“Mackenzie Hall is where all the jocks are housed, and yes, it is common for unattended underwear to disappear onto the roof,” I explain.
“The problem was, Trent was moving out of Mackenzie Hall,” Magnus picks up.
“I said, ‘Don’t worry, I do all my underwear shopping on the roof anyway.’”
Magnus makes a disgusted face and a gagging noise. “And I immediately called the RA to tell him in no uncertain terms that I would not be sharing a room with anyone who wore used Mackenzie Hall underwear.”
“I gave him my most dumb-jock look and said, ‘Wait, where do you get your underwear?’”
Magnus shudders at the memory. “I ordered him to drop his boxes and dragged him straight to the store to buy him two packages of expensive moisture wicking underwear, because he told me that’s all he used, and I told him to throw away all his old ones.”
“And I fucking let him because I’m a broke student and it was free underwear,” I grin.
“Later, I learned that this asshole only wears underwear at the gym and the rest of the time he goes commando because he’s weird, and he’s never even been to the roof of Mackenzie Hall because he keeps all his underwear at the gym unless it’s laundry day.”
I lean over and muss his hair, showing the camera exactly how much I genuinely love this guy. We might’ve started off with an expensive prank, but we’ve earned a good friendship since. “We might’ve had a weird first day, but we’re solid now. He’s my favorite person on campus.”
“And he’s mine,” he tells me, smiling up at me.
For a moment I think about what it’s going to be like to kiss him later, and that thought drives me back to cooking. I don’t think I’m supposed to be thinking about that right now; kissing isn’t on the docket until after we fuck.
“So, what’s the next question?” I ask, getting my head back in the game.
I really need to stop letting this script mess with me.
Chapter 10
Magnus
You areaware we can tell you’re already in love, right?
Cherelynne2pt0’s comment has me glancing over at Trent as he grabs our burgers from the counter. We’re having a roommate dinner that isn’t on campus because we got our first paycheck and it was enough to buy burgers. The rest is going into savings or reinvestment in our business, but today is burger-celebration.
I’m not sure what Cherelynne2pt0 is seeing when she watches our videos. Of course there’s love between us, we’re in a committed platonic relationship, but that’s not what this subscriber is suggesting. She thinks we’re “in love” as if we’re in a romantic relationship, but we’re not. I’m not even sure I’m alloromantic. Sexual, yes. I am definitely allosexual, but romantic love? That’s not something I’ve ever experienced. I’m not going to deny myself the opportunity if it arises for real—actually, that is a good question and one I didn’t consider when I created my business plan for Trent.
When he returns, I point to my phone and turn on the record function. Trent gives me a curious look as he separates our food orders. “What’s up?”
“Our subscribers are curious and making assumptions about us, so I thought I would ask, are you currently in a romantic relationship?”
Trent scoffs and shakes his head. “Fuck no. I’m way too busy to give a girlfriend the attention she deserves like that. I barely have time for the occasional hook-up, and since we started filming, I’ve been satisfied with my current rate of orgasms with other people.” He shrugs, then up-nods me. “What about you?”
He takes the phone and points it at me, chewing on his tater tots as he films.
“I’ve never been in a romantic relationship, but I’m open to the possibility. I’m focused on my career at the moment, so like you, it’s probably unfair for me to date right now because I can’t give a person the attention they deserve as a boyfriend or girlfriend.” It’s somewhat a relief to realize that neither of us have any interest in dating beyond what we’re doing as content creators. “Actually, I’m not sure I’m capable of romantic feelings. I don’t think I’ve ever had a crush before. I’m not sure I would even recognize the symptoms in me. I don’t think I’m aro, but it’s possible. I just need to give it some thought probably. I’m sure I could develop a crush if I focused on it.”
Trent cackles behind the camera before turning it on himself, holding it at arm’s length with a fully amused smile on his face. “Meet Magnus, the guy who wouldn't know if he likes someone if it made his stomach flip flop like a fish out of water.”
I snort and shake my head. “That’s just nervousness. I know what nervousness is; I engage in public speaking five days a week.”
Trent chortles softly. “I’m taking bets on how many times he’s gotten ‘nervous’ and thought it was just regular old social anxiety, and it turns out he was crushing on a professor or something.”
I take my phone away and point it at my face. “Do not take that bet. Being nervous when you’re approaching someone with more expertise and infamy than you is a completely romantically neutral reaction. I’m going to eat my burger now, so maybe you should do something else, too.”
Since it’s not a porn upload day, I don’t even bother with editing, I just upload it as is. When that’s done I put the phone away and dig into my cheeseburger.
My favorite kind is greasy, made with processed pasteurized cheese product singles, and dipped in ketchup. Pickles are ok, but everything else can leave my precious cheeseburger alone. I tend to just order it plain and add my own ketchup.
“Why do the sauce packets of ketchup taste better than bottled ketchup?” I ask as I rip open six of the packets to create a dipping pile for my burger.
