Trapped By The Possessive Esports God

Kaylee pushed the heavy mechanical keyboard away. Her fingers were trembling so hard they barely cleared the keys. She let out a long, shaky breath and hit the button to end her Twitch stream.

She stared at the dark OBS software screen on her monitor. The words she had just spoken on the live broadcast echoed in her head. She slapped her palm against her forehead, the smack loud in the quiet room.

A sharp cramp in her stomach interrupted her self-hatred. It was a physical demand for food. She grabbed her phone from the desk and opened the DoorDash app.

Her thumb moved quickly over the screen. She ordered a massive portion of Mexican tacos. She needed the grease and the heavy calories to calm her racing heart.

The order confirmation popped up on the screen. The estimated delivery time was twenty minutes. She tossed the phone back onto the desk.

Kaylee pushed herself up from the computer chair. Her legs felt like lead. She dragged her feet across the room, leaving the computer den and walking out into the living room.

She let her body fall heavily into the soft fabric sofa. She grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it tightly against her chest.

The wall clock ticked. The living room was so quiet she could hear the faint sound of a car engine passing on the street below.

A sharp ding-dong from the doorbell shattered the dead silence.

Kaylee frowned and glanced at her phone. It had only been ten minutes since she placed the order. There was no way the delivery guy was that fast.

She stood up, still clutching the pillow. Her bare feet padded softly against the hardwood floor as she walked slowly toward the front door of the apartment.

She leaned in and pressed her eye against the peephole. The motion sensor light in the hallway was dim. She could only make out a tall, dark figure wearing a baseball cap. She hesitated, her hand hovering over the deadbolt. The memory of old, vicious threats made her skin crawl, a phantom chill creeping up her arms. Annoyed and cautious, she decided to get it over with. She turned the lock slowly and pulled the door open only a few inches, keeping her foot firmly braced against the bottom edge just in case.

A gust of cold hallway air hit her face. The man outside lifted his head and reached up to pull off the black baseball cap.

The moment she saw his face, Kaylee's pupils shrank. Her lie about Killer-the name she had just dropped on stream-hit her like a freight train. Did he know? Had he seen the clip? The questions ricocheted around her skull, each one a needle of pure panic. She had no idea what he knew, and the uncertainty was almost worse than certainty. And beyond the fear of exposure, there was him-Killer, the esports god, the legend, standing in her doorway. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and a cold sweat broke out across her forehead. Her immediate instinct was to slam the door shut.

A large hand with prominent knuckles clamped onto the doorframe. The force was absolute. It stopped the door from closing.

Greyson Matthews stood there. A gentle, harmless smile touched the corners of his mouth. His deep blue eyes looked directly into hers.

Kaylee's brain completely shut down. The man standing in front of her was Killer, the god of esports. He was the exact same man she had claimed was actively pursuing her on her live stream just ten minutes ago.

Greyson pulled a silver Rimowa suitcase forward. The wheels made a dull thud against the hallway carpet.

"Hi," he said. His voice was incredibly polite, laced with a hint of apology. "I'm the new roommate. Leo sent me."

Kaylee stammered, her jaw working before words came out. "I... I never agreed to rent out the guest room."

Greyson reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a neatly folded rental agreement and held it out to her. Leo's messy signature was right there at the bottom.

Kaylee stared at the paper. She ground her teeth together so hard her jaw ached. She yanked her phone from her pocket and dialed her brother's number.

The call went straight to voicemail. Leo had turned his phone off to hide from her anger.

Greyson lowered his eyelashes. His voice dropped, sounding slightly raspy. "I have nowhere else to go. A stalker fan found my address. They've been following me."

He looked like a lost golden retriever. That expression instantly crushed the hard wall Kaylee was trying to build to kick him out.

A neighbor walked down the hallway, stretching their neck to look at them. Greyson took a step forward, his large frame closing the distance between them.

Kaylee felt the panic of being watched. She stepped aside, yielding the space.

Greyson dragged his suitcase over the threshold. As he brushed past her, the crisp scent of his body wash hit her nose. Her spine went completely rigid.

The heavy front door clicked shut. Kaylee stood in her own entryway, staring at the esports god in her living room, feeling the absolute malice of fate.

He hadn't mentioned the stream. Not a single word. Maybe-just maybe-he hadn't seen it. She clung to that fragile, desperate hope, pressing her back against the wall as if she could disappear into it.

Greyson parked his suitcase by the entryway console. He turned around and looked at Kaylee. His blue eyes were quiet and steady.

That familiar stare made Kaylee's vision blur. The hallway around her warped. Her mind was violently dragged back to her computer desk ten minutes earlier. Ten minutes earlier on her Twitch stream, Kaylee was controlling her champion in the mid-lane. The vibe in the chat was light and fun.

Suddenly, the enemy mid-laner typed a toxic message in the all-chat. The ID belonged to Jax Mercer, her ex-boyfriend.

Seeing that name made Kaylee's fingers freeze on the keyboard. Her champion stopped moving for half a second and took a massive hit to its health bar.

Jax didn't stop. He typed in the public chat that she was an unwanted loser in real life. The stream chat instantly flooded with question marks.

Kaylee took a deep breath. She forced down the physical nausea of her PTSD. She couldn't lose face in front of her viewers. She put on a tone of pure disdain.

She laughed into the microphone. She fired back that not only did she have guys chasing her, but the guy chasing her was ten thousand times better than Jax.

Jax sent a mocking emoji in the chat. He dared her to say the guy's name.

Anger completely clouded Kaylee's judgment. The name of the number one player in North America flashed in her mind. She blurted out the name Killer.

The moment she said it, the chat went completely dead for three seconds. Then, a tsunami of laughing emojis erupted.

Kaylee opened her mouth to change the subject. Before she could speak, the entire stream screen was covered in a massive, glowing gold animation.

The system highlighted a notification: User Killer has entered the chat and gifted 50 Tier 3 subscriptions.

Kaylee's right hand jerked. Her mouse flew off the mousepad. Her champion walked straight into an enemy tower.

The chat went absolutely insane. Everyone was screaming about the legend actually showing up.

A custom gold text bubble from Killer floated slowly across the center of the screen: Is that so? How come I didn't know about this?

That casual question hit Kaylee like a physical blow to the chest. Her face burned hot. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.

Jax spammed a row of laughing faces in the public game chat. That pushed Kaylee over the edge.

She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste copper. She grabbed her mouse and dragged it back onto the pad. Her eyes went cold and entirely focused.

She executed an impossible flash combo with her champion. She dove under the enemy tower and killed Jax solo.

The second the kill registered, she hit exit. She ended the stream instantly and ripped the ethernet cable out of her computer.

The memory faded away like receding water. Kaylee's eyes refocused on Greyson's face in the real world.

Greyson watched the color drain from her cheeks. He took a step forward, his brow furrowing in fake concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

The physical dominance of his size as he moved closer made Kaylee jump backward. Her shoulder blades slammed hard into the wooden shoe cabinet.

She forced a smile that felt like a grimace. She waved her hands frantically. "I'm fine. Totally fine."

The corner of Greyson's mouth twitched upward for a fraction of a second. He politely asked where his room was.

Kaylee turned around like she was fleeing a fire. She practically ran down the hallway, leading him toward the guest room at the end.

She pushed the door open and pointed inside. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, terrified to look at his face.

Greyson said thank you. He carried his suitcase into the room, leaving her staring at his broad back.

Kaylee leaned against the wall outside the door. She pressed her hand hard against her chest, feeling her heart hammering against her ribs. She still didn't know what he knew. He hadn't said anything about the stream. But he had accepted her friend request. The uncertainty gnawed at her-a cold, twisting knot in her stomach that she couldn't untie.

Kaylee pushed herself off the wall. She turned to walk toward the kitchen for a glass of water to calm her nerves. Before she could take a step, the guest room door pulled open from the inside.

Greyson had taken off his jacket. He was wearing a fitted black t-shirt. He leaned against the doorframe and looked at her.

His tone was incredibly casual. "I just moved in and I'm starving. Do you have any recommendations for late-night food around here?"

Kaylee suddenly remembered the DoorDash order she had placed. The tacos had to be close.

She needed to act friendly to cover up her massive guilt. "I actually ordered a lot of food," she offered. "You can have half."

Greyson's eyes lit up. He flashed a bright, genuine-looking smile. He followed her straight into the living room without hesitation.

They sat down on the living room sofa. Kaylee kept a throw pillow between them to maintain a safe physical distance.

The silence was suffocating. Kaylee blurted out a question to break it. "So, what kind of games do you usually play?"

Greyson pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked at the screen casually. "I play a little League of Legends sometimes."

Hearing the name of the game made Kaylee's scalp prickle. A horrifying realization hit her. Right before she panic-quit her stream, to make her lie look real, she had sent a friend request to Killer's account.

She frantically patted the sofa cushions, searching for her phone. She needed to cancel the request before he saw it.

She grabbed her phone and unlocked it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Greyson's screen light up. He had the official game companion app open.

His long thumb scrolled down the screen. He was looking at his notification list.

Kaylee's chest tightened. She rapidly tapped the game app on her own phone, trying to log into her Bambi account.

The apartment Wi-Fi lagged. A loading circle spun endlessly on her screen. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Right then, Greyson let out a soft chuckle. The sound was loud in the quiet living room.

Kaylee's hand jerked. She almost dropped her phone. She turned her head stiffly to look at him.

Greyson tilted his phone screen slightly toward her. "There's this really funny streamer who just sent me a friend request."

Kaylee felt the blood drain from her face. Her stomach dropped. "Oh? Who is it?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Greyson looked right into her eyes. He said the name slowly. "Bambi."

Kaylee's throat went completely dry. She let out a hollow laugh. "That sounds like a fake account."

Greyson raised an eyebrow. His thumb hovered right over the screen. "I don't know. I feel like it's fate."

Kaylee watched in pure horror as his fingertip tapped the green accept button.

In that exact same second, the phone gripped tightly in Kaylee's hand let out a violent, loud vibration.

The system notification sound echoed in the living room: Killer has accepted your friend request.

Kaylee shoved her phone face-down against her thigh like it was burning her. She pressed her hand over it to hide the screen light.

Greyson turned his head. His eyes were wide and completely innocent. "Why did your phone just go off?"

Kaylee stuttered over her words. "Spam call. Just a telemarketer." She shoved the phone deep into the crack between the sofa cushions.

The doorbell rang. It was the loudest, most beautiful sound Kaylee had ever heard.

She shot up from the sofa like a bullet. She sprinted toward the front door to grab the food, leaving Greyson sitting there, watching her run away as a smirk formed on his lips.