Simulated Love (2024)

Chapter 22

Chase

The California sun welcomed me as I got off the plane, and it was such a nice change from the chilly winds in New York. My Aunt May and my cousin, Pansa, waited at the arrival gate with giant smiles on their faces. 

Aunt May pulled me into a hug. "Look at you! All grown up now."

"It's been so long. I missed you so much," I said as I hugged her tighter.

"Cousin Chase, you're taller than me now. What the heck happened?"

I laughed. "I told you I was going to be taller than you. You just never wanted to believe me."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm still pretty tall and guess what-" she did a little spin, "I'm a model now."

"Ohhh, that's so cool."

"Didn't I tell you I would do it?"

"You sure did."

"And look now you're living your dream too."

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm still poor, but a step closer."

"And that's all that matters," My Aunt May added.

"Truly," Pansa said.

After I put my luggage into the trunk of Aunt May's little retro car, we all got inside and made our way to her place.

The familiar streets of California unfolded before me. The palm trees, the ocean breeze, it felt like coming home. It had been so long since I had been there and honestly, if I were to move to the U.S. California was where I wanted to live. However, if Elijah and I got serious, New York would be where I would love to live. Anywhere Elijah was, I wanted to be there.

With Elijah in mind, it came to me that we were sharing the same time zone. I was so grateful that E-sim cards were a thing because it made my life so much easier. Elijah had sent me five messages that day.

He was checking up on me, wishing me safe travels, telling me how excited he was for the ceremony, and most importantly, he said that he couldn't wait to see me.

Pansa nudged me. "What are you smiling about?"

I jumped in my seat, startled by her sudden voice. "Oh. Uh. I'm excited."

She squinted her eyes at me. "Mhm."

I just chuckled until she went back to minding her own business.

Then I sent Elijah a message that read, "Hey, I landed safely. I'm sorry I'm late. Your messages didn't come through for some reason...I'm excited too. More nervous and I can't wait to see you too. It's been so long."

He sent me a heart which made me feel like we went from having a crush on each other to dating and it made my heart flutter. Then he told me to let him know when I was ready. The ceremony started at 7 pm and it was 2 so I had time.

When we got to Aunt May's place, I followed Pansa to her room where she had an extra bed for me to sleep.

In Pansa's room, I unpacked my suitcase.

"Chase," Pansa said, "I can't wait to see the game you made."

"I know. I'm excited for everyone to see."

Pansa was on her pretty pink, princess bed with fluffy blankets, huge pillows, and stuffed animals surrounding her on her bedazzled pink phone. As she scrolled through her phone, she gasped. "Oh my god! Chase! Oh my god!"

"What happened?"

"The Global Game X ceremony is trending worldwide, and guess what? You and Elijah are the top tags under the event."