Meeting your idol isn't easy

— At least we walked away with two wins. We need two more tomorrow, and after that, we just have to win a BO3. — Pandora hugged Diana tightly. — Thank you, thank you. You are the best friend in the world!

— I know, I know. You can say it, there is no better friend than me! — Diana tilted her nose up, laughing seconds later. — Let's go to Flin's work, let's stall him and ask to sleep at his house. You know he never says no, and it's easier to go from his place than from the dorms.

The two had met Flin by chance, a friendship that arose in a moment of desperation. Diana needed to print a college assignment and found herself in despair, not knowing where to go. It was almost midnight, and she couldn't find any place open.

Flin appeared like an angel. He was on his break and saw the two talking. Since he worked at a lan house, he said he could print it for them. After that day, the three became, almost, best friends.

— So you two go out to have fun while I stay here working, but nobody thinks about poor Flin. — Flin threw himself onto the counter, playing it dramatic while closing his eyes.

The two crossed their arms, staring at Flin's drama. They were already used to that. The lan house where Flin worked was practically an official venue, and many events happened there.

— You never warn us when an event is going to happen here. — The two pointed at him.

Flin ran his hand through his brown hair, giving a sheepish laugh as he stood up from the counter.

— Those are just details, and you two always say you are busy. Right? Right! I'll make it up to you with... free drinks until the end of my shift.

— And we are going to sleep at your house this weekend. — Flin thought about refusing, but Diana raised her hand, pulling his hair. — Let's go get my milkshake, and this time I'll watch you make it to be sure you won't get the flavor wrong. You want cherry and strawberry, right, Dora?

Pandora didn't even answer, and Flin was dragged away by his hair.

The lan house was busy with people who had just left work, students, and even the people who had been watching the games. Even with all the noise, everyone seemed far too focused on their own games to notice the small argument.

Pandora heard the sound of the bell at the door, announcing the entrance of another customer. She turned her face just to see how many people had arrived so she could let Flin know later, since all the service was done through the automated machine.

That person's face was very well known. Pandora saw him at least twice a week during the regular season, not to mention the times he appeared on her social media feed or during the streams she left running in the background while studying.

Pandora always thought it must be uncomfortable for someone to approach you during your personal time. Even if she was a big fan, she would feel a certain hesitation to get close. It was because of that and the sheer nervousness of meeting someone she admired. Only, she had no way to hide, since she was wearing the team's uniform.

Pandora raised her hands, covering the team's logo on the front, and turned her body slightly, giving a weak, welcoming smile.

Standing at the door with a confused expression was Ares, or his real name, Calem. One of the Royal Mountain players.

— Are you okay? — Calem's voice was soft.

Calem was known for not talking much during games; he only gave direct instructions about objectives, and during his streams, he also remained completely focused.

Despite his nick being related to a god of war, Calem could be described as adorable. The glasses resting on the tip of his nose, green eyes with a grayish undertone, and brown, slightly wavy hair reaching the nape of his neck. Seeing him in person was completely different from seeing him through a screen.

— Yes, you can place your order at the automated machine and go up... — She pointed to the machine on the side. Calem seemed to be holding back a laugh.

— Sure. — He remained standing there, staring at Pandora.

Pandora had long, greenish strands of hair that reached her waist. Her violet eyes created a sharp contrast with the unusual tone of her hair. She wasn't short, and her build was slender. If it weren't for the flashy hair, she could easily be considered an ordinary person.

— Hiding the logo on the front doesn't work very well; I can see Lugus's name on the back. — Calem pointed to the back of the uniform.

Pandora laughed weakly, running her hand through her hair, nervous. It was a bit embarrassing to meet him like this.

— Sorry...

— We are almost right next to the arena. If I didn't want to meet any potential fans, I would have gone home. — An amused smile was trapped between Calem's thin lips as he began to walk toward the stairs to the second floor. — Just ask them to log the time I came in; our manager comes to settle the tab at the end of the month. You can come up and ask for a photo or an autograph whenever you want.

Pandora stood frozen, looking at the entrance door without knowing what to do. It was a mixture of shock and the urge to kick herself. That kind of thing happened only a few times in a lifetime, and she had managed to do everything wrong.

Diana and Flin returned from the snack bar with three milkshakes.

— Dora? — Diana looked worriedly at her friend, leaving the drink on top of one of the tables in the reception area. — Everything good?

Flin went over to the computer to check which stations were occupied and if anyone had come in during that time. He furrowed his brow and then looked at the two of them.

— Did someone ask to use the upper floor? It's showing that one of the private rooms is occupied, but there is no logged request. — Flin's voice became deeper, worried that something might have happened and someone had mistreated his friend. — Did someone do something to you?

— Ares is up there...

— Which Ares, Pandora? — Diana spoke, completely disbelieving her words, but Flin didn't seem to doubt it.

— Ares! Ares, Calem. The Ares from Royal! — She didn't speak loudly, but even if she did, the other people were so focused on their own games that they wouldn't have even noticed.

— They didn't warn us that he would come today... whatever, they never warn us anyway. — Flin grumbled, focusing back on the computer.

Pandora snapped out of her state of shock, staring at Flin.

— They never warn you? — The two of them spoke together.

— Don't look at me like that! I signed a non-disclosure agreement and I can't say anything about it! And I always try to call you guys when they are here! — Flin defended himself quickly. — Every single time I sent a message telling you to come over here and you both said no, so don't you dare come blaming me, because I tried!

The two felt forced to agree. Whenever Flin sent a message, they were either too busy or too lazy to go. College assignments took up most of their free time. Diana kept staring at Flin, trying to find some way to still blame him.

— You should... you should have insisted more! — She turned her face, staring at Pandora. — Did you take a photo? Where is the autograph? Come on, let me see!

Diana showered Pandora with questions, trying to grab her phone to check for the supposed photo.

— I didn't ask for a photo. I panicked the moment I saw him and tried to hide that I was wearing the uniform.

Flin and Diana burst out laughing together; they didn't even give Pandora time to recover from the embarrassment. Pandora felt as if her cheeks were on fire.

Diana wiped away fake tears, and Flin leaned against the counter, trying to contain his laughter. Pandora approached both of them, pinching their waists so they would stop laughing.

— Stop laughing! You would have done even worse in my place. He appeared out of nowhere, it wasn't my fault. — She defended herself, feeling offended by the laughter. She shrunk back, turning her face away to the other side.

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