s t r e a m {SAPNAP}

LIBBY POV

***

AUGUST 10TH - NIGHT

I finally called Nick back later that night, after Lydia had gone to bed. Of course, he was streaming, so I had to watch what I said.

"Sure, so now you can call me. When it's convenient for you." He mumbled snarkily.

"Oh shut up, I was with my aunt remember?"

"Why be with your aunt when you could be with me instead?"

I felt my face go red and I was suddenly glad that I was not the one streaming.

"I would never want to be seen with you," I teased back.

"Shut up," Nick said, focusing on his game. I took a deep breath.

"Make me,"

I watched as his face grew just as red as mine, and he muted his mic. Oh shit.

"Libby?" He said innocently, eyeing the facecam as if he knew I was watching.

"...yes?"

"What the fuck are you doing?"

I grinned.

"Nothing! I didn't even do anything!" I replied.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, you can't just say something like that while I'm streaming!"

"Oh, be quiet. Stop overreacting. It's not that big of a deal unless you make it a big deal. Is there a reason it's a big deal, Nicholas?"

He was silent and I watched as the chat sped by with theories.

"Well, now that I have your attention, I met this guy at the shops today," I started to play with my hair. Some sort of sadness engulfed his face and he put his head down.

"I bet he's an asshole," he muttered. "He's probably shit for brains."

"Aw," I tease, "are you jealous? You sound like you're jealous of me and my new friend."

"You're calling that jealousy? I'm not jealous. I can take all those guys you meet with. It's whatever. I'm not jealous."  He hung up the phone and finally returned to his game, face still red and hot. He blatantly ignored the questions regarding our phone call.

Already there were people on Twitter creating theories and conspiracies. I laughed to myself as I read through the confused comments.

User1838 (@user1838)
- So are we just gonna ignore that??
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PETERG (@GPETER)
- is this LibNap confirmed?? Or is it Sapby? Or SapLib?
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DREAM (@DREAMWASTAKEN)
- 😃✋ anyways

I glanced back to the stream and decided to Snapchat him some ugly pictures of myself, real close to the camera. He promptly screenshotted them and flipped off the camera.

"If you're still watching, Libby, fuck you and die," he teased.

***

He video called me after he finished his stream. I was lucky to be in the Central time zone part of ND.

"Hi," I murmured, half asleep. "I'm sorry for making you upset."

He sighed.

"I wasn't upset."

"Jealous, maybe?"

I smiled into my pillow.

"Yeah," Nick said softly. "Maybe a little jealous."

"It's cute when you're embarrassed," I say. "Twitter is going to have a ball with this,"

I was exhausted. I was sure I was almost delirious. Was I listening to what I was saying? No. Did I care? No.

"When you get back home and start streaming again, I'll pull the same shit on you and see how you like it."

"You love me," I whisper, my eyes closing.

"You make me happy," I hear him say. "Do you ever imagine us...together?"

I fall asleep before I can answer.

***

AUGUST 11TH

I expected some ugly picture of me on Twitter by the time I woke up, but when I opened the app and searched for Nick's user handle, he actually hadn't posted anything mean.

Instead it was a nice picture of me facing away from the camera, my hair still in a loose ponytail.

-SAPNAP (@SAPNAPTOO)
Shhh, she fell asleep.☹️
*1 Image Attached*

I tried to remember what we had been talking about the night before, but couldn't really out my finger on it. I guess I was exhausted from the driving, and then all the talking to Lydia.

She called up to me from the kitchen, informing me that she'd made breakfast. I checked the time through bleary eyes--it was already half past nine.

I texted Nick.

Me:
Miss me?

Nick:
Always

Me:
Few more days, then I'll be heading back to Austin
Facetime tonight?

Nick:
Obviously

Me:
Rude ass

Nick:
Loser

Me:
Your loser

Nick:
Never

I couldn't help but smile and walk downstairs for breakfast. It had been years since I actually had a home-made breakfast. I'd gotten so used to cereal or a granola bar that the eggs Lydia set in front of me looked almost unappetizing. I ate them regardless, and was instantly reminded of the way my mom used to cook.

It was unfair how much Lydia reminded me of my mom. I'm sure it was the other way around too; it must have been hard to see her sister have a child, knowing she'd never be able to have kids.

In a way, I wished Lydia had stayed in Texas. I knew she didn't like the heat all that much, but I wondered if we had had a better relationship, if she would've stayed. She was the last of my family, having lost my grandparents as a kid and then my parents within the same year of each other. Lydia felt the same, I think. Losing Marty--her husband of twelve years--to something as avoidable as a car accident.

I remembered hearing the news. I was maybe ten or eleven, and my aunt had called my house in hysterics. God, I felt awful hearing it. A drunk driver, I heard. Sent the car flying into one of those freeways guards. There was no way anyone would've survived.

Lydia said that she wouldn't remarry because she'd already found her happy ending. I thought that was beautiful, honestly.

Lydia wasn't a bitch, and I hated myself for thinking she was. She was a sad, lonely, introverted woman who'd lost all the family she'd ever known. I knew I would probably end up the same way. She had her opinions, and while they were harsh, I knew she meant well. I took pity on her.

She was doing whatever she could to keep me around. Telling me to buckle my seatbelt, giving me pepperspray, telling me she loved me and was proud of me. That was what made me cry one night. I guess she heard me sniffling to myself--why, I didn't remember--so she came and sat on the side of the bed and talked to me. I almost didn't want to leave her house.

Lydia Brookes wasn't a bitch at all, and I hated myself for ever saying she was.