Page 95 of Played By Design

Lev taps the page. “That bruise might make chewing hard. You’ll want to plan some soft meals.”

The pen hovers as I consider this. “Maybe soup?”

Lev reaches for the pen. “May I?”

I hand it over.

His handwriting is nothing like mine. Clean, measured, each letter distinct. He writes soft options in the margin, and beneath it, soup, smoothies, and oatmeal.

“Rest requirements.” I wait while Lev starts a new column. “Kain sleeps six hours if left alone. Five if he’s working. Four if he’s worried about something.”

My foot starts bouncing. “He’ll say he’s fine on fewer hours, but he’s lying.”

Lev’s mouth quirks. “How do you know when he’s lying about sleep?”

“He rubs his left thumb over his palm. Right here.” I demonstrate on my own hand, thumb circling the center of my palm. “And he drinks more coffee. The lie is proportional to the coffee intake.”

Ash has settled back into his chair, silent.

Lev builds me a daily chart for meals and rest times, leaving a spot for medication administration once the doctor goes over it with me.

When we’re done, he helps me set timers on my phone, so I’ll remember to check the schedule. He’s methodical with spreadsheets, which I appreciate.

Lev pushes to his feet and returns to the windowsill. “You know, being on the roommate path doesn’t mean you can’t turn it into the romance path. You just need to figure out the game dynamic that triggers the switch. If that’s what you want.”

“I don’t need the romance path.” I take the workbook back from him. “So long as Kain continues to keep me.”

“What would you do,” Ash asks, “if someone took Kain away from you?”

I give him a slow blink. “I would delete them.”

Ash checks Lev’s reaction, but neither of them tells me I’m wrong.

Because I’m not.

I click the pen closed and set it on the tray table.

My phone buzzes. I almost ignore it, but it could be Ghost, with news about the people who hurt Kain.

I pull the device from my pocket, but instead of a text, it’s a custom notification I set up for all things related to Dusk Protocol.

LANTERN KEY GAMES: SERVER ROOM FIRE

Bolting upright, my thumb taps the notification, and the article loads.

Rockhaven — A localized fire broke out early this evening in the server area of Lantern Key Games’ headquarters. Fire crews responded shortly after 6:00 PM, and they contained the blaze to a single server room.

Initial reports suggest equipment failure as a possible cause, though the investigation remains ongoing. No serious injuries were reported.

In a statement released this evening, Lantern Key co-founder Julian Vey confirmed the upcoming Dusk Protocol DLC launch remains on schedule. “We have redundant backups for all active development,” Vey said. “However, we did lose some legacy servers containing archived forum material.”

The company expects normal operations to resume on Monday.

I read it once. Then I read it again, slower, each piece settling into place.

The screen’s glow reflects off my glasses, doubling the text until it swims.

Legacy servers.