CHAPTER 5

"Blake, I'm hungry. We need to stop it now."

"Not until I redeem myself and beat you again."

"Oh? I cannot remember losing to you in this game. Not even once."

"Shut it. Just keep playing until I beat you."

"Blake, this is stupid. I really want to eat now."

"Be quiet. I only need one hit and— Ah! Damn it!"

Lizzy can only roll her eyes seeing Blake throwing his phone on the sofa. Although he has a huge interest in RPG games, Lizzy still cannot lie about how he sucks at playing them. No one knows how competitive Blake is except for her and his twin brother, Blaise. Blake is the type of person who will not stop just because he lost once. He will continue to challenge the things or the person that makes him lose until he wins in the end.

Recently, both Lizzy and Blake become interested in RPG games. They are both excited about the game's heroes' designs and skills. When the game was released last month, they both downloaded it on their smartphones and played it at the same time. The rules and agenda of the game are simple for everyone to understand. All they have to do is break the enemy's main tower and they win the game.

At first, Lizzy and Blake are always on the same team. They were still familiarizing themselves with that game and both were taking it very seriously. When Blake and Lizzy became familiar with their chosen heroes and maximize their skills and power, Blake challenged Lizzy in a one-to-one game every week to see who improves the most in this game. To make things more interesting, Blake said that the losers need to fulfill the winner's wish as a punishment.

Lizzy had no problem with it and quickly agreed to his deal. Blake felt confident that he would be able to defeat Lizzy when he came up with that proposal. But unfortunately, he never won against her ever since they started that deal. She is too talented in this game that Blake does not want to admit he struggles to beat her. This is despite his declaration that he would easily win against her.

"One more game." Blake snarls before picking up his phone again.

"Blake, this is already our tenth game and you never win against me. Give me a break." Lizzy helplessly said.

"Come on, Lizzy. I can feel it now. I know this is the real time to beat you in this game."

"I'm sorry for breaking it to you, but you already said those words a few minutes ago."

"It was just a practiced match. This time, I will take it seriously. Come on. Let's have another game, okay?"

"You know what? No. I will not play this game with you anymore unless you feed me." Lizzy firmly said before she logs off her account and puts her phone on the coffee table.

"Lizzy!" Blake whined.

To show his dissatisfaction, he kicks the coffee table in front of them and the magazines on top falls on the floor.

"Stop it, Blake. Whining doesn't look good on you." Lizzy said while looking at Blake with a frown. "And I will not starve myself just because you act like a child again."

When Blake sees Lizzy isn't impressed by his acting, he just clicks his tongue and leans his back on the sofa.

"Fine. However, we should play again at a later date. I still need to beat you before the day ends."

"That's only wishful thinking, Blake." Lizzy said. "So do you have food in your fridge?"

"You can reheat the pasta in the fridge if you want," Blake suggested.

"Pasta again? We just ate a lot of it last night, remember? So yeah. No thanks. Aside from that, what else do you have?"

"Some crackers and fresh fruits, I guess. I think Blaise put some beef soup inside the fridge before he left."

"...For an athlete, you really don't know how to take proper care of yourself."

Since Blaise will not return to their unit until tomorrow evening, Blake invited Lizzy to come over to their place and play some games. These things are normal for them now. There will be no problem even if their mom finds out that Lizzy stayed at their place. It's because she loves Lizzy since they were kids. In fact, their mom likes her because she really wants a daughter. But instead of a daughter, she gave birth to a pair of twins and both are boys.

Lizzy and Blake don't feel weird about this setup. She often visits Blake's unit in the past because he likes to hang out with her a lot. She is also the only one that he keeps inviting since they were still kids to play with him or discuss some things that he finds interesting. But Lizzy doesn't mind it at all. She also enjoys Blake's company and he is fun to hang out with.

"As if you have the right to talk about it." Blake said and rolls his eyes. "Should I remind you that your cupboard is full of instant noodles and canned goods? And your fridge has nothing inside except bottled water and frozen snacks."

It is likely that Blake will believe Lizzy is too hopeless to live alone in her apartment if he doesn't know that she is capable of cooking delicious foods. There are no fresh ingredients like fruits and vegetables in her fridge. The kitchen in her unit is always clean and spotless because she rarely uses it these days. If she feels hungry, she will eat instant noodles in her cupboard or go to the nearest restaurant to eat some decent food.

No wonder his mom is also concerned about Lizzy these days. While his mom is on a business trip, she calls the twins during her free time. She will also mention Lizzy on her phone calls and ask them to remind her to eat proper food and avoid instant noodles. If someone can hear their mom on the phone, they will think Lizzy is her biological child with the number of reminders she gives for her.

"I'm just too busy to go to a grocery store." Lizzy said.

"That is the same reason you told me last week."

"Oh, shush. That's not our concern right now." Lizzy quickly said and changes the topic. "Since you have no decent food in your fridge, do you want pizza and a bucket of fries for dinner?"

"How about a change of pace and order some salad and less oily food?" Blake suggested.

"Who are you trying to fool here? As if you really want to eat those right now."

"At least I know how to suggest healthy food."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."

"So pepperoni pizza and chili cheese fries?" Blake asked.

"Pepperoni pizza and chili cheese fries." Lizzy confirmed with a nod.

"Alright. My treat." Blake said.

Then he picks up his phone and orders their food online. In just a minute, they received a confirmation that their orders will be delivered in forty minutes. Since they still have to wait until their food arrives, Lizzy finally gives in to Blake's request for a rematch. In exchange, Blake will give Lizzy another extra slice of pizza later.

"Damn it! You're probably cheating!" Blake said while his eyes concentrated on the game.

"You just don't know how to dodge my attacks. That's all." Lizzy replied in a calm voice.

Compared to Blake's tensed body while playing, Lizzy comfortably lays on the sofa while holding her phone. She even has time to move a lot just to find a comfortable position. In just a few minutes, their game finally ends. As expected, Blake lost once again.

"There must be a bug on their game or my phone is just too old for their graphics. Or else, I will win this against you." Blake grumbled.

"Don't be so bitter about losing, Blake. Admit that you are not skilled at this game. It is easier than struggling to win against me." Lizzy said comfortingly.

"You—"

"And yeah. You really suck in this game. Big time."

Blake is about to pull Lizzy towards him when she suddenly stands up and runs away from him. Of course, Blake will not let it happen. He quickly stands up and follows Lizzy. They both run around the living room until he corners her behind the sofa. Before Lizzy can jump on the sofa to escape, he holds her hand and pulls her towards him. To ensure that Lizzy won't be able to escape, he wraps his arms around her waist and stops her from struggling.

"Let me go, you sore loser!" Lizzy squeaks while escaping Blake's arms.

Because she keeps struggling, Blake loses his balance and both of them land on the fluffy carpet that Lizzy placed on the floor earlier. They didn't get hurt because of the soft throw pillows scattered on the floor. But still, Lizzy continues struggling while Blake refuses to let her go.

"You prick! Just be honest that you're not skilled at playing that game and I will show mercy on you later."

"You really dare to insult me again, huh? Take this!"

Since Lizzy is lying on the carpeted floor, Blake tickles her side. Lizzy lets out a squeak and her laughter becomes louder. Blake tickles her side as revenge for all the teasing she gives him.

"Blake... Stop... You..."

"Huh? What? I cannot hear you!"

Blake tickles Lizzy's side until she becomes tired and breathless. There are also tears in her eyes because she laughs too much. He only stops when Lizzy surrenders and changes her mind about him being such a lame gamer. But during their playful banter, they did not notice that Lizzy's suppressant patch is now removed from her neck.

Lizzy's smell quickly spreads into the living room as she becomes excited and laughs too much. Felicity has a light and warm lavender scent. That must be the reason why so many omegas are attracted to her. They can easily find comfort in Lizzy's presence by smelling her scent. And Blake is not different from them. He also agrees that Lizzy's presence can make someone feel comfortable and secure.

Alphas are not attracted to another Alpha's scent. To them, it only smells like perfume or something similar. It does not give them any weird feelings, just the scent of someone in heat can give them a reaction. But Blake has already accepted that he is not affected by anyone's scent except for Lizzy's scent.

Even the wolf inside him cannot sit still when they're exposed too much to her scent. It really wants him to forget his logical thinking and pounce on her. But Blake will not be the man he is today if he cannot stop himself from doing that. He already had a lot of years to practice his control and patience with Lizzy. But that does not mean he is immune to it.

He is just too capable of controlling himself.

Closing his eyes, Blake slowly leans his head until his forehead rests on her shoulder. Lizzy's laughter slowly dies down and the only sound inside the room is her breathing. When Lizzy finally calms down, she tries to push Blake but he refuses to move.

"Blake." Lizzy called his name. It can also be considered a soft warning from her. "Not now."

"Let me rest here for a bit." Blake said.

But both of them know it's just a lie. Still, Lizzy remains silent and doesn't point it out anymore. Instead, she closes her eyes and continues to calm herself down so that the scent coming from her pheromones will lessen.

"Lizzy—"

"No."

Blake lets out a sigh and feels her body jumps in response when he softly plants a kiss on her neck. Opening his eyes, Blake feels itchy to bury his teeth in Lizzy's neck. It really looks so inviting and tempting in his eyes. But before his imagination runs wild, they both hear the doorbell rings.

"...I will get it. Just stay here, okay?" Blake said before standing up and walking towards the door.

When Blake leaves the living room, Lizzy finally lets out a sigh before touching her neck. Although it must be her imagination, Lizzy can still feel Blake's soft lips touching and warming her neck.