. My spirit, my kindness, my beauty—it hit him harder than he expected.
Jay's face twisted. "Fuck no. Anything but that. Whatever you're up to, leave her out of it."
He frowned but continued, "Titi, she's not doing anything to you."
Titi's voice rose, sharp and venomous. "Excuse me? That bitch is taking what's mine. She's ruining me and all she gets is a slap on the wrist?"
Jay's jaw tightened. "She's not doing anything you didn't do to yourself. And you're not getting anything you don't deserve."
Titi's eyes narrowed, her words cutting deep. "So was putting Mariann's sister in a coma for almost two years what she deserved?"
Jay froze, the blood draining from his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Titi pulled out her phone, her smirk cruel. "You stole your brother's car, drove reckless, slammed into her sister's car. She flew through the window, got fucked up so bad she's still in a coma. Don't play dumb."
Jay's voice cracked. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She shoved the phone toward him, the traffic cam footage glowing on the screen. "Your dad paid my dad to cover it up. Mariann asked me to look into it—I told her I found nothing. But look, she's just a few feet away inside. And this phone? Minutes away from showing her the truth."
Jay's chest tightened, tears burning his eyes. He remembered that night—the grief of losing his grandfather, the family fighting over the will his grandpa had left because his sharing of the empire wasn't to most of them satisfaction instead of mourning. He just wanted air, took his brother's car, and then… headlights, impact, chaos.
His voice broke. "What do you want?"
Titi's smile was cold. "You'll do everything I tell you to do."
Jay shook his head violently. "No. If you send that video, both our families go down."
Her eyes gleamed. "Then let them fucking burn."
Jay's voice cracked, pleading. "Titi, please. You want Fabian back, but this isn't the way. He won't be with you. You guys kept breaking up, he got tired. He won't be with a monster like you."
Titi's lips curled into a snarl. "I didn't ask you. Help me, and all the secrets stay buried. The heirloom is yours, and we're all happy."
Jay's hands trembled, his heart pounding. He was trapped—between the truth that could destroy Mariann, the guilt that ate him alive, and Titi's manipulations that threatened to unravel everything.
Jay shook his head, his voice trembling. "Happy? The only happiness is yours. Fabian won't be happy. I'll want nothing to do with you, Titi. The truth will ruin all of us. I'll lose my friendship with her, her secret relationship with Travis she thinks none of us knows about but we kept it because they must have their reason… Titi, everything crumbles. Please, consider."
Titi's eyes blazed. "No, no, no—fuck no. In my nightmare life, he was my light. Don't think I don't know you told him to let go. You ruined my one perfection."
Jay's voice rose, desperate. "I told him that because it was tearing him apart. His grades were falling, he was gonna take up drugs. I caught him fucking high—I rushed him to the hospital twice. He was slipping. I only helped free him."
Titi screamed, her voice breaking. "Nooooo, nooo! You took him away, and you don't help me. I will make sure everything—and I mean everything—from you, your family, gets fucked."
Jay's hands shook. "You are a sick motherfucker, you know that."
Titi's smirk was cold. "Nah. I only want what I want, and I will burn anything and anyone in my way. Say anything to anyone or keep acting up… and you won't believe the shit I have to ruin your whole fucking life."
Feeling his world tearing apart, he finally whispered, "Fine… I'll do what you want. Just don't show her. Don't ruin her."
Titi's smile widened. "Good boy. Now, we are gonna go back to that little group… keep smiling. Pretend we're fine… and I will keep in touch with you when I need you."
Watching him nod involuntarily, she was far more satisfied than she wanted to be. She was winning so easily.
They walked back into the lounge, fake pretending they were good. Fabian, happy and oblivious, pulled out his phone. "Alright, group photo! Everyone in—come on!"
The group crowded together, laughter echoing as the flash went off. Travis slipped back inside just as the photo was taken, his face tight but trying to blend in. Jay caught himself behind a rock of guilt, forcing a smile to cover it up.
The employee from earlier returned, cheerful. "So, ready for round two? We've got boss battles, escape rooms, racing sims—take your pick!"
Kevon clapped his hands. "Boss battle. Racing sim, mechs, something big. Let's go!"
Everyone agreed, voices overlapping with excitement. Mariann lingered, her mood heavy, but she nodded along. Travis tried to hand her her favorite dessert again, but she boxed it away, slipping away with the group—keeping her distance but not too much for it to be noticeable by the others. He followed moments later, their private storm brewing while the rest of the group dove into neon chaos.
The employee set everything up, and soon they were immersed—avatars clashing against towering monsters, laughter mixing with shouts, the night alive with energy. For a while, it felt like the tension was buried under pixels and adrenaline.
Hours later, the games wound down. The employee smiled, handing over the bill. "Alright, total comes to—"
Kevon stepped forward, pulling out his wallet. "I've got it. Especially for Vee and Renae. You two fed us like kings tonight. This is my thank you."
I shook my head immediately. "No way. We're not letting you pay for us."
Renae chimed in, crossing her arms. "Kevon, seriously, don't. We'll cover our part."
Kevon waved us off, sliding his card across the counter. "Zero chance. You brought food, desserts, drinks—you saved the night. I don't care what you say, I'm paying."
I sighed, exchanging a look with Renae. "You're impossible."
Kevon grinned. "And generous. Deal with it."
The employee processed the payment, handing back the receipt. The group gathered their things, hugging each other before heading out. Jay and Titi kept their distance, their smiles brittle, secrets burning beneath the surface.
Though the night had been fun, full of laughter and battles, hidden tension lingered. As we parted ways, everyone knew tomorrow would bring something heavier—the battle of university, where rivalries and truths would collide again.