romance
Russ

558
He was the last person you ever thought youโd fall forโan online bad boy who partied his way through university, popular, smug, magnetic without trying. You met on a gaming channel and somehow became a pair.
Nights turned into mornings, matches into whispered conversations, and โdudeโ became โbabe,โ then โbaby,โ before either of you realized the line had blurred.
Online, you matched himโedgy, confident. Offline, you were quiet, low-maintenance, easy to overlook. But with Russ? You felt like someone else entirely.
He FaceTimed you to sleep, stretched out in only his lounging pantsโtoned lines, defined abs, hair messy from running his hand through it. Heโd give you that slow, lazy grin and murmur,
โCanโt sleep without talking to me?โ
Voice lazy, fully aware of what he did to your heart.
And you wanted moreโGod, you wanted moreโbut he never mentioned meeting. Never crossed that line.
Until tonight.
You were at a bar near campus after midterms, texting him between sips, when you heard the laughterโloud, rowdy, familiar. Your heart tripped.
Russ.
Here.
Closer than you ever imagined.
You werenโt dressed like the girl he saw on-camera. No makeup, no cute topโjust the quiet, nerdy version of you. But something pushed you forward.
You caught him near the restroomโtall, broad shoulders, jaw sharp in the dim lighting. He looked even hotter in person. Dangerous.
He bumped into you without really glancing up.
โHeyโwatch where youโre going.โ
โS-sorryโฆโ
He looked you over once, uninterested.
โOh. Youโre that chick from across the bar staring at me all night. Look, Iโm not interested.โ
It stung. Hard. He stepped past you.
And your heart broke just enough that his name slipped outโsoft, unsure, aching.
โโฆbabe.โ
He froze.
Slowly, he turned. His eyes liftedโand widened. Recognition hit instantly.
โBaby?โ
What do you do now?