The fourth night changed something.
Aarav didn't realize it immediately—not when he woke up, not when he ate breakfast, not even when he checked his phone for messages. The change was subtle, creeping in quietly, the way dust settled on furniture when no one was looking.
It was expectation.
People expected him to go live.
And that thought was both thrilling and terrifying.
By afternoon, his phone buzzed again.
[ShadowPing]: u on today?
[PixelFox]: stream time same?
Two messages.
Two different people.
Aarav stared at the screen longer than he should have.
"Didi," he called out.
Ananya leaned into the room, one eyebrow raised. "What?"
"Is it bad if people… expect things from you?"
She considered that for a moment. "Depends. Are they expecting you to fail or to show up?"
"To show up."
She smiled. "Then that's not bad. That means they believe you will."
Aarav nodded slowly.
"Same time," he typed back.
That evening, Aarav prepared like it was something serious.
He charged the phone fully.
Restarted the router twice.
Even placed the phone on a slightly higher stack of books so his angle looked better.
The room was still small.
The fan was still loud.
The lighting was still bad.
But he felt different.
When he tapped Go Live, his hands didn't shake.
LIVE
"Viewers: 0"
He launched the game and started talking immediately.
"Hey guys," he said. "Welcome back."
Two minutes.
Viewers: 2
[ShadowPing]: here
[PixelFox]: lets go
Aarav smiled. "Good to see you."
Five minutes.
Viewers: 5
Then a familiar name appeared.
[RiyaM]: late but here
"Perfect timing," Aarav said naturally. "We just started."
The chat flowed easily now—short comments, jokes, reactions to plays. Aarav wasn't forcing conversation anymore. He was responding instinctively, like he'd always done this.
He made a risky play early.
It failed.
His character died in a stupid way.
"Ah—my bad," he admitted immediately. "Overcommitted."
[PixelFox]: happens
[ShadowPing]: reset mental
Aarav nodded. "Yeah. Reset."
Then—
A new message appeared.
[xK1ngSlayer]: lol trash
The word sat there.
Ugly.
Sharp.
Out of place.
Aarav blinked.
For a second, he thought it might be a joke. A badly timed one, maybe. But then another message followed.
[xK1ngSlayer]: how u even got viewers playing like that
The chat slowed.
No immediate replies.
Aarav felt his chest tighten.
He had expected this.
Everyone did, right? Everyone knew the internet wasn't kind.
So why did it sting?
"Uh…" He hesitated, fingers hovering uselessly above the screen. "It was a bad play."
Another message popped up.
[xK1ngSlayer]: excuses
Silence filled the room.
The fan's noise suddenly felt louder.
Aarav forced himself to breathe and focus back on the game. "Anyway," he said, voice slightly strained, "let's focus."
He played carefully, pulling back into his rhythm.
But the damage was done.
The presence of that one viewer felt heavier than all the others combined.
The chat resumed slowly.
[ShadowPing]: ignore him
[PixelFox]: happens everywhere
Aarav nodded. "Yeah. It's fine."
But it wasn't.
He could feel his hands tightening too much. His movements became cautious, hesitant. He missed timings he would usually nail.
Then—
[xK1ngSlayer]: lol still bad
Aarav's jaw clenched.
Before he could respond, a message appeared.
[RiyaM]: if u don't like it why r u here
Another followed.
[ShadowPing]: facts
The hater responded instantly.
[xK1ngSlayer]: free internet bro. i'll watch trash if i want
Aarav swallowed.
He had never been in this position before. Never had strangers argue about him.
His fingers hovered over the mute button.
Then he stopped.
He remembered something his father had once said, years ago, after a supervisor insulted him at work.
People who shout the loudest usually have the least control.
Aarav took a deep breath.
"Hey," he said calmly into the stream. "You don't have to like my gameplay. That's okay."
The chat froze.
"But calling it trash doesn't make you better," he continued, voice steady now. "If you want to stay and watch, cool. If not… also cool."
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't insult back.
He just stated it.
For a moment, there was no response.
Then—
[xK1ngSlayer]: lol whatever
The viewer count dropped by one.
Aarav noticed.
His heart skipped.
Then—
It went back up.
Viewers: 11
The chat filled again.
[PixelFox]: W response
[ShadowPing]: respect
[RiyaM]: keep playing
Aarav let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
And then—
He played.
Something clicked.
Without the pressure to prove himself, Aarav's instincts returned. His movements sharpened. His predictions landed. He clutched a fight so cleanly that even he surprised himself.
"Okay," he laughed breathlessly. "That felt good."
[ShadowPing]: thats the guy we watch
[PixelFox]: redemption arc in one match
Aarav grinned.
The hater didn't return.
Halfway through the stream, Ananya walked in carrying a glass of water. She stopped when she heard Aarav talking.
"…yeah, positioning matters more than aim sometimes."
She watched quietly from the doorway, eyes widening slightly.
He sounded… confident.
Comfortable.
Not like a boy pretending.
Like someone who belonged there.
The stream ended after an hour and twenty minutes.
Peak viewers: 18
When Aarav ended the stream, he leaned back against the wall, exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
He stared at the ceiling, replaying the chat messages in his head.
lol trash
W response
Both stuck with him.
Ananya sat beside him.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… didn't know it would feel like that."
She smiled. "Welcome to being seen."
Later that night, Aarav checked the stats.
Peak viewers: 18
New followers: 7
Chat engagement: higher than before
And one more thing.
A private message.
[RiyaM]: handled that well. most ppl explode
He replied honestly.
[Streamer]: i almost did
Three dots.
[RiyaM]: but u didn't
Aarav set the phone aside and lay back.
For the first time, he understood something important.
Being live didn't just mean being watched.
It meant being tested.
And tonight—
He hadn't failed.