Single But Engaged ✔️

31: Why were you so against the idea of me hooking up with him?

“It’s like all these feelings just keep showing up and I don’t even know what to do about it. Am I crazy? Am I not? Why am I suddenly thinking of him in a totally different way than I ought to? I mean, he’s supposed to be my best…” 

In the face of their quizzical looks though, I was making a prompt addition of: “step cousin. ‘Cause that’s totally what he is.” I finished with a small titter, all the while cringing myself to death.

Thankfully though, my listeners didn’t pick up on my inner cringe fest. Rachel was the first to speak, voice strangely solemn. “You’re right, Aria. You are crazy.” 

“I am?” I echoed, unable to contain my surprise at her remark even though I was the one to suggest it.

She, however, simply nodded, her face betraying a certain moroseness which was soon giving way to a grin. “Crazy in love that is,” she chirped between giggles, with Ashley echoing the sounds alongside her. 

Ok, I was officially lost.

“You obviously want to bang your step cousin,” she beamed with girlish glee –  a far cry from my panicked state.

“What?” I cried, a titter slipping off my lips. “No, I don’t.” Yeah, the certainty in those words pretty much summed up to...well, zero. 

Hence, I wasn’t surprised when I caught their knowing grins, with Ashley voicing, “really? So, then, what was that whole dream you had?”

Oh god.

And so the helpless floundering began. “Well that…it was just…” In the end, I settled for: “well, you know dreams can be so random and weird.”

“Not all of them though,” Rachel piped up. “Trust me, there was nothing weird in that dream where Zuko and I hooked up right in the Fire nation throne room.”

For the first time since starting this call, the weird looks weren’t directed at me. 

“Rach,” I started unsurely. “You mean, like Zuko from ‘Avatar?’” 

“Yeah,” she answered dreamily. “It was so hot.” 

“But Rach, isn’t he a cartoon?” Ashley questioned, echoing my own thoughts.

But if anything, she just chuckled at that. “I know. I thought the same thing – how can you do it with a cartoon? But it turns out, they don’t just show it, but they also have dicks. I mean, how else do they pee?” 

Ok, that was actually a really good point – albeit one I didn’t get to ponder upon for long thanks to the new addition in our midst who was now declaring a chirpy: “And I’m back.”

“What took you so long?” 

“Well, I kind of ended up in some twitter argument about that whole Wes Lane controversy.”

“Why am I not even surprised?” Ashley sallied, leaving the rest of us chuckling at the truth of that – even Cassie. Well, that is after she was done murdering Ashley with her glares.

But yeah, Cassie and her love for social media were unparalleled. Hence, why she was always up-to-date with the latest news and trends. So, if there was ever any celebrity drama going on, then be sure Cassie would already have the gist of it all. And for a lazy ass like me who found it hard to keep up with all of that stuff, I always enjoyed listening to her narrations of them. 

And this time was no exception. “Wait, what controversy?” 

My eagerness to know, was met by hers to tell, as was clear from the way her eyes gleamed now. “Well, you know how Wes posted that video of him in the rain to promote his new song?”