Red Strings | The Group Chat x Reader

Chapter 16 | FaceTime and Fluff

Today is just not my day. Ever since game night a month ago, we've been playing video games - without alcohol - about every few days, whenever any of the guys are free. Well, last night happened to be one of those free nights where we played video games and I just so happened to stay up a little too late, resulting in about 4 hours of sleep before I started work. I woke up feeling completely unrested, I stubbed my toe on my door frame, and soap dripped into my eyes in the shower. Fuck my life. I was running behind schedule, so I didn't even grab anything to eat at all, just getting straight into work. Work wasn't any better; I had a meeting where I had to turn on my camera and I was not in the mood to participate, but I truly did try my best.

I'm starting to get burnt out, so I step away to grab a drink of literally anything I can find in the kitchen, maybe even alcohol at this point. When I return to my setup, I take a second to notice the sticky note that Blake left me a few months ago. My heart melts a little reading it, 'have a nice day :) -blake'. Before I think about it, I reach for my phone and send him a text.

Y/n: hey u doin anything??

I realize that I still have his contact set as 'Yumi', so I change it to Blake. I stare at it for a few seconds before also adding a strawberry emoji and a red heart. This then makes me go and change everyone's contact, adding an emoji and a heart that I think might correlate to them. Then, I go back and reverse their contacts to their real names because I chicken out and we're not that far into a relationship yet. I'm pulled out of the overthinker train by a buzz of my phone and notification banner from Blake.

Blake: nm, why

Y/n: work :) just taking a little break

Blake: oh ok:)

Blake: can u call while ur working?

I stare at the message for a few seconds and my face breaks into a smile. Can I call while working? Fuck it, I don't care.

Y/n: yeah!!

What I didn't expect was to get a FaceTime call; I was expecting more like a discord call, but I definitely won't say no to FaceTime. I hit accept and am met with his smiling face, and it looks like he's walking into his room, shutting the door behind him, and then sitting down in his computer chair.

"Hey Blake," I return his beautiful smile.

It only makes his grin widen, "Hey Y/n, you're a bit more dressed up than usual."

I look down and chuckle while looking back at the screen, "yeah, I had a visual meeting today." I point the camera down towards my legs for a second and then bring it back up to my face, giving a cheeky grin, "still in some pjs though."

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you? How's work been?"

I sigh, "it's actually been kind of a shit day. I didn't sleep well, didn't really eat yet, and I'm just kind of feeling burnt out. But, I saw your note from a while ago," I grab it from where I placed it and faced it toward the camera, "this actually made me reach out to you, and it kind of put a smile on my face, so thank you."

"Dude, you didn't eat?" It's like Blake is still processing everything I said, slowly combing through it.

"Uh, no, I didn't have time," I scratch the back of my neck, propping my phone up against my second monitor and placing Blake's sticky note back.

"Let me get you something," it sounds more like a question than anything.

"Like... food?" I tilt my head at him, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, I mean if that's okay, let me buy you some food and bring it to you."

"You don't have to do that, I'd feel bad."