= Chris POV =

  I ended the call and stared at the stream still pying on my ptop. For five agonizing minutes, nothing changed—just the same mocking Be Right Back screen filling the void.

  Then Sarah reappeared.

  “Sorry about that, guys,” she said with an easy smile, as if nothing had happened. “My ndlord called, and I had to take the call.”

  She picked up her gss of orange juice, the ice clinking softly as she took a sip.

  My stomach dropped.

  It was her. There was no denying it now. Sarah was Pink Dreamer. She was live, right now, streaming to who knows how many strangers. And worse, she was talking about me. Behind my back.

  My chest tightened, anger and humiliation twisting together in a suffocating knot. How much had she said? How many personal details had she shared?

  Could this situation get any worse?

  “Why is your ndlord calling you in the middle of the day?” I typed into the chat under my dummy account, CatChef67. I chose the name as a nod to the book I’d made her read yesterday, curious if she’d pick up on it.

  Her eyes flicked to the chat. “Oh! CatChef67, a first-time chatter! Welcome!” she said, her smile widening. “Well, to answer your question, I think she was just checking up on me. She’s probably worried I’ve burnt the house down or left a giant mess again. I do have a bit of a reputation for that.”

  She grinned, leaning closer to the screen. “Besides, my ndlord is so hot, they can call me any time of the day, and I’d pick up.”

  My breath caught. Was she… joking?

  The chat erupted with ughter, and a user named MaiseBell chimed in: Don’t you know Pinkie is hot for her ndlord?

  Sarah ughed, shaking her head. “Okay, okay, MaiseBell, let’s not get carried away. I wouldn’t say I’m hot for my ndlord. I’d say I’m… invested in them. They’ve invested a lot of time and money into me, and I want to pay them back someday. That’s why I stream on my off days—I’m saving up so I can surprise them with a big wad of cash and completely clear my debt.”

  The sincerity in her voice caught me off guard.

  “But if that happens, won’t that mean Pinkie needs to move out?” I typed quickly, curious about her response.

  Sarah’s expression softened. “First of all, MaiseBell, look what you’ve done. Now the newbie is calling me Pinkie, too!” She let out a pyful huff before continuing, “Second, I don’t have anywhere else to go right now, so… no, I don’t think I’d move out immediately. But yeah, once I’m in a better position, I’d want to give my ndlord their personal space back. They deserve it.”

  The chat scrolled rapidly with comments and jokes, and a user named AmbletonPies jumped in: CatChef67, if you’re so concerned, maybe offer her a pce to stay. Pinkie has a thing for chefs—maybe you’re her type.

  Sarah froze, her cheeks flushing bright red. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, muffling a gasp.

  “Ambleton!” she excimed, her voice a mix of scandal and ughter. “Hold your tongue! You can’t just go around exposing all my weaknesses to newbies like that! How could you?”

  The chat filled with “LOL” emojis, and Sarah shook her head, her ughter bubbling up again.

  I smirked and decided to py along, keeping my cover intact. “Oh really? Well, DM me anytime, and I’d be happy to give you a pce to stay—if you can make it out here to Hokkaido,” I typed.

  Her eyes lit up as she read the message, and she let out a delighted ugh. “Hokkaido? I’d love to go there! I’ll definitely take you up on that if I ever need a temporary pce.”

  She beamed at the webcam, her joy infectious.

  Watching her like this—open, pyful, and trusting—I felt something shift inside me. The tension I’d been carrying all day started to ebb away, repced by an inexplicable warmth.

  Looking at her being so genuine made my heart melt. I felt this overwhelming urge to pat her on the head or give her some kind of treat. Anything to let her know she was doing great.

  For the first time in what felt like forever, I found myself smiling at a computer screen.

  Maybe Sarah streaming wasn’t as problematic as I thought it was.