The next weekend, the team decided to stream their practice session live—a routine for Phoenix Strike, but a first for Aarav. He sat in front of the camera, headset snug, heart pounding like a drum. Thousands of viewers were already flooding the chat.
"Relax," Zayn said, grinning as he adjusted his mic. "Just play like you always do."
"Easy for you to say," Aarav muttered, glancing at the scrolling comments:
'Who's the new guy?'
'Rotation Guru!'
'Is he dating Rhea?'
Aarav's cheeks burned. "Why are they… shipping us?"
Zayn laughed. "Welcome to the internet, bro."
Before Aarav could respond, Rhea's voice cut through the comms. "Focus. We're live. No screw-ups."
Aarav nodded, gripping his mouse. The countdown began. The match loaded—and chaos erupted.
The first few rounds were smooth. Aarav called rotations early, landed clean plays, and even pulled off a clutch heal that saved Rhea during a critical fight.
"Nice save," Rhea said, her tone sharp but approving.
The chat exploded:
'Did you see that?!'
'Aarav carrying Rhea!'
'OTP confirmed!'
Aarav tried to ignore it, but Zayn couldn't resist. "Bro, you're trending again!"
"Not helping," Aarav hissed, focusing on the game.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
Mid-match, Aarav spotted an opening—a risky flank that could turn the tide. His heart raced. Do I take it? He remembered Rhea's challenge: No fear. No hesitation.
"I'm pushing left!" Aarav shouted, diving into enemy territory.
The chat went wild:
'What is he doing?!'
'Mad lad move!'
Aarav landed three clean kills, wiping the enemy squad. The team roared in comms.
"Holy—rookie just went beast mode!" Zayn yelled.
Even Rhea sounded stunned. "That… was bold."
The clip hit social media within minutes. Memes, edits, fan art—Aarav's name was everywhere. 'Rotation Guru goes rogue!' trended across platforms.
After the stream ended, Aarav slumped in his chair, exhausted but exhilarated. His phone buzzed nonstop—notifications, mentions, fan messages. He scrolled through them, disbelief washing over him.
"Congrats, superstar," Zayn teased, tossing him a soda. "You just broke the internet."
Aarav chuckled nervously. "I didn't mean to…"
"Doesn't matter," Zayn said. "You've got fans now."
Across the room, Rhea watched silently, her expression unreadable. Then she walked over, stopping just behind Aarav.
"Good play," she said softly. "Keep that fire."
Aarav looked up, meeting her gaze. For a moment, the noise of the world faded—and all he saw was the spark in her eyes.