A bell of understanding rang in Katherine’s mind. The losing side. So, that was what she was worried about. If it had been smaller creators, she would have gladly collaborated with them or spoken to them freely, but with a larger audience there were higher stakes and she was the one at a disadvantage if something bad happened. Why? Because LazerBoi would have the support of his fans.

“Also, please remember that your boyfriend had a lot more fans than this guy. You would crush him by default if it came to a battle between fandoms.” Lily sounded so confident.

“Honey, Cage’s fans would side with LazerBoi if they found out I was doing the devil’s tango with their idol.” Katherine rolled her eyes.

“Make them love you, then.” Coming from Lily’s mouth, it sounded so easy. But it was easier said than done.

“Winning someone’s heart is harder than most things,” Katherine commented. “Do you want anything to eat?” She changed the topic quickly.

Lily groaned. “Stop. I don’t want to eat. I’ll start complaining about gaining weight, too.”

“Don’t be afraid of the scale, sister!” she cheered as she stretched and got up from her seat. Slowly, she made her way out of her room with Lily hot on her heels.

“I’m just grabbing a glass of milk,” Katherine announced. Lily was peeved. The food was good, but for herself, she would have to watch how much she ate. Even if Katherine said that her food was healthy, the other two were constantly eating other meals outside.

“I should start cooking,” Lily commented as she trailed behind.

“What possessed you to come to that decision?” Katherine asked curiously. Lily thought about it.

“I want to pack my own lunches. Beeing in a committed relationship has made me realize that I spend money frivolrously.” She tsked and shook her head at her previous antics. Katherine narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized Lily’s expression.

“You’ve had an argument about this with Jared,” she concluded proudly. Jared was… very fatherly. He liked thinking about the future and planning. Lily was also future oriented and very mature about most things in life. Just not material things.

Apart from the amount she paid as rent, she rarely saved a lot and usually spent her money on buying equipment she did not need or buy food outside.

“Yeah,” Lily confided with a shrug. “It wasn’t much of an argument. We pulled out our bank details and talked about money like a normal couple. I saw what I had to offer and felt like **. Man, he is invested in the family thing.” She shook her head. It was difficult for her to think about these things, but slowly she was coming to terms with the banal aspects of a long term relationship.

“Looking at financials…” Katherine repeated thoughtfully. “Cage and I tried to talk about money… we never got down to the hard numbers,” she confessed. “You’re far mature that way.” She had to agree. Money was important.

“Uh. Cage has a lot of money and you own an apartment at twenty-five. You are doing well, don’t worry.” Lily rolled her eyes.

“The bank owns my apartment. I still have to pay the loan for two years before I fully own it.” She pouted.

“You’ve not been together for long, considering the time you spent apart. You can’t just whip out your bank information over a call or Skype.” There was a silent consensus on this. Both of their relationships were non-toxic and mature. They were doing life right. Great. The girls went their own way, Lily to her room to watch tutorials on how to impress parents and Katherine to her work with a glass of milk in her hands.

– – – – –

Katherine was on a video conference with executives from a publishing firm and a best selling author who wanted her to illustrate the cover. The discussion was mostly between the firm and the author and Katherine was utterly bored.

Mix that with the lack of sleep, and she had a problem on her hand. Most things seemed bland recently. Things she loved and looked forward to seemed to pale in comparison. She chalked it up to not being abe to ee Cage or talk to him for an extended period of time.

The parties droned on and on. She surreptitiously looked at the time. Just a few hours until work ended.

Her phone buzzed on her work table and she quickly pulled it to herself before the vibration finished. Anything for a distraction. She looked down at the phone and a smile spread across her face.

How does this outfit look? Apparently, Kevin needs to look like a bad boy in this scene and express his personality through his attire. How does it look to you?

This was the message Cage had sent. The photo attached made her mouth water. How does it look? Divine. He was in a black leather jacket and pants to go with it, his shirt had a graphic illustration that showed off his nerdy side. And the sunglasses. That was the final touch that killed her.

Looking at him felt like a sin, and boy would she go to hell for him. He was smiling and looking completely **able and she was stuck in a business meeting hours away.

Kind sir, aren’t you scared that this little girl will get a heart attack from how incredible you look?

Having sent the response, she kept her phone aside and waited for his response.

It’s an emergency, ma’am! Answer me.

So demanding. What was his question again?

She scrolled back and saw what he was asking.

There’s no use asking. You look like a snacc. The cookie monster in me is fighting to come out. You’ve been taking care of your skin… Yes, she noticed that. He had been looking rough when he left for shooting, but recently, he had become supple and moisturized. What was his secret to flawless skin? She must find out.