The true test for Cata comes in three, two, one…

“I’m going downstairs to game for my shift,” I tell her. I need to find out if she wants to go online and introduce herself to the fans. Maybe it’s too soon. I’m worried about how they’ll react, and how she’ll react to them. The guys online can be harsh and are usually crude.

“That’s so odd to hear you say that. Gaming as a shift job,” she laughs, and I do, too.

“Yeah, the good part is, I don’t want to play at all during the other sixteen hours of the day.”

“I can imagine. And at least when you have a girlfriend someday, she won’t complain about how much time you spend gaming.”

I nod. I don’t think it’s sunk in for Cata that I want her, and only her, as my girlfriend. I open my mouth to tell her this but remind myself that we’re just getting reacquainted. “So, you’re free to hang out here in the office and get organized. Whatever you need. It’s only your first day, so take it easy.”

She’s at the desk I bought for her, in front of the new laptop I purchased. Swiveling to face me, she grins. “Thank you for setting everything up for me.” Her hand sweeps around the workstation, which also includes a vase of daisies on the top shelf. I remembered that daisies are her favorite flower.

Zelda’s under the desk, lying at Cata’s feet. The little dog sighs with contentment.

I’m sitting in a chair near Cata and swivel to look at the dog. I know how you feel; I want to say to Zelda. This whole moment, with Cata looking happy in my house, makes me feel exactly the same way. Content. Proud, even. Like everything I never had, everything I wished for, has finally come true.

“Um, so hey,” I begin, jiggling my knee at warp speed. “What do you think about introducing yourself online?”

I’m hesitant because I don’t want her thinking that I’m using her as a prop in our Big Brother-like experiment. And I don’t want her offended if the guys say something crude. But then again, she will end up online at some point. It’s better to introduce her to our fans sooner, rather than later. Get them used to her.

“You could come down and game with me a little bit. Show your face to the regulars.”

A flash of panic crosses her face, and then she nods enthusiastically. Maybe a little too enthusiastically.

“Yeah. I’ll do it.”

I grin. “Do you want a gamer name?”

She tilts her head adorably and makes the sexy pout. I want to kiss her.

“No,” she shakes her head. “I’ll go with my real name. I’m going to own this. It’ll be better for my resume, I think. What game are you playing today, anyway?”

“Let’s play Zelda, in honor of the dog.”

“You don’t only play new games?”

“We can do whatever we want. We’re not professional gamers. People watch us more for our personalities than our gaming skills. If I were a pro gamer, I’d be on the road, touring.”

We go downstairs, and I gently touch the small of her back with my fingers. Before we enter the gaming room – the guys and I call it The Den of Pleasure – I take her elbow and draw her close to whisper in her ear.

“Some of the guys online might be kind of crude at first. Don’t pay any attention.”

She smiles and shrugs. “I think I can handle it. I’ve dealt with worse.”

I squeeze her arm and point toward the Den.

Liam’s on the sofa, and when he sees us, takes off the headset and bows with fanfare.

“The throne is yours,” he says, waving at the plush brown sofa. He then turns to Cata and sweeps his hand over the couch cushion. “Milady.”

As Liam walks out, Cata laughs and curtseys. She’s so cute. I haven’t stopped staring at her all day. Being near her bare legs and her loose, hair is driving me crazy. I had every intention of kissing her in the closet before Sawyer had walked in.

I sink into the sofa and attach the headset to my scalp. I can hear the fans already squawking.

“Who’s the hottie?” one yells.

“BABE,” another types in the chat room.

I reach over to the coffee table and grab the extra headset. Cata sits next to me, thigh to thigh, and slips the headset on.

I’m now Apathetic Fire. A different person.

“Okay dudes. Calm the fuck down. This is the newest member of Gamerhouse. Her name’s Catalina. She’ll be doing our social media from now on. Don’t fuck with her – she’s a better player than all of you.”

The fans, almost all guys, trip over themselves to say hello. Everyone's pretty respectful so far, and I’m impressed. I feel Cata relax next to me.

“Hey Catalina,” one male voice says. “It's Ghost.

“Hi Ghost!”

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

The smile on her face freezes. “Uh, no.”

“Jake from high school?”

I watch Cata’s posture get straighter and stiffer. “Oh, yeah.”

“Remember, we had algebra together freshman year.”

I tap her on the knee, but what I really want is to hug her and tell her it’s all good.

She nods slowly, and I know she’s probably thinking that Jake saw her photos. He’d sworn to me that he hadn’t.

“Hi, Jake, uh Ghost. Welcome.” Her jaw clenches and I can tell she's being brave. I’m proud of her when she smiles again.

“Welcome home to you, too. You look great.”

Cata clears her thread and the conversation turns to Zelda the dog. We all banter. Cata’s holding her own. She’s even making them laugh with a story about how we played video games as kids. How she used to beat me after hours-long marathons.

One fan known as Turtle, a guy who says he’s in California with a really stoned-sounding voice, pipes up. “Damn, AF,” – that’s what they all call me, AF, for Apathetic Fire, “I like this woman. You might want to think about letting all those Tinderellas go and marry Catalina. She’s gorgeous and smart.”

I bark out a laugh, but stop when I see Cata’s tense body. I don’t want Cata to think that I’m a player, but I also don’t want to let on to Turtle and any of the fans that I’m lame, either. So I change the subject.

“Okay losers, let’s play—“

Cata interrupts. “Okay, guys, I have a lot to do to get our Twitter account in shape. So I’m outta here,” she says. Her voice is friendly, but I can feel annoyance pouring off her. I’ve always been able to detect her moods, and now, her whole body is cold and hard as a stone.

“Hit me up on Twitter, dudes. Nice meeting all y’all.”

She pulls the headset off and gives me a tiny wave. I try not to watch her walk out of the room because I don’t want the guys to know that I’m worried about what she’s thinking.

We start playing Metal Gear Solid 3 – no need to play Zelda if Cata’s not joining us – and we launch into a bank raid.

I play for an hour, but I’m distracted. Wondering what Cata’s doing in the office. Which is next to my bedroom. The players online are talking about the raid both in my headset and in the chat room. My phone flashes. It’s Cata.

I can’t let her leave like this. I need to see her, but I can’t leave the game. I can’t hit pause and do what I want, which is kiss her goodbye. So I take out my phone.

She’d mentioned her plans earlier when we were in the office. I was hoping she’d change her mind and hang around the house until my shift was done so we could eat together. Then I’d take her into my room so we could get properly reacquainted.

I wait for her to ask me to join her, but she doesn’t. Which sends my heart into my stomach. Our kiss yesterday, combined with our day of flirting, made me think she wanted me.

“AF, what the fuck, stop daydreaming about that chick and help us out,” one of the gamers online yelps.

I mutter something profane in response and fiddle with my online rifle.

I don’t quite understand why she was so upset by the fan’s Tinder comment. Everyone uses the app. Maybe she was jealous that I’ve had other girlfriends. It’s understandable because if I dwell on the idea that other men have touched her, a surge of jealousy rips through me. Intellectually, though, I know six years have passed since I’ve seen her, and we’ve both done a lot of living in that time.

I sigh into the headset.

“You’re sucking today, AF,” a fan says.

I say something crude and detect an in-game enemy. I put him in a chokehold and slit his throat.

“Suck this,” I laugh, and others online do, too.

But my mind is still on Cata. I don’t really understand women, to tell the truth. Then again, I’ve only had one real relationship in my life. And I screwed that up royally.

I camouflage myself in a tree to wait for the enemy and reach for my phone to tap out a one-handed text.

K Cata. Have a great night.