“Next question please” Logan muttered, changing the subject. He didn’t dare look at the chat box. If their friends were watching, especially Lauren, it would only fuel the fire.
“Well, I chose the same question for you” Alex fluttered her lashes at him, “What are the things you like and don’t like about me?”
She survived the first one. Hopefully, the rest would be as easy. Logan could be unpredictable though. He’d just love to see her scramble for answers… Maybe she should change her questions when he’d put her on the spot. She couldn’t be alone.
He needed to go down with her.
Logan scowled, “I think I have told you this before.”
“Well, think of something else because you can’t repeat!” She wagged a finger, “And it has to be two things each like you did mine.”
Logan took his time. His eyes trailed on the floor. He thought carefully, rotating the cushion. He swayed it side to side. The chat box continued to keep the stream alive.
“`CookieDiya: Is he going to confess???“`
“`Pikachu: Kiss-kiss… :* “`
“`Eclipse: I don’t think they’ll do something like that with an audience.“`
“`Zombieee: They almost kissed in the video anyway! It’s not different!“`
“`SingingMermaid: Why did she decide to hide her gender from us?“`
“`Eclipse: Let them be. It will come naturally.“`
“`CookieDiya: GAH! I think he’ll confess!“`
“I like… how you’re here.”
Alex wondered if she needed to clean her ears, “Excuse me?”
Logan ignored her. He lifted his chin and spoke louder. He looked at her, exhaling sharply.
“I like how you’re here. You could have just left. You could avoid all of this. It wasn’t even your fault that your secret came out. Yet…” he shook his head slowly, “You’re here, taking responsibility. You’re not running away. No one told you to do that. It was only you.”
They locked eyes for a few seconds. The chat went wild. This silent moment weighed more than any word. It reached out to other hearts with a firm grip. It ensnared the viewers and glued them to the screen.
“`Pikachu: KISS KISS KISS :* “`
“`CookieDiya: OMG OMG OMG AAAAHHHH…!!!“`
“`SingingMermaid: Confess already!“`
“`Pikachu: KISS KISS KISS KISS :* “`
“`Eclipse: Wow, this silence is so powerful.“`
“`Pikachu: KISS KISS KISS KISS KISSSSS :* “`
“`Zombieee: Don’t you dare deny your feelings, we all have seen the video!!“`
“`SingingMermaid: Deng it! Talk, confess and kiss!“`
“We-Well,” Alex stuttured. She blinked several times. The tone of her voice eased into a mellow tune, “Why wouldn’t I take responsibility? I knew what I was getting into. I knew the consequences. I can’t have everyone adjusting for something that I want—just to make it happen. This was my doing. They can’t keep sacrificing for me.”
Logan smiled, chuckling a bit, “I know… it’s what I like about you.”
Neither of the presenters noticed the mayhem in the chatbox.
“`SingingMermaid: That is definitely another confession! Just admit it already!“`
“`Eclipse: Oho…! The eyes of someone in love~~ “`
“`CookieDiya: KILL ME NOW! oh wait, you already did. THEN, KISS TO REVIVE ME!““
“`LazySloth: Dearest Alex, do you wanna know that.. I’m your fan >.< because I can’t forget the baseball scene.. It still made me Wooooow and fall in love with you again and again cause Kyaaaaa, and you are my second favourite female that’s gender bender… <3“`
“`Pikachu: KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISSSSSS :* “`
“You still need a second one” Alex reminded. She wrinkled her nose and leaned back. Her arms crossed over her chest.
“Hm.” Logan squinted his eyes, “I like… the taste of your Chicken Noodle Soup!”
“Of course, you say that” She groaned. Flashbacks flooded her mind. A lot of them that she didn’t wish to see, including the chicken, the noodle and the soup. In any form, she’d rather not have the images.
“It was really delicious,” Logan continued. He nodded at the webcam, trying to convince the others with a look. Then, he shifted his attention towards Alex, “My fever went away in a snap. Was it made with love?”
“`CookieDiya: Kyaaaaaaaahh…!! Did I hear that right? Alex cooked for him?“`
“`Pikachu: KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISSSSSSSSS :* “`
“`SingingMermaid: Of course it was! Has to be for it to be delicious!“`
“`LazySloth: Alex, I want a taste! Logan, please share!“`
“It wasn’t made with hate I can tell you that. You wouldn’t be sitting here if it was.” Alex snorted, dodging his attack. It was a trap question and she knew it, “What do you dislike about me then?”
It was Logan’s turn to roll his eyes, “I already told you before… you need to tell me things. Get used to it. Don’t let me find out at the last minute. It might even be too late if you don’t say right away.”
She gulped. That reminded her of something… She hadn’t told him the one thing that she wanted to. She couldn’t possibly leave without doing so. When would be the right to do it?
In the end, she put it in the back of her mind, “Fine, I accept that. What’s the second one?”
“That’s easy!” Logan exclaimed. He pulled the back of her chair, “Check… your… phone…! I know you’re not fond of calls but you don’t reply either. Work with me here, will you?”
“Hey! I have been doing better!” Alex defended, glaring at his face.
“Still not enough…” he replied in a sing-song voice. Then, he checked his phone, “How has your experience as event coordinator for the championship been so far? Any bad experiences? Are you excited for the big day?”
“It’s been good,” she answered. She welcomed the change of topic, “I’m just thankful to be surrounded by people that support me. I’m sure not everyone is keen about me so I really appreciate them a lot.”
Selene, Reya and Colin had helped her a lot. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like without them, “As for the big day? Can’t say I’m overly excited but I also like my dark corners. It would be nice to get out of the spotlight.”
“That probably won’t happen anymore,” Logan pointed out, a dimple showing on his left cheek.
Alex sighed, “I know. Now, answer the next question. What are your future career plans after school?”
“Oh, that’s another easy one” he began to say, “I meant it when I said I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and work with cars. I don’t think I can stay still in an office. I like to be doing something more than sitting.”
He raised as if to grab something in between them.
Alex wasn’t amused.
Logan smiled mischievously when he saw his next question. He sat tall. Then, he tapped his fingers over his mouth, narrowing his eyes at Alex.
A bad premonition nagged the sides of her head.
“Who’s your first crush that is a human being?”
“Seriously?!” The ceiling crashed down on Alex’s head. That was a past that she didn’t think would open again—especially when far away from home. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time. By now, she hardly remembered what happened.
“What?” Logan stared innocently, “I’m curious too.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, “There was a boy… And that’s it.”
“Aw, come on. I’m sure our viewers agree that is not good enough!”
Alex regretted glancing at the chat box.
“`Zombieee: What boy?“`
“`SingingMermaid: Forget about him and focus on the present.“`
“`Eclipse: Who the hell asked his question? Will Logan get jealous?“`
“`Pikachu: Just kiss him! Then, he can forget about the question!“`
“`Eclipse: What is Alex’s type tho? I’m curious who this is!“`
“`CookieDiya: She reacted strongly too! Can’t even say anything!“`
“`CookieDiya: Must have been a special person!“`
A deadpan expression painted over her face.
She took a deep breath and scoured the corners of her mind. She opened doors previously closed, scraping for what little memory there was left, “I don’t interact with many people but we liked the same book. I was about… eleven years old? We talked about that book for hours. I just… well… since he liked it, I thought he might be similar to the male lead in it!”
Logan eyed her suspiciously, “Is it a romance?”
“No!” She shot down and looked at her list of questions. She had three left, “Moving on. How long have you known Alex is a girl?”
Finally! Something actually related to the real issue. Maybe a significant change could happen with this live stream, after all. They could explain more about their act.
“Well…,” Logan rubbed his chin, glancing up, “I suspected she was a girl since the first day of school but if you’ve seen the video, it’s almost the same. I saw her in a dress and in a wig. Then, she told me that she was Alex’s twin sister.”
Alex bursted out laughing. Her posture went slack as she sank on her chair, “And you believed it…!”
“Hey! No judging me when you already won that time” he pouted. Then, he shrugged at their viewers, “After that, she eventually told me the truth.”
“It was such a mess!” Alex picked up. She continued the story while pointing a sarcastic look at Logan, “You took my phone and wouldn’t give back because you wanted my sister to do it. You also wanted my phone number for the project. I needed to buy a second phone. Then, on the day I got the first phone back, I lost the second one for your brother to eventually pick up.”
She broke down back then. She had done her best to keep her secret. But, trouble never ended. She eventually had to give in, “It was inevitable because you’d call and text that phone for Alex, not my sister. I still would have been found out.”
“In simple terms, it was fate” Logan smirked.
“It was not. It was bad luck.”
He paid her no attention and asked his 4th question, “Who are you cheering for in the team?”
“Easy. Lauren.”
Safe to say, Logan didn’t appreciate that humor, “She’s not on the list.”
Alex tilted her head to one side, “You didn’t say which team.”
If she didn’t look cute, he might have pinched her cheeks. The urge didn’t fade away, “Our basketball team that is playing on Friday’s championship game.”
Biting her lip, Alex furrowed her eyebrows. She could already tell that everyone expected her to say Logan’s name. She didn’t need to see the messages for it. The expectation made her want to rebel against it…
… but who could she choose?
“Max” she uttered after some time.
“I—What?” Logan did a double take, “Why Max?”
A winning smile blossomed on her lips.
“So you’d lose the bet.”
