14. she commented

Rae was not sure whether she was absolutely furious or frustrated with this news, but she definitely was one of the F's.

'Imane?' Rae asked, eyes pleasingly directed towards her best friend who was avoiding her gaze. 'Imane, please. Don't do this to me. I absolutely cannot stand him. I just can't. I'll die.'

Imane rolled her eyes, 'Rae, that's a bit too overdramatic. And I really really cannot help it.' She shrugged, pouting. 'When I met him, that's when I realized he's the same James, Alex had been talking about.'

Rae tsked, shutting her eyes as she groaned. 'How did you not know!'

'Yes.' Imane said mockingly. 'Yes, it's me. I should have known that Alex's friend is James, the same James who's Sykkuno's twin, someone we had no idea existed.' Rae pouted at Imane's rants. 'Yes. I am at fault, right?'

Rae sighed. 'Now who's being overdramatic? Huh?'

'That's what happens when I am with you!' Imane said, smiling.

'Yea but you're going to leave soon.' Rae pouted again, playing with the half eaten noodles.

Imane saddened a bit at the thought. She was moving in with Alex after their official engagement party and even though Rae was very happy for her best friend, she just couldn't help but be so really sad that Imane wouldn't be around here.

'Don't say it like that!' Imane said, stretching her hands and wrapping them around Rae. The sad girl just chuckled but didn't hug back. 'You know I love you right.'

'Yea yea.' Rae said, smiling, 'Prove it by uninviting this onion guy.'

'Argh.' Imane groaned, taking her hands off Rae and collecting the plates. 'Come on Rae, it's just a weekend and a small party. I don't think it's going to be that bad!' Imane said, shrugging as she emptied the leftovers in the bin. 'Plus, there are going to be people around, so I'm a little less worried.'

Rae furrowed her brows as she looked at the kitchen where Imane was, 'Less worried because that stupid onion wouldn't say anything rude?'

'Nah.' Imane chuckled, looking at Rae. 'Less worried because you'd won't be able to react violently in front of everyone.'

'I hate you bitch.'

Imane just chuckled at that. 'But I love you.'

_

Needless to say, Rae's mood was downhill the next few days. She really needed a break from work and life in general but having the person who got on her nerves by just standing was going to be a be a task to handle.

Maybe she could just ignore him.

That would be cool.

She would ignore him and he'd ignore her. And everything would go great for the both of them. And then she wouldn't want Imane's party to be ruined because she couldn't be mature to handle an idiot.

Yea. Ignoring him sounds easy.

She was streaming and playing Valorant but her cam had heated up again and she couldn't get it on. So she had kept herself on mute, trying to figure out the cam when her character died while the game went on.

'Sorry chat.' She said, unmuting herself. 'My cam is heated way up. Gotta chill it. Sorry sorry.'

The chat went as usual with their supportive comments and Rae continued playing Valorant with Ryan, Abe, Sykkuno, Toast and Ash. She didn't wanna drop to Iron like Sykkuno and wanted to raise his level too, so they had to win every game.

Her phone rang with Alex's name on it and she muted herself before picking it up. She continued playing the game without speaking and told the chat that she was attending a call.

'Hey Alex.' Rae said, killing the opponent team alongside Sykkuno. 'What's up.'

'Hey Rae, sorry to disturb you in between the streaming but this is kinda urgent.'

'I figured.' She smiled, trying to diffuse the bomb.

'So for the dinner today with you girls,' Alex said as Rae clutched the gun. 'Should I bring a bag of garbanzo beans or chocolates would do?'

Rae took a second to frown as Alex laughed on the phone call. 'I'm sorry, what did you say?' She faked being angry at Alex.

'Chocolates it is then.' Alex said, still laughing as he cut the call while Rae sighed, smiling as she rolled her eyes and continued streaming.

Alex and Imane were a power couple. He worked at a high management post in a corporate company whose name Rae could never remember. And these two were best friends from their childhood. In fact, it was Alex who supported Imane's dream of being a streamer since their mid school. Alex was as close to Rae as Imane was and he was a genuinely good guy.

But how James fit in their equation, she didn't know.

She continued streaming as they won most of the rounds in Valorant that game and the group of friends started pulling each other's legs.

'That was some good game there.' Ash said in her high pitched kiddish voice. 'Especially Sykkuno's clutches.'

'Well, I just got lucky.' Sykkuno said, trolling them while Abe cursed him.

'Oh look at Clutchkunno being so modest.' Rae mocked him too and they all laughed.

'But Rae was good too.' Sykkuno said, cheering the bitter Rae. 'Almost as if she's removing her frustration on the game.'

'It did work, Rae.' Toast said, he loved teasing Rae. 'So what's the frustration for, huh?' He said in a teasing tone. 'I am sure it's Sykkuno.'

'What!' Sykkuno said, aghast. 'No, it's not me, right Rae?'

'You're right,' Rae said, smiling as she quickly added, 'Toast. It is Sykkuno. He's such an ass sometimes.'

'But his fans think otherwise.' Abe said, circulating a picture of Sykkuno and his twin from their teen years on the discord channel. 'This picture is on trend these days.'

Rae had seen the picture from James' profile a week back and knew this would be the talk of the week soon. It was a picture of James and Sykkuno, posing at the camera with their hoodies on underneath some pyjamas and their arms on each other's shoulders.

Sykkuno was beaming at the camera, a wide smile which made him look prettier and James had a soft smile on his face, his chin held high and he looked more rugged than his twin.

'Oh Jesus.' Sykkuno exclaimed, and everyone awwed at the picture. 'I am getting exposed.'

The chat wanted to see the picture and Rae connected it to the screen, and they all then added their views too.

'Oh Sykkuno.' Abe said sweetly. 'Oh you're so young and naive looking here.'

'Yes. I was... I mean we were 16 then. Christmas morning.'

'Is that your twin, Sykkuno?' Ash asked, 'You'll look different.'

Sykkuno chuckled nervously, something Rae and Toast understood as a red flag. 'Yea. Fraternal.'

Soon Toast diverted the topic to his last year's Christmas picture of the stockings and they had a good laugh about it, Sykkuno thankful to him for his sweet gesture while Rae smiled too.

They all then bade their goodbyes as she started the cam to bid goodbye to her chat too.

'You'll raid Hafu today, she's playing valorant for the first time ever. Go spam her comments guys and support.' Rae said as she read few of the chats. 'Yes Sykkuno does look cute in the picture.'

Sykkuno looks cute.

Sykkuno being so adorable.

His twin looks even better though

James Tran is too good for the eyes.

James is really really a treat

Rae rolled her eyes, 'James is really a treat?' She scoffed, 'More like sour patch gummies.'

She realized she should not have said that but her instincts and reflexes took the best of her and she waved a goodbye without waiting for their reaction and sighed as she sat back.

Hoping that her comment on James wouldn't cause a ruckus, she lay on her bed and scrolled through her socials when a text beeped on her screen.

'Did you just call my twin sour patch gummies?'

-Syk

_

A/N

I'm feeling better now. But I do need to figure out my head. Thanks for all the supportive comments.

Also, coming to this story, I genuinely want to believe that it's going good. I just really don't know. I wouldn't unless you guys help me with some honest reviews.

Anyway, Vote. Comment. Share.

Take care.

_