CHAPTER 22: ANTONELLA'S GAME

Semiel felt exhaustion clinging to him, sinking into his skin like a heavy weight. The subathon had been going for four hours now, but the tension in the air hadn't fully dissipated. His mind kept replaying his exchange with Saval, the suffocating presence of Antonella pressing in on him. Every time she laughed—sweet and fake—it seeped through his headphones like poison, making his stomach churn.

—Alright, Semiel, time to take down the dragon and the parasites—Saval said, maneuvering his character in the game.

—Got it, I'm bringing the beds to finish off the dragon quickly—Semiel responded.

—And what do I do, guys? —Antonella suddenly asked.

—Just bring a water bucket for the parasites and try not to die, Antonella—Saval answered hastily.

—Come on, Saval, place that bed for when the dragon swoops down. I'll handle the bugs.

—Oh, Saval, help me! They're attacking me, I'm going to die! —Antonella whined, clearly trying to draw Saval's attention away.

She's doing this on purpose, trying to mess with Saval, to ruin the momentum. Tch.

—Leave her, Antonella. Don't distract Saval—I'll take care of the bugs. Just cover yourself with blocks and stay out of the way.

—Uff, thanks, Semiel! It's so great to have someone as reliable as YOU here—Antonella's tone dripped with mockery, and Semiel could almost see the smirk she was hiding behind her screen. 

—Alright, Saval, take him down!

...

—I DID IT, SEMIEL! I KILLED THE DRAGON! —Saval shouted excitedly.

—With just a pixel of health left—you almost died, and it would've been GG—Semiel sighed, relieved.

—You're really good, Saval. It's obvious you've been doing this for a long time. Nothing ever gets past you. Imagine if something had attacked you from behind, like… a BUG—Antonella's voice was sickeningly sweet, but Semiel knew exactly what she was doing. Every word was a calculated jab, a thinly veiled taunt aimed at Saval and him.

—Saval, how long have we been streaming?

—Almost six hours now, and the subathon is about to end. It's best to start wrapping things up—Saval said, checking the timer.

—That went by so fast. But I really enjoyed it.

It felt like… old times. Just you and me.

—So, guys, what do we do now? If we just sit here doing nothing, the chat might get bored, right? —Antonella said, pretending to care about the stream's engagement.

—Only five minutes left until my stream ends. Let's just talk about what we thought of the game and let time run out.

—Whatever you say, handsome.

—Antonella, I told you not to call me that. And no, chat, don't get weird about it. She's just a friend.

—Don't say that, handsome. You know I mean it. And I think now's the perfect time to give you the answer you've been waiting for—Antonella announced, hiding her glee over the chaos she was about to unleash.

Semiel read the messages scrolling by in the chat, grinding his teeth. Some of them had already figured it out.

I need to change the subject, or this stream is going to go south…

—Saval, only two minutes left. You should start the raid now, or we'll run out of time.

—Ah, but the answer… I mean, you're right. Let's save that for another day, Antonella. I'm starting the raid now. Thank you all so much for coming. I appreciate all the support. I never thought we'd last this long. Love you all—Saval said, steering the conversation away just in time.

—Take care, everyone—Semiel said quickly, eager to shut this down.

—Oh well, if that's what you want, Saval. We'll talk about it later. Kisses to everyone in the chat! Don't worry, I'll make sure to give Saval and Semiel their kisses from you too—Antonella said playfully as she said goodbye.

"What did you say, Antonella?" Saval suddenly reacted to what he heard.

"And the stream ended, bye." Seeing that the stream was about to descend into chaos, Semiel used his mod commands to send viewers to another stream in a raid.

And so the stream ended with that mystery, but the chaos had begun with that call.

"Antonella keeps repeating what you mean by kisses to both of them? What are you talking about?" Saval asked, suspecting something.

"Oh, Semiel, didn't you tell Saval?"

"What are you talking about, Antonella?" Semiel questioned, but inside, his heart felt like it was in chaos.

Damn, that b*tch is about to spill the beans. I can't let her keep dictating the pace.

"Well, what else? She obviously talked about what you and I did at the cafe, Semiel. Or have you already forgotten, honey?"

"Semiel... did you kiss Antonella?"

"Saval, don't believe what he's saying? Don't you see what he's trying to do? He's trying to distance us."

"Of course he kissed me, and I could only stand there. Can you believe it, Saval? I called him to the cafe to talk about how to respond, but he kissed me," Antonella said, inwardly holding back her laughter.

"Who are you saying kissed you? You were the one who started this, bitch!"

"Semiel, calm down. I need an explanation. Are you in a relationship?" Saval asked in a low voice, completely different from how he normally spoke.

"Saval... it's not what you think."

"I ASKED YOU SOMETHING, SEMIEL. DID YOU KISS HER OR NO?" —Saval shouted, annoyed.

—Yes… yes, I did… but he has a reason…

—I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING, JUST GO AWAY. YOU BOTH OF US GO AWAY.

—Oh, Saval, sweetheart, don't you want to hear the answer to your statement?

—Wait, what?!—Saval and Semiel said simultaneously.