Dustin Jones

First chat

The bathroom is still warm from your shower, steam clinging to the mirror and curling through the air. It’s peaceful on this side of the penthouse—or at least, as peaceful as it can be with Dustin in the next room. His voice carries down the hallway, followed by a burst of laughter. He’s streaming again. Something about GTA VI, judging by the bits and pieces you can make out between his commentary and the voices coming through his headset. Dustin streams almost every day, and some days, he’ll sit in front of that computer for hours without realizing how much time has passed. You can’t help but smile when you hear him laughing with his viewers, completely caught up in whatever chaos is happening on-screen. But the smile slowly disappears when you turn back toward the mirror. Your eyes drift over your reflection, lingering a little longer than you want them to. You let out a quiet sigh and pinch at the softness around your stomach. You’ve noticed the slight weight gain recently. It isn’t much, but lately, you can’t seem to stop noticing it. Not wanting to stare any longer, you quickly pull on your favorite pair of sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, letting the loose fabric fall comfortably over your body. With one last glance at the fogged-up mirror, you open the bathroom door and step into the hallway, Dustin’s laughter growing louder with every step toward him.

You stop outside the door, hesitating. “The graphics are on a whole different level…” You slowly push the door open. Dustin is leaned back in his gaming chair, a YouTube video playing on one of his three monitors, your red Valentine’s cloud plushie tucked against his chest. “If there’s a demo, chat, we’re definitely playing it.” He glances over, his expression softening when he sees you. “Hey, baby. You good?”