Becoming a YouTuber?!

Bonus content: Picture perfect

The next chapter isn't quite ready but I wrote this bonus scene from Emma's point of view to hold you over until the proper chapter is posted Tuesday.

Seeing my sister and Nate's relationship suddenly so shaken was deeply unsettling to me. I had always, without any spec of doubt, thought those two were just sailing through life. They'd found their soulmate in each other and that was the end of it.

Abbey was a very private person and I suspected even I, as her sister and oldest friend, didn't know everything. At least not in the way Nate did, so maybe I was missing something.

She was my brave big sister and if you asked me, she's capable of everything. She's perfect and she magnificently found someone to match her perfection.

I had been so unsure of my relationship with Megan at first. I mean I wasn't even sure I knew how to date a girl. Initially, it felt like a close friendship but we had organically grown together, slowly but surely. Megan had been immensely patient with me but we fought often, as we were both loud opinionated individuals. It worked for us though. But Natigail never fought...

"Do you think they'll be alright?" I asked Megan one evening where I laid with my head in her lap.

"Who?"

"Abbey and Nate. Abbey has been dodging my calls saying she's busy and Nate's vlogs haven't featured her in days," I clarified.

"I'm sure they will," Megan said. "Or they'll make it out better on the other end separately. Your sister is smart and ambitious and she's still figuring out who she is in this world. Nate found his perfect life years ago and Abbey came along just when he needed someone like her."

I paused, considering her words.

"However," she continued, "Abbey was very impressionable when they met. She's bloomed and I have no doubt Nate is a big part of that but she's changed a lot since she got into that relationship. Sometimes that's enough to break up two people even if they love each other."

"I didn't know you were so cynic," I muttered.

"I'm not," Megan argued and moved slightly forwards. "I'm realistic. Relationships aren't a dance on roses or a Disney movie. I know you want to believe that but it just isn't so."

"But theirs is!" I argued. "Their meet-cute is adorable. Many admire their love story as they saw it unfold on YouTube. They've always been so affirmative with each other and I truly think they love each other more than they've ever loved someone else."

"But even you don't know what it's like behind closed doors. I know you and your sister are close but Nate's her true confidant. But I do think you're somewhat right... their love for each other is undeniable. But sometimes even people who really love each other can't stay together."

I was annoyed with Megan's objectivity and how much sense she actually made. Nate had made Abbey so happy, confident and vibrant. After she'd been with him, she'd come out of her shell and let others than just her close family see how wonderful she was.

"You know, I was a bit mad when she first started dating him," I confessed. "It just seemed so easy for her. Stumble across the perfect guy, who she fell in love with and whom fell in love with her. I became even more jealous when I realised she had much better chances of having a fairy-tale wedding than I. She's not even sure she wants to get married!"

"Wait," Megan said and gently pushed me off her lab and nudged me to sit up straight, which I did. "What do you mean by fairy-tale wedding?"

I shrugged, slightly embarrassed by actually having told her about this shameful jealousy I felt sometimes. I pushed it away whenever I felt it because I knew it was bad and I was genuinely happy for her.

"You know, I could never seem to go on more than a few dates with guys and slowly gave up on finding my Prince Charming so to speak. It makes a hell of a lot more sense know that I know I like girls," I said, briefly reflecting on how I had overlooked clues for years. "But... I always envisioned a groom walking up the aisle looking at me like you see in cheesy films."

I looked up to meet the eyes of my girlfriend and I shouldn't have been surprised but I was. She wasn't a guy in a tailored suit, nor was she walking up the aisle to marry me, but she had that look. That look of pure love and affection.

It was only there for a moment before it turned into a sarcastic eye-roll though.

"You can still have a big fairy-tale wedding, dork. Don't let society dictate what you can and cannot do. However, pushing your whole wedding dream onto Abbey is not cool either. So what if she doesn't want to get married? Let her do whatever the fuck she wants."

I looked at girl I loved, talking real shit with me. She was always so educated on social topics that I didn't quite grasp because I never spend any time considering them.

I nodded. "I'm still scared they might actually break up. The rumours are already flying around on social media after their separate trips to Playlist and Creator Summit," I said and settled back into Megan's lap. I felt deeply touched by that look in her eyes though she had made sure to disguise it quickly.

"You just let Abbey handle it, alright?" Megan suggested and tugged a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "She's a big girl and she's stubborn as hell. I doubt she wouldn't let Nate go lightly or the other way around for that matter."

"You're right," I said. Abbey hated people meddling with her personal life. It might just be that I just needed to give the two of them space to work it out themselves. However, I worried that their audience might not be as respectful.