Accidentally Dating The Esports Pro Chapter 08
I just froze.
Why wasn’t Bryson pissed at me? Why was he saying he didn’t want to break up?
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and ducked his head. Color crept into his cheeks as he stammered, “When I left the practice room, I heard Derrick say you were a fan who wanted to marry me. So… do you think we could just keep dating?”
When I didn’t say anything, he rushed ahead. “I know it wasn’t actually you messaging me online, and I know you don’t really have feelings for me yet. But I still don’t want to end this. I’ll still give you my salary and tournament money, exactly like before. It’s totally fine if you’re just using me. Honestly, I don’t even care if you play me. I’ll let you play me. Just… please don’t leave.”
He stared at me, practically holding his breath, waiting for an answer.
I looked back at him, completely lost. “Why do you even want to stay together?” I blurted.
The tips of his ears burned red. He reached up and zipped his jacket all the way to the top, burying the lower half of his face in the collar. “Because…” he whispered. “I’ve liked you for a really long time.”
He mumbled it so quietly and hesitantly that I completely missed it.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you!”
Bryson cleared his throat and dropped a peeled shrimp onto my plate. “Nothing. Just eat something, Babe.”
As he remembered the awkwardness of our situation, his eyelashes fluttered, and he looked at me cautiously. “Can I still call you Babe?”
He had that same look on his face from when he broke down crying on our video call. I couldn’t stand seeing him look that sad again.
“You can,” I managed hesitantly.
His face immediately lit up, and he started piling more food onto my plate. “Thanks for coming all the way out here to see me tonight, Babe. You’re too skinny. Eat up—these should all be your favorites!”
I stared down at the plate, totally bewildered. I had read through every single chat log between Ethen and Bryson, and my food preferences hadn’t come up once. How did Bryson know I liked shrimp? How did he know exactly what I loved to eat?
