Under the dazzling spotlights, I stood on the podium alongside my teammates.
Vanessa Larkson, my girlfriend, walked slowly toward me with a bouquet of roses in her hands.
She had once said that when I finally won the national championship, she would reveal our relationship during the award ceremony.
Tonight, she seemed to have come just for me, holding roses that symbolized love.
It was the first time she had ever given me flowers, and her expression was so affectionate.
Blushing, I suppressed my excitement, watching her approach with my full attention.
In my mind, I planned it all out. The moment she handed me the flowers, I would drop to one knee, take out the ring, and propose to her live in
front of the nation.
Even though we had argued yesterday over some trivial matters.
But hey, what couple doesn’t bicker sometimes?
My hand nervously rubbed the ring box in my pocket.
“Congratulations on your championship!” Vanessa extended the flowers toward me.
Just as I was about to take them with a delighted smile, the bouquet bypassed my hands and landed firmly in the arms of my teammate,
Griffin Ashby.
Griffin, Vanessa’s “best friend, had known her longer than I had.
The smile on my face froze instantly.
Looking at my girlfriend, who gazed at Griffin with affection, I stood dumbfounded before laughing bitterly at myself.
It was Griffin. Again.
I should’ve seen it coming.
To Vanessa, her “best friend” was always more important than her boyfriend.
Even our argument yesterday was about Griffin.
But I never thought she’d openly hand over a bouquet of roses–symbols of love–to him in front of everyone.
Griffin, with his good looks, had a much larger fanbase in the gaming circuit than the rest of us.
Did Vanessa not realize what her actions meant, giving him flowers in front of all these people?
I quietly slipped the ring back into my pocket as the crowd’s screams reached a fever pitch.
The roar was so loud it felt like it could lift the roof off the arena.
Amid the camera flashes, everything around me seemed to dim.
Before the award ceremony even ended, their sweet moment
t was already trendin
on Twitter.
for
them.
Their chemistry as a “shipped pair” sparked countless fans to r
Griffin’s fans flooded the video comments, tagging Vanessa and calling her “sister–in–law.” The scene was lively and full of joy.
But none of that had anything to do with me.
<
I forced a bitter smile, stepped off the stage, and returned to the locker room alone.
Looking at the flood of blessings on Twitter, I suddenly felt exhausted.
Maybe this was the perfect moment to end things.
So I sent Vanessa a text: “Let’s break up. I won’t get in your way anymore.”
The text had barely been sent when Vanessa called.
I wasn’t planning to answer. I hung up and grabbed a ride back to my apartment to pack my things.
The apartment was one we had shared.
Since we’d broken up, there was no way I could keep living under the same roof as her.
She could have the place.
While I packed, Vanessa bombarded me with messages:
“What do you mean, break up?”
“Are you throwing a tantrum again? Man up!”
“Alright, everyone’s saying we should celebrate. Come on, Griffin and the others are waiting for you!”
Every word revolved around Griffin.
She handed roses to another man and turned around to call me petty.
I looked at my phone and laughed coldly. Then I turned it off, zipped up my suitcase, and left.
With no time to find another place, I returned to the dorms at Apex Gaming Base, where the club had prepared rooms for the players.
The base was quiet since everyone else was out celebrating.
I instinctively powered on my computer and logged into the game for practice.
Only in the game could I find some peace.
