"Oh, come on, Marcus. Save the charming playboy act for the girls who don't know any better. You're not fooling me or Anya."
Chloe was on a roll, her voice sharp with accusation. But as Marcus watched her; the way her eyes widened with false fury, the slight, indignant pout of her lips; he couldn't help but be struck by the effect. On her sculpted, flawless face, the angry expression came off as more playful than threatening.
'She's actually kind of adorable when she's fired up.'
The thought surprised him. This fiery, vibrant version of Chloe was incredibly charming, even in her annoyance. How had he never noticed that before? It was a strange realization, that being chewed out by her could feel… pleasant.
'Whatever. Not getting into it.' He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, so he decided to just let her rant run its course.
That adorable, pouting mouth of hers was almost too much, sparking a sudden, reckless impulse to just lean in and steal a kiss, to see if it tasted as sweet as it looked.
"Hey! Pervert! Are you even listening to me?"
Seeing his eyes glaze over, Chloe's last thread of patience snapped. She reached out and grabbed his ear, a hot wave of frustration washing over her. Why did this jerk always just tune her out?
"Ow! Easy there!"
He yelped more out of reflex than actual pain, startled by her speed.
But as his senses caught up, he realized her grip was barely a pinch. The touch of her soft hand was… nice, actually. He leaned into it slightly, closing the small distance between them. A fresh, clean scent, like spring rain, washed over him from her skin, and it was oddly calming.
This close, her impressive curves were right there, unabashedly on display. He was captivated. He could feel the warmth of his own breath reflecting back from her skin, and his gaze drifted past the smooth column of her neck to the deep, proud cleavage of her top.
'Damn,' he thought, momentarily stunned.
He usually kept a safe distance from Chloe to avoid exactly this kind of confrontation. This was the closest he'd ever been to her, and he was shocked by how intoxicating the proximity was, and by the absurd situation that had caused it.
"Chloe, that's enough!"
Anya, hearing Marcus's cry, quickly stepped in to intervene.
Chloe was startled too. For a second, she thought she'd actually hurt him, but his sudden closeness was what really threw her off balance. Having a man this deep in her personal space was a shock to her system.
Her first instinct was to throw a punch, but recognizing it was this particular man; this "pervert", she held back, afraid of actually injuring him. She just released his ear, her fist curling but staying at her side.
As she let go, her heart hammered against her ribs. A man had been that close. She had felt his breath on her skin. And that man was him. A deep blush crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks, her eyes dropping to the floor in sudden, flustered shyness.
"Marcus, are you okay?"
Anya rushed over, inserting herself between them and gently rubbing his ear with her thumb.
Bliss. This was heaven. He really owed Chloe one for this. He relaxed into Anya's soothing touch.
Because of this, neither he nor Anya noticed the uncharacteristically shy and flustered Chloe standing behind her.
"Anya, don't baby that pervert. He had it coming."
Chloe's resolve hardened, and she quickly shook off her daze. But seeing Marcus comfortably enjoying Anya's ministrations, her irritation flared again. She pulled Anya back a step, ready to resume her verbal assault.
"Chloe, it's not his fault. I'm the one who asked to see him."
Anya, seeing Chloe gearing up for another round, quickly held her back, trying to defuse the situation.
"Anya, we agreed we were done with this player. You know his reputation. He's a heartbreaker. Why are you setting yourself up to get hurt again?"
Frustrated with Anya, Chloe shifted her focus, angrily listing Marcus's supposed crimes to her friend.
"Chloe, that's enough."
"Marcus, you should probably get going."
Anya was used to Chloe's critiques, but she was worried she'd say something that would truly humiliate him, so she urged him to make an exit.
"Yeah, I'm out of here."
He was more than ready to make his escape. Chloe was a verbal gatling gun, spraying fire at both of them, and he'd had his fill.
He found one thing strange, though. Chloe had let it slip that Anya had been heartbroken over him. That didn't make any sense. And back at the barbecue, Anya had said something similar about him hurting her feelings. He wracked his brain but couldn't remember doing anything of the sort.
'If anything, she's the one who leaves me spinning. How could I have broken her heart?'
Weird.
Confusing.
"Hey, you're back."
When he got home, Lily and his sister, Amber, were already there.
"Marcus, have you eaten? Do you want me to make you something?" Lily was, as always, incredibly thoughtful.
"I'm good, I ate. What about you two?"
"We couldn't wait for you, so we went ahead. You sure you don't want anything? Amber and I can whip something up."
"I'm stuffed."
The three of them chatted for a bit before Amber started pestering him to get online. She was close to finishing her quest and finally leaving the Newbie Village.
"Oh, hey, what level are you now? The forums are going crazy! Some player got a Divine Beast pet egg and it triggered a fight between two of them. Can you believe it?"
"That player must be a total maniac," Amber exclaimed.
"Heh heh..."
"Big bro, what's that smug laugh for?"
"Heh heh..."
"Seriously, why are you laughing like that? You look so shifty."
"Heh heh..."
He just kept smiling, thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Alright, that's it. Spill it, or I'm gonna have to get rough."
His sister expertly climbed onto the couch beside him, pinching his cheek and pretending she was going to bite his nose.
"Marcus, what is it?" Even the usually quiet Lily was curious now.
"Heh heh, that 'maniac' player everyone's talking about… is a lot closer than you think."
He had planned to drag the teasing out a little longer, but since Lily asked, he decided to come clean.
"Wait, really?" Amber stared at him, her hand freezing on his cheek.
"When have I ever lied to you? Don't you dare doubt your brother." He gently bopped her on the nose, feigning offense. Normally, he might have playfully nipped it as punishment, but with Lily there, he held back.
"Oh my god! Big bro, you're the best! I knew it! I just knew you were the best!"
"My brother is a legend!"
Amber cheered, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile. She rubbed her cheek against his affectionately, just like she always had since they were kids, then planted a quick kiss on his cheek before nuzzling him again, acting like an overexcited kitten craving attention.
"Hey, you're a grown woman now. Cut it out with the kid stuff," he said, gently putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
"Okay, okay! I need to get back and grind! I can't let you show me up like this. I'm gonna get a Divine Beast pet, too!"
With that, she scrambled off the couch, dashing to her room to log into the game.
"Heh heh, she's… still a kid at heart," he said, feeling a wave of self-consciousness as he realized Lily had witnessed the whole, overly-familiar exchange.
Lily didn't reply. Instead, she just smiled, walked over to him, and just like Amber had, she gently pinched his cheek. Then, she leaned in and kissed the same spot, followed by a teasing lick before pulling him into a quick, tight hug.
"Marcus, I'm kind of jealous of how close you and your sister are."
"Lily"
He was genuinely surprised. The quiet, reserved Lily was learning fast, transforming right before his eyes into a surprisingly playful and bold "queen."
Seeing her usually serene face now flushed a beautiful, peachy pink and lit with a flirtatious glint, he couldn't help himself. He grabbed her slender waist, pulled the elegant Lily fully into his embrace, and kissed her. It was a deep, passionate kiss, claiming her lips as if he were a bee drawing the sweetest nectar from a flower.
After a long while and a few murmured sweet nothings, the two of them finally logged into the game.