“Yeah.” I did, and Cillian’s pretty face appeared on my screen. His medium-length hair was perfectly styled and parted on the side, and his freckles popped up starkly against his flushed cheeks.
Cillian rustled something out of my field of view. “Some products came for you. Do you want me to send you pics?”
Spiro lifted me off him and onto the couch, then left for the kitchen, leaving me to talk to my friend.
“Nah, they can wait. I told all the brands that I’ll be away. I only took some socks and smaller things with me to post about. How’s your Fedora-Lee Cosmetics deal?”
“I’ll be promoting their new line. I’m hoping they’ll accept my idea for a partnership.” He showed me his fingers crossed.
“They’d be stupid if they didn’t.”
He shrugged. “We’ll see. Your mom came by our apartment asking after you. Did you call her?”
“I texted her that I’m fine.” I sighed. “She doesn’t understand why I had to take a trip by myself. She told me I had everything there, and I’d get lost and come home crying.”
“She’s probably worried. But also wrong.”
“Well, I’m excited to see Chicago soon since the storm is about to be over.”
I talked to Cillian about the drama at his work and the cute guy who’d been visiting the store he’d been working at often to buy perfume.
By the time I hung up, the views had doubled on the pizza video. I checked my hair in the phone’s camera and pressed record.
“Thanks for the love on the deep dish pizza vid. It was delicious! Full review with a list of ingredients coming soon!” I zoomed in and out of my face. “So for the first time in my life, I had a custom gluten-free deep dish pizza, and it was fab! It’s been about half an hour and my stomach feels okay, no problems! I’ll go eat some more! Give ‘em Kaos!” I waved to the camera and turned it off. I posted instantly since I didn’t need to edit anything in the video.
More comments popped up, and they ranged from excited, to thirsty, to aggressive. I ignored the negative ones about my ears, and the weird stuff about Spiro and me. Others were wholesome: “The content creator’s commitment: finding a way to post about food when stuck in a house during a snowstorm. This is the whole reason I pay for Wi-Fi!”
I giggled at that one just as Spiro returned from the kitchen with a plate of peeled oranges.
“I brought some snacks.”
“Thanks.” I shoved a piece into my mouth. “Oh, so sweet.”
Kaos pulled out a bag of oranges and proceeded to peel more. “What endorsements do you have?”
“Gluten-free cereal is my favorite. I won’t support products I don’t like or don’t believe in. I vet brands now too, after getting roped into more scams than I’m willing to admit.” I lost a lot of money that way too. “Apart from food, a fun brand noticed my obsession with colorful socks and they sent me ethically sourced, organic cotton products to promote.” I wiggled my toes covered in banana-patterned knee-highs. “I get some racy comments on those pics, so I don’t post them often anymore, even if they are an ego boost.”
“Why would you need that? You’re gorgeous.” Spiro kissed my temple.
I pushed him playfully. “I’m a mess. I want to focus on the food stuff more than clothing, anyway.”
“Did you take any naked pics in the socks?” He waggled his eyebrows. “I’d pay for that tier.”
“I’ll model anything for you in exchange for an orgasm.” A giggle escaped me. “I thought about making an account on CryptidCraze for a hot second, but it would take me away from food testing, so I’d rather stick to that.” The app that focused on erotic content from monster creators was insanely popular and may give me a better source of income than my day job at the cemetery, but I didn’t feel sexy enough to use it.
“I like these rainbow socks the most. They match your vibe. So if you ever want to seduce me, you know what to wear.”
“Mmhmm.” I booped his nose.
He showed me that he was scrolling through my profile. “You’re so resourceful.”
“That’s something I never hear from anyone.” I took his upper tentacle and draped it over my lap.
Spiro lowered his phone and gave me a serious look. “They don’t know you, then.”
“Do you?” I played with the suckers, watching them contract under my touch.
“I’d like to.” His words came in a near whisper.
