Hannah called Manuel after ending her call with Susan.
"Hi Hannah. How are you?" Manuel asked, his voice calm as always. Nothing seemed to faze him.
"Susan just called. She's officially broken up with Henry," Hannah said, getting straight to the point.
Manuel offered a barely perceptible smile. Hannah had invested considerable effort in pairing him with Susan.
"I heard her talking to Henry just now."
"Well, that's what we wanted, regardless."
"I hope so," Manuel replied, smiling now.
"I'm calling to remind you. Henry knows Susan is pregnant. Be careful, just in case."
"I will, thanks," Manuel said, acknowledging her concern.
"Anyway, congratulations," Hannah said, smiling. "I didn't expect a baby so soon."
The mention of the baby softened his emotionless expression into a smile.
"Me neither."
"Take good care of her."
"Of course," Manuel replied immediately.
"Okay, I have to go to a meeting."
"Okay, see you."
After the call, Manuel looked toward the bedroom. Instinct guided him. He had avoided the affection between Susan and Henry, but now he felt a change was needed. Hannah was right; he had more to do. He went into the bedroom.
Susan sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, playing a game. Frustration mounted. "Why isn't anyone backing me up? Don't you see I'm being targeted?"
A frigid voice came from her phone. "Who do you think you are, 0-8? Who would support you?"
"I can get stronger. Calling for SUP!" Susan retorted angrily.
"No. To follow you is to be killed."
"Just surrender! We're wasting time getting slaughtered like this!"
"No surrender!" Susan raged.
Then the phone was snatched from her hand.
"What's wrong with you, Manuel?" Susan exploded. Didn't he see she was on the verge of defeat? Why had he shown up at that moment?
She saw him immediately start playing the game and mute the phone.
"What's going on?" Susan felt a fresh wave of anger seeing him focused on her game.
Ignoring her question, he asked, "Who's hunting you?"
"None of your business! Can you play a round? Give it back!" she demanded.
A voice drifted from the phone. "Well, well, well! What a counterattack! All luck, maybe?"
Her ally was still mocking her, but Manuel remained silent, concentrating on the screen.
Frowning deeply, Susan watched, incredulous. Manuel was launching a counterattack despite her poor performance. Amazing.
Several rounds later, the enemy assassin, repeatedly knocked out by Manuel, grew fearful.
"The SUP refused you, right?" Manuel asked.
Susan, stunned by his skill, replied after a moment, "Yes."
"Fine," Manuel said.
He moved beside the SUP, deliberately exposing himself to the enemy. As the enemy approached, Manuel retreated, leaving the vulnerable SUP to be quickly eliminated.
"Fuck! Why did you leave me alone!" the SUP cursed.
Manuel ignored the outburst and headed towards the enemy's territory. His damage output skyrocketed within minutes. The jungle enemies abandoned their attack, even falling victim to Manuel's daring turret bypass.
"Are you drugged?" an enemy typed, clearly panicked by Manuel's onslaught.
Manuel typed back, "My woman isn't for bullying."
Susan was irritated. Who was he talking about? But she couldn't deny his actions had turned the tide. He ultimately won the game single-handedly, then returned her phone.
Susan glanced at Manuel before the victory screen captured her attention. She quickly reviewed the results—a 50% contribution rate. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself.
"So you're a top gamer, huh?" Susan said, surprised.
"I sometimes play with a friend," Manuel replied calmly.
"Who?" Susan's curiosity pushed her.
"Someone you don't know," Manuel deflected.
"A girl, right? I wouldn't mind," Susan said casually.
"A male friend," Manuel clarified.
Susan looked up at him.
"I can keep you company if you like the game," Manuel changed the subject.
"No thanks. We're not on the same level."
"No problem. My friend's not that high-level either," Manuel said with a smile.
Why did he seem so gentle?
Damn.
It had to be a girl, his friend.
Susan put down her phone, burrowed under the duvet, and sighed, "I'm tired."
"All right," Manuel replied, as if preparing to leave. But he got into bed too.
Susan was shocked. She wanted to protest, but acquiesced. She didn't understand her contradictory behavior around him.
The room was quiet again. Manuel was considerate; he stayed on his side of the bed. Her intimate closeness that morning must have been her clinging to him in her sleep. These thoughts kept her awake, despite her efforts to sleep.
Pregnancy was a cycle of eating, sleeping, and playing games to pass the time. The days felt endless, leaving Susan despondent. Perhaps the man beside her was preventing her from sleeping. She lay still, eyes closed, until, after a long while, he moved closer.
She fell into his arms, feeling his hand on her abdomen. A nervous tension ran through her, but she didn't push him away, letting herself be enveloped in his warmth.
His embrace finally lulled her to sleep. She didn't know how they'd reached this point. They’d simply become a couple, bit by bit. And, clearly, she'd grown accustomed to it.