🌷"Even across miles and time zones,
hearts seem to find each other when no one is looking"🌷
Shakti was feeling nervous before typing his reply.
Shakti answered him,"I am just a stranger in your sister's world, and I don't have any wrong intentions to join here. I was just bored in my world 🌍, so I thought to come and help her."
He replied, "OK, I understood."
Another message popped up immediately.
He asked Shakti again, with the same cold behavior,"Are you a boy?"
Shakti blinked at the screen, confused by the sudden question.
Shakti said,"Yes, I am a boy."
Ajay didn't stop there.
He asked, "Are you a good person, or like the other boys who join girls' worlds and flirt with them?"
The question just sat there in the chat.
Shakti froze for a moment. His fingers slowly moved away from the keyboard. His mind went completely blank — not a single word came to him 🧠.
He didn't like the way Ajay was talking, but arguing would only make things worse. On top of that, he didn't even know him. It's better to stay calm, Shakti told himself.
Still, the silence lingered.
Inside, he thought, "My God… what's wrong with this person?"
Sophia had been watching everything. She finally jumped in and said,
"Hey Ajay, can you just stop behaving rude with my new Indian friend?"
She remembered how Shakti had told her on the first day that he was a little sensitive. She didn't want him to feel hurt.
Ajay replied almost instantly,
"Sophia, I am not behaving rude with your new friend. I am just trying to make sure this Indian guy is good or not. It's my responsibility to take care of my sister. If you think this is rude behavior, then fine — I am rude when it comes to my sweet sister's safety."
Shakti had no words. He just stayed silent.
Sophia said, "I know you are concerned about my safety, but that doesn't mean you should behave rudely with someone who isn't even familiar to you."
After a moment, Shakti finally spoke.
Shakti said, "If you don't like me being here, then I will leave."
He always feared being misunderstood.
Sophia quickly typed, "Noooo! Nooo!"
Ajay hesitated. Then he said,
"Nah, I didn't mean it like that. You can stay here and help her. I… am… just…"
The sentence trailed off, softer than before.
A private message popped up.
Sophia wrote, "Shakti, please don't mind him. He is just trying to protect me."
Shakti replied privately, "Sigh… I don't mind his words because he is your brother — he has every right to protect you from strangers. But somewhere, I did feel uncomfortable, so that's why I said that."
She answered, "Okay, let's continue our exploration."
Back in the group chat, she said,
"No one should leave this world. Let's all explore together." ☺️
Shakti: "Hmmm!"
Ajay: "Okay!"
Still, a bit of awkwardness remained.
They all stood quietly for a moment.
After a minute, Sophia broke the tension.
"Now who will lead?"
Ajay said, "It would be good if Shakti takes the lead since he's a senior player."
Shakti replied, "Alright guys, follow me."
As they explored, time slowly eased the tension between them.
After a while, Ajay messaged,
"By the way, Shakti, what do you do for a living?"
Shakti: "I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science. I'm in my second year."
Ajay: "Wahh, that's great! You seem smart. What's your major?"
Shakti: "Physics!"
Shakti asked, "How about you?"
Ajay: "Well, I'm in the final year of my BTech degree."
Shakti: "I see, I see. How are your studies going?"
Ajay: "Honestly, it's really bad. I'm just stressed."
Sophia quietly watched their conversation as the two started getting comfortable with each other.
Finally, she said,
"I feel so good seeing both of you calm down and talk normally now."
She sounded genuinely happy.
Little by little, Shakti started feeling more at ease with Ajay. His impression of him slowly began to change.
They talked so much that they didn't even notice how late it had become. Eventually, everyone left the game to sleep.
Before sleeping, Shakti found himself thinking about Sophia — how calm, kind, and gentle she was in the way she spoke. Even though it was just a game, it felt real… like they were truly friends.
He replayed her words in his mind and smiled without even realizing it.
The earlier tension faded, replaced by a quiet warmth in his chest.
That night, after leaving the game, Shakti placed his phone down and stared at the window. The dark room felt different — softer, calmer.
Maybe it was just a game.
Maybe it was just a new friendship.
But as sleep slowly took over, one thought stayed with him…
He was already looking forward to tomorrow.
From that day on, the three of them kept playing together. With each passing day, they grew more comfortable — not just as teammates in a game, but as real friends.