Two steaming coffee mugs in hand, I walk into my bedroom to find Aaron sitting at my desk chair, running his fingers along my computer keyboard.

“Nice rig, Evie.” He swivels in his chair and stretches his long legs out as he holds his hand out for the cup.

“Thanks. GTX 1070.”

“You tried overclocking with this?” He studies the computer tower.

“Yeah. Need better cooling though, the fans went into overdrive.”

His beautiful mouth tips up at one corner. “I like a girl who talks geeky to me. I don’t think I’ve ever met one who does.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re not usually interested in the size of their rig.” I can’t help smiling back.

“I don’t usually give girls rings on first dates either.” He spins back around and moves the mouse. “Show me what the game looks like on here.”

“Rings?” Surely a night in bed together isn’t a date and there were no rings... “Oh, you mean Droog?”

He responds with a soft chuckle. “I do.”

I set my mug down in the usual space away from spilling distance and lean across Aaron to login. I’m too aware of how close this puts his face to my breasts, thankful my t-shirt’s on the baggy side. Last night played over in my mind in an arousing repeat as I made the coffees, joined by my usual confusion whether I should’ve. Compared to my last one-night encounter, the answer’s a resounding ‘yes’. Plus, the post-sex awkwardness didn’t appear this morning as we lay in bed chatting as if we’ve known each other months. Well, chatting and other things.

Near Aaron again, my insides wind into a tight ball as his hand rests against my back, natural, again as if we’re a couple and not just a lust-fuelled one-off. I fight my temptation to turn and kiss him again, because each time I do, the worse it will be to know there’s little chance this could happen again.

What’s stranger is how much I crave more, not just the physical Aaron, but to spend more time around the man who a different part of me wants. Is this his mystery or the strange connection I felt the moment we first looked at each other; the one which built on the weeks growing to know each other online.

“Complicated password,” he remarks.

“You saw what I typed?”

“Kind of. Probably would’ve memorised it if it was something ordinary. Smart girl.”

I step back and chew a nail. “Do I have to keep playing the guessing game about your job? Mathematical brain. Do you work in IT?”

“Nope. I know a lot about my hobby, as I’m sure you do... Nice!” He indicates the screen. “Not as good as—”

I throw him look. “As good as yours?”

“Naturally.” Again, I’m uncertain he’s teasing or is clueless that his attitude sucks.

Aaron shoves the chair back and sips his coffee. “I never took a good look at your room last night since you were busy tearing my clothes off.”

“You won’t make me blush if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

Aaron pokes his tongue into his cheek and sizes me up. “Wasn’t interested in looking at anything else last night anyway.”

In a sudden move, he jumps up and crosses to my tall shelves crammed with books and DVDs. “Old school, huh?”

“Collections from before everybody watched online.”

He pulls out one of my old Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs. “I’ve never seen this show.”

“What?” I gasp. “Then no way can we be friends!”

“Not a Joss Whedon fan.”

I practically choke on my coffee. “Friendship over. I’m shocked and insulted. I love all his work.”

Aaron carefully tucks the DVD away. “Always something we’ll disagree on.”

“Such as who’s the best player?”

He crosses and wraps an arm around my waist, and we bump noses. “There’ll never be any doubt there: me. You have to admit I have some skills you never knew about.”

Luckily, he accompanies his words with a laugh and I groan at him. “If you make one comment about what you can do with your sword, I’m laughing you out of this room.”

“Ha!” He flicks my nose and steps back. “I need to leave soon anyway.”

My stomach flops. “Oh. Early flight?”

“Two.” He checks his phone. “Your fault we stayed in bed. I only have time for whatever you’re making me for breakfast. A cup of coffee won’t do.”

I pull open my bedroom door and gesture out. “Um. Not totally my fault. If I didn’t doubt you were joking, I’d be telling you to make your own bloody breakfast.”

He turns on the grin he could’ve charmed me with from day one, if I’d seen his face.

“Of course.”

* * *

Aaron sits at the table munching toast and scrolling through his phone. Slightly annoyed his attention is elsewhere, I do the same.

“Hey, Evie, are you going to tell—” Erin halts. Mouth falling open. She shakes her head at Aaron, as if shaking him into view.

“Morning, Erin.” He holds a hand up in greeting but doesn’t look away from his phone.

Erin mouths what happened? at me and vigorously points at him.

“She dragged me into bed,” he says, still scrolling with his thumb. “I thought she was joking when she told me she uses men.”

“She doesn’t. Do you? I don’t see you with many guys. I mean, you don’t have a boyfriend so...” I shake my head in a ‘shut up’ gesture.

“He’s joking, I never said that.”

“Oh well, as long as you had a nice time,” says Erin.

She wanders over to the fridge and yanks open the door.

Nice time? I want to cover my hands with my face.

“I sure did.” Aaron lifts his eyes to mine.

“Still not blushing,” I tell him.

“You should be,” he says in a low voice.

I glance at Erin, who’s luckily oblivious to our conversation.

“I should call an Uber,” Aaron says. “I can’t really hang around long.”

If we lived in the same city would he’ve left last night? An uncomfortable tingle trickles along my spine. My romantic thoughts before? Dumb. Hormones crit common sense. Again. “Sure.”

Erin watches us as she pours herself a glass of juice, and I can see her mind whirring behind her eyes. I attempt a real smile, but however clueless she is about many things in life, this situation sings loud and clear.

“I might not be around for the raid tonight,” he says. “Doubt I’ll be home in time. I’ll let Tyler know.”

Tyler? “Right.”

“I reckon Spencer will be okay to fill in heals if you want to take my spot?”

My mouth dries as I attempt to eat my toast. We’re right back to the game; to our online characters and world, as if Evie and Aaron stop here.

“Okay.”

Aaron rubs his cheek as he studies me closer. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” I force a smile as Erin pulls a sympathetic one.

“I’m meeting Cole, I’d best get ready.” Erin scurries from the room, leaving a bigger hole in the atmosphere.

“Back to Sin and Thor then?” I ask him. I’m going outright here, not playing more games. He can forget that.

“If you want.”

“What do you want?”

Aaron rubs his face, hand across the growth which scratched my skin last night. “My answer would be different if I lived in Perth, but I think really there’s not much we can do in the situation. Our relationship stays online.”

“I suppose...”

He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I’ve had an awesome time this weekend, but I don’t live close enough. This—us— wouldn’t work.”

Wow.

But we haven’t tried.

Or...

“Do you have a girlfriend already?” I blurt. “Or a wife?”

He blinks at me. “No. You asked me last night, and I wouldn’t lie just for sex. But understand my reasoning behind not wanting to try some kind of long-distance thing between us. We hardly know each other. What if either of us meet somebody else?”

My hand heats under his strong grip and a small crease appears between his brows as he looks back into my eyes. How can he be so pragmatic? Does he not feel the same connection? The one that pulled together the thread joining us across the internet and into reality.

Fool. We’ve spent weeks getting to know each other online and I imagined a larger connection. This wasn’t a meeting of hearts and souls, but the physical step in a virtual relationship. At least that’s the situation for him, anyway.