Page 45 of The Emerson Effect
It feels like the entire internet knows about Twila and me. There are so many response videos to Twila’s tack with the daisies––the majority of them positive and celebratory––there’s little room for doubt. They know us, and they love us together.
And they’re hungry for more.
It’s only been a day since we posted the big reveal, and everyone is thirsty for more content between us. And, well, I guess I should give the people what they want.
Closing the app, I open the text thread with my roommates and ask them all to meet me in the living room. A couple of minutes later, three sets of footsteps rumble down the stairs. They walk into the living room with matching questioning looks.
“What’s up?” Mason asks.
“Need help with another video?” Ritchie adds, and I nod.
“I do, actually. And I hope you’ll say yes.”
“That sounds ominous,” Stone says in a low voice as he heads into the kitchen for a can of soda like he needs reinforcements for whatever I’m about to ask of him.
“Bring me one,” his brother calls out, and Stone reaches into the fridge for another can before returning to the living room.
“I don’t know if you saw, but Twila and I confirmed her identity as my secret crush on BingBang,” I say slowly.
“We saw,” Mason says, taking a drink from his soda while nudging his brother with his elbow.
“I saw it, too,” Ritchie says. “Congrats, man. It seems to be working.”
“Thanks,” I say. “So, I had an idea for a new video. A kind of love letter to Twila.”
“Okay,” Ritchie says, drawing out the word in a way that urges me to continue.
“I’d like to dance and lip sync this song, and I thought we could do it together. Like, choreograph the moves and each have our own parts to sing,” I say, adding air quotes to that last word.
“Like a boy band video?” Mason asks, and before I can even respond, he’s smiling despite his answer of, “No, thanks.”
I widen my eyes in question, but I already figured he wouldn’t be up for it. Stone is always down for anything, so I look at him with a hopeful expression and a fair dose of puppy-dog-eyes.
“Sorry, E,” he grumbles, and my shoulders drop.
“I’d be happy to dance with you, but I’ll keep my back to the camera. Don’t want my handsome mug to make people think Twila should choose me over you,” Ritchie jokes, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Thanks. Really,” I snark, then heave out a sigh and speak with more sincerity. “Fine. Thanks.”
“I’ll film,” Mason says.
“And I’ll direct,” his brother adds.
“Thank you,” I say, giving them each a nod.
I knew convincing them to be in a video with me was a longshot before I even asked. It’s just not their thing, and they have their reasons for it.
We spend all afternoon coming up with moves and practicing them until Ritchie and I are completely in sync. We laugh a lot, and by the end, all three of them are totally into it and invested in getting the final shot perfect.
When we finish filming, I order enough pizza for all of us and use a delivery app to bring us a twelve-pack of light beer. I edit the video while we wait, and it’s fucking perfect. We got the lighting just right, Ritchie and I both hit our marks, and I managed to lip sync like a professional.
I add the simple caption, “Twila,” and my heart pounds as I name her directly for the first time. Of course, everyone already knows, but in their minds, there’s a chance she tacked my video to claim ownership of my heart when it wasn’t meant for her. This is the first time I’ve admitted it. Out loud. Or, in written form, I guess. I haven’t actually said it out loud. Maybe that will be my next video. Just me, talking to Twila. Or maybe I’ll save that for after we meet in person.
Shaking my head and getting back to the task at hand, I double-check my settings to make sure people can comment, save, tack, and duo the video. The more interaction, the better, so I don’t want to block any engagement opportunities. Especially with Ritchie in the video.
Having his back to the camera the whole time actually brings an air of mystery, and I know viewers will be wondering who he is and why they haven’t seen him in my videos before. Yeah. This may actually work out better than I thought.
Focusing on the task at hand, I hold my breath and tap the icon to post the video. The pizza and beer arrive shortly after, and I tuck my phone away while we eat in the living room whilewatching the latest episode of a competition reality show we all love.
