"Is this yours?" My wig is swinging back and forth on Joey's index finger. A smile, that I can only interpret as mocking, rests on his face.

This is the first time we see each other again since we broke up, since his deceit, since he stole my life.

I wished bad things would happen to him. How I wished that he got a nasty rash, covering him from head to toe. How I wished that he lost his sight, so he had to give up gaming. How I wished he would mess up and lose the contract. But here he is, standing before me and he looks better than I had hoped. His skin is smooth, besides the 'I haven't shaved in two days' stubble, his eyes are still intense brown and he looks as healthy as ever. If I didn't know any better, I would call him hot.

But hot or not, the mere sight of him disgusts me, because I haven't forgotten what he did to me.

"Thanks." I snatch the wig from his hands. I adjusted the dreaded thing so it wouldn't cause me any headaches anymore, but I think I made it too loose and it must have slid away from my head.

My heart beats fast in my chest when I stuff the now useless hairpiece in my backpack. I feel the hairs in my neck rise and when I look up again, his eyes burn into mine. It is as if we're standing in a glass bell. Everyone around us is submerged in their games, no one is paying attention to us. Only the frantic clicking of mouses and the tapping of keyboards disturb the silence that hangs between us. We're fighting a battle with our eyes; the one who looks away first, loses.

So many memories come back to me. I remember how it all began, how he pulled me back to life after Greg died. I didn't speak for weeks, the guilt I felt after his death had overwhelmed me. No one noticed I was quiet, everyone was mourning in their own way. My mother lived in the bedroom crying her eyes out, my father stayed in his study taking control of the situation, and Megan... Megan was taken to the hospital.

"She just needs some time to calm down," they told me.

"We're going to keep her safe," they said, but they never told me why she needed protection.

So I embraced my silence, living a nightmare, until Joey came over and handed me a controller. We were playing games for hours. It was just what I needed, being with another human being, and I didn't have to utter a word. He won over and over, until he said: "What on earth happened in the woods?"

I told him everything, confessed what I had done and it felt like a weight was lifted from my chest. After that, I won the rest of the games we played that day.

I remember the day he kissed me, when the marriage of my parents was falling apart in the room next to mine. My parents were yelling at each other and he embraced me, covered my ears, so I wouldn't hear the spiteful things they said to each other. His face was so close to mine, I could see every line, pore and hair, I could see every detail of his face.

 At first I didn't know what happened. His lips brushed against mine, like a butterfly passing by. His tongue flicked between my lips, as quick as a small animal. I remember the look in his eyes. It took him one second and he retracted himself, as if he surprised himself with his bold move. He muttered a barely audible excuse, before I pulled him back and answered his kiss.

I remember how he filled up my life, after my mother had left the house and my father lost himself in his work. I remember how I tried to fill up the emptiness inside of me that was caused by my family falling apart. In the end I left as well, spending more and more time at his place, leaving my past behind, doing everything possible to forget what had caused this downfall of a once happy family.

And I remember his deceit, how he tore out my heart, smashed it to pieces and put them back again. And now that I see him, it still hurts.

He's the first to break the silence. "So you're back?"

I put my hands in my pocket, pull my shoulders high up. "I guess so."

"I heard rumors that you were here. I couldn't believe it. I thought you quit gaming a long time ago. Didn't you go to med school?" The words tumble out of his mouth. His eyes are still exploring my face, as if he's trying to read my mood. Looking at him makes bile rise in my throat. Is he already preparing his next move? Is he going to publish those pictures now or is he going to pull me another trick? I need to talk to Al as quick as possible.

"I got my degree a couple of months ago, I'm an intern now," I mumble. I don't even know if I'm an intern at the moment or what's going to happen to my career, but there's no need to enlighten him about that fact.

"Wow, congratulations. So if I faint now, you will give me mouth to mouth?" His saucy remark makes my cheeks burn.

"You don't need mouth to mouth if you faint," I say.

"Too bad." He winks at me. It's barely noticeable, it could have been a quick blink, but I know what I saw. His smile broadens when he sees my frown. "You know, you're still cute when you blush like that."

I roll my eyes. "And you're still as subtle as a sledgehammer."

"I've got to go. Bye Joey." I lift my backpack, shift it a bit so it hangs comfortably on my back. His flirting makes me nervous, and I've had enough of it. Is this his way of telling me that he got everything under control, that he can do whatever he wants?

I turn around and in my mind I'm already halfway through the aisle, far away from him, but then I feel his hand on my shoulder.

"Wait, Elise." He has a tight grip on me. "I'm sorry, it was completely inappropriate what I said. Old habit I guess."

With a pang of regret I remember how we used to make silly jokes, how everything we said to each other was an innuendo. The memory of that time when neither one of us could say the words 'hard drive' with a straight face, makes me almost smile.

"Listen, I would love to talk to you. About what happened." He still keeps me in place with one hand, as if he's afraid I will fly away, while his other slides into his pocket. He takes out a crumpled business card.

"I'm staying at the King Plaza Hotel, room 1337," he says as he hands me the card.

I stifle a giggle, not sure if I have to laugh because of the room number, or his preposterous suggestion to meet him there. "Seriously?"

A goofy smile appears on his face. "Just come to my room or give me a call if you want to talk, okay? My number is on the card."

"Okay." The first thing I'm going to do is toss his card in a trash can. I don't want anything to do with him and I certainly don't want to talk to him. If all goes well and Al's happy hackers do their job, I will be free after this tournament.

"And good luck, Elise," he says before I walk away. "I hope to see you in the finals."

I smile and I mean what I say next. "I'm so going to crush you."

A dry laugh leaves his lips. "We will see about that, but good to know you're still confident. Goodbye, Elise."

And with those words we part.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

I find Al in the lobby, where he's talking with some developers. He's making notes, a voice recorder lays on the table. He's apparently interviewing them for his website. I stay a bit in the back as they talk about changes they're going to make, new features they're going to implement and some surprises they got upon their sleeves for us gamers.

When they're done Al thanks them extensively, before I catch his eye. He notices immediately that's something wrong.

"Elise, where's your wig?" There's a slight hint of panic in his voice.

I shake my head. "It fell off and Joey recognized me."

Al sucks his lips in. "Did he say anything?"

I grab one of the high barstools "We had an awkward conversation and I think he tried to hit on me, but I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Al looks puzzled, but there's something behind that confused look. I know that he's already preparing our next step.

"He gave me his card and room number, invited me to come over and talk about the good old times." I sigh. Finally I can shake off the confusing nostalgia that came over me when I saw Joey. Now that I'm explaining to Al what happened, I'm getting angry. At myself, at Joey, at everything. "Where did he get the nerve even to talk to me after what he did?"

I must have yelled the last words, as Al waves with his hands as if he's trying to calm me.

"Let's try to find out what he wants," he says.

"I don't care what he wants." The words sound like the angry hiss of a snake. "Six years ago he got what he wanted. He took what he wanted. I'm not going to give him anything else."

"Elise, please, calm down a bit." Al's eyes dart through the lobby. We're not alone and my outburst attracted some curious looks. Some of the people are pointing at us, but I can't hear what they're saying.

"I'm perfectly calm." I grab a water pitcher that's on the table, to pour myself a glass of water, and I notice that my hands are shaking. I can barely control the pitcher. A great deal of the water ends up on the table.

Al raises one of his bushy eyebrows. "I see, but I don't think you have to worry about Joey yet."

I open my mouth, but Al raises his hand as a gesture he isn't finished yet.

"Think about it. Would he invite you to his room if he was going to publish those pictures right away?" He shakes his head. "I don't think so. I think he's finally going to tell you what he wants."

His eyes start to sparkle. "You are going to his room and we're going to use this meeting to stop him once and for all."

—————

AN: Thanks for reading! If you liked the chapter, please vote for it by pressing the little star :)

I guess Elise wants to run to her hotel room now and hide under the blankets. I hope this chapter sheds a bit of light why Joey was once important to Elise and why there's still some attraction left even after what he did to her. Next time you will find out what Al's plan is and what Joey wants.

The dedication is for @sweetimagica Thanks for all your support! Please check out her story The Hardest Choice.