She should have known this would happen. She had spent most of her life talking to people on the internet, albeit anonymously. She was well aware that fans could get a little crazy. She had been on the other side of the discussion many times. She had been getting into social media fights and philosophical discussions about fan theories and celebrities, especially Cage, so she knew what she had signed up for. But know knew that social media personalities could garner this much attention.

Maybe they were right to say that content put out on social media would be the new go-to in the coming decades.

It was a different ballgame when she was on the receiving end. Hundreds of mentions in the past couple of hours, especially after she had replied to LazerBoi. He hadn’t replied so far, but the fans were going wild.

After her message telling him she would love to cook for him, he had tweeted something about her.

LazerBoi: Who wants a colab with @Rinsten?

The mentions ranged from people who couldn’t believe their eyes and thought it was an absolute joke to people who were looking forward to it. She had even seen some of the handles who frequently mentioned her throwing themselves in the mix in enthusiasm. And then there were the confused souls who had no clue who this elusive Rinsten was.

Yes, her email ID, the one she made for her social media accounts was flooded with queries, some business-related, and others absolute nonsense. If it went on, her brain would explode from working on overdrive.

She was still nervous about Cage and how her newfound ‘fame’ would affect him. But she also took the precautions he had spoken about. She watched video after video on the background as she worked on other things and did her chores. She went throw news articles about him and ug for anything negative that might have come out.

The result? She absolutely loved his content. He was mildly eccentric, with his loud-mouthed antics and accents. He was quite a comedian. She couldn’t find much dirt on him that would throw her off the idea of this collaboration. Therefore, the pros were above the cons. She wanted to take the bet.

Now, she just had to sit back and see how the audience reacted, and if the negotiations went through.

She was still working on her illustration with LazerBoi’s videos in the background when the door to her bedroom opened.

“Katherine?” she heard Lily call.

“What’s up?” Katherine asked, pausing the video and turning to look at her friend who was standing at her doorway.

“I’m going out on a date night with Jared tonight, so please don’t cook. Angelina is already complaining that she has gained some fat around her stomach.” Lily came into the room and sat herself down on Katherine’s bed.

“A shame. It would have been better if it went to her boobs,” Katherine snickered. It was a running joke between the girls that Angelina’s excellent genes had deprived her of the voluptuous boobs that she wanted. Angelina often groaned about Katherine’s luscious ‘funbags’. “You’re meeting Jared’s parents, right?” Katherine asked.

She had been curious about this since they came back from vacation. Lily had softened up about the situation during their time at the cabin but she still wanted their relationship to mature before she took the frightening step of meeting the parents. Recently, Lily and Jared had spoken about the matter again and decided that it was time.

Good for them.

“I don’t remember telling you,” Lily comment, arching her brows. Katherine snickered. “Are you lonely because your boyfriend is out of town? Is that why you are eavesdropping on my conversations with my bae?” Lily was cheeky, as usual.

Katherine rolled her eyes in response. “Yes, I enjoy torturing myself by seeing people in love when I can’t touch my man.” Though it was meant to be sarcastic, the longing in her voice gave her true thoughts away.

Lily smirked. “Well, wish me luck. Parents don’t like me. I am not betting for that record to change.” Her smirk fell and she sighed. It was true. She never seemed to get along with the parents of men she was dating. Parents of friends? Sure, they loved her.

“Parents know when someone is serious about their child. You are serious about Jared, so they will see that and love you,” Katherine reassured.

“You’ve become a guru at this, haven’t you?” Lily praised. “How is your relationship with your mother-in-law?” Lily asked.

“Don’t say that!” Katherine whined. “One shouldn’t make claims so early…” She trailed off. “She’s doing well. Busy with the practice for a coming series of concerts. His father has been cooped up, composing. I don’t know when we will meet but I have my fingers crossed. Hopefully, he will be there when the meeting happens.” She really hoped that would be the case or she would be in hot water. She wouldn’t know how to act or what to talk to her about. A mess.

She needed to be perfect when she confronted her mo… Cage’s mother and father. She looked up and did a quick prayer so that the superior powers wouldn’t condemn her for singing the victor song before the battle.

Don’t call yourself family unless you have it in black and white.

Okay, Katherine. Going too far. One step at a time. Enjoy your quiet time with Cage before you think about cakes and wedding dresses. It’s too early for that.

“That’s an excellent game plan. Make sure you talk to her when you can. Even send memes.” Lily stood up. Cleaning her sweaty palms on her thighs she was about to go out. “Are you watching LazerBoi?” she asked before she left.

“Yeah. Doing some research before I commit to anything.” Lily nodded.

“Don’t think too hard. Don’t think he is too big of a creator for you or that he can harm you. He’s just a human. Just because he has loads of fans doesn’t mean you are on the losing side,” Lily reassured with a shrug.