Today was the first day in a while that I didn't have anything to do, so I decided to get up early and head over to my dad's, ready to spend the day with Jasmine. With our eleven-year age difference and my demanding job, It was becoming a rare moment when I found myself in Jasmine's room, just the two of us.
Despite the age gap, Jasmine always treated me like I was someone she could confide in. It felt maternal, almost, and I cherished those moments when we could bond as sisters.
Jasmine's room was an oasis, adorned with posters of her favorite rap artists and K-Pop bands, game characters and fairy string lights, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
She had both gaming consoles sitting on her desk, as well as her computer, dual-display monitors, and cute pointy cat ear headphones hanging on a small stand nearby. The colorful LED lights around her setup added to the aesthetic.
With my legs propped up on the wall, I laid in the L position at the headboard of her queen-sized bed, my eyes closed, listening as she typed away on her keyboard. After a while, the typing stopped and Jasmine, twirled around in her gamer chair to my direction, kicking her feet up on a nearby ottoman.
"Sorry, sissy. I was responding to some business inquiry emails."
"Oh?" I responded curiously.
"Yeah, I was offered some sponsorships through my gaming channel and I'm trying to decide which ones to accept."
"That's amazing, Jas! I'm so proud of you," I replied, turning so I could sit up and face her, my legs now crossed. I smiled at her, proud of my little sister's achievements.
"I know, right? But I don't know how to approach it. I don't want to lower my standards, or sell out or anything." Jasmine leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. Understanding, I nodded and grabbed the large avocado plush toy from beside me, hugging it to my chest.
"Which companies are you interested in?"
"Well, there's a couple of gaming companies— oh! And this one sells cute anime-themed backpacks! There's also this one company that makes kawaii mechanical keyboards, so damn cute, ahh!" Jasmine said, her cheeks plumping up like they usually do when she gets excited.
"Well, you don't have to accept all of them. Just go with what feels right for you and your brand." I suggested, trying to be helpful.
Jasmine nodded slowly, considering my words. "Thanks, sissy. It means a lot coming from you."
"You're welcome, and if you need some lower-thirds made with your sponsors' logos, I can get Ralph to do that. He does motion graphics."
"That would be amazing! Please ask him and I'll love him forever if he can do that for me!" She beamed, excitement evident in her eyes.
"You got it, sissy." I said, gloating. "So what else is new?" Suddenly, she hopped up from her chair and jumped onto the end of her bed, joining me in the same sitting position.
"Demarius and I are dating." She squealed. I arched an eyebrow, trying to act genuinely surprised like I didn't see them duoing the other night on her live stream, calling each other cute pet names. Her chat seemed overly excited at the news of her relationship with him and there were continuous requests for her to post pictures of him.
"Oh my God, that's great! Tell me everything. How are you liking things with him right now?"
Jasmine's eyes sparkled as she gushed about Demarius. She told me how she felt about him, the things they enjoyed doing together, his support of her streaming and how their connection had grown stronger over time from the time they started hanging out after her graduation. He graduated the year prior.
