Chapter 4
Jerome
One of the first events that was at the VidGalore Convention was a couples contest. Every year on VidGalore, there was a list of the top ten cutest couples on the platform, so at the convention, the top five would participate in the contest.
Last convention, Nolan and I won and was listed as the cutest couple on the platform. We kept our title of the first cutest couple again, something that didn't please the vlogger with the highest subscriber count. Oops.
Two of the couples in the top five from last year broke up, so it was a whole new list this year. Kind of new. Nolan and I were still the cutest, of course, and the most popular vlogger and his girlfriend were number two.
Literally. They were crap.
When Nolan and I got to the convention, we headed to the room where the contest was going to be held. Since we were invited there by the head of the convention, we got to go inside before the actual doors opened.
Two other couples were there, thankfully none of them being Dirk and Cheryl. Their faces made me want to cringe.
As soon as we sat down in one of the seats, one of the girls, Millie, looked over and gave us a smile. "Hey, congrats on your engagement," she said.
Nolan and I smiled back. "Thank you."
"I freaked out when I saw the video of you announcing it," she said. "So did my boyfriend. He cried."
"What? I did not," her boyfriend, Fitz, said.
"Well, you teared up, so if that isn't crying, then I don't know what is," Millie said.
"Whatever."
Ah, the famous whatever. The one word that meant you lost an argument.
Nolan grabbed his phone out of his pocket, so I hooked my arms loosely around his neck, then rested my chin on his shoulder. "So, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Just sending a text to my mom," he said. "She texted me to ask if I got to the convention safely, so I am reminded her that I am with you and she doesn't have to worry."
"Hey, it's good that she's worrying," I said. "It shows that she cares about you."
"Yeah, I know," Nolan said. "I'm surprised she let me move in with you when I'm not eighteen yet. But that was probably so I didn't have to listen to Tulip go on and on about the wedding, which she apparently she's still doing."
"You know, we can use some of her ideas," I said. "Make her happy, even though she's a brat."
"Don't call my sister a brat."
"She is a brat and you know it."
"Well, yeah, but you can't call my sister a brat."
"But she'll be my sister-in-law soon."
"Then you have to wait until she is your sister-in-law before you could call her a brat. You don't see me calling your siblings are brat."
"I don't have any."
"Exactly."
I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheek. "You're still cute."
"I know."
The last two couples showed up shortly before the competition was going to begin. Dirk immediately glared at me, but I didn't care. He was just jealous at how awesome I was.
When the competition started, each pair had to pick a team name. The MC started on the other side of the table where Dirk and Cheryl were sitting, and they just had to pick their ship name. Chirk. Not that cool of a ship name, to be honest.
The MC went down the table and when he got to me, I leaned closer to the microphone. "Our team name is Jerlan 2.0," I said.
"Why 2.0?" the MC asked.
"Because last time, we were just Jerlan and we were dating," I said. "Now, we're engaged, so we're better than ever."
Hearing the word 'engaged' got a lot of people in the audience to start cheering. I saw Dirk roll his eyes, of course. The only reason he hated me was because Nolan and I took his and Cheryl's cutest couple title on VidGalore.
Bish, they needed to be more cute if they wanted to top me and Nolan.
"Alright," the MC said. "Here's how things will work. One person from each couple will hold the small white board and the marker. They will then be asked a question about their girlfriend or boyfriend, and--"
I cut him off by clearing my throat. "Or fiance."
"Right, or fiance," he said. "And the person holding the white board has to write down the answer. After, the one who the question was asked about must answer the question and if it matches what is said on the whiteboard, a point is earned. Whoever has the most points at the end of the fifteen questions wins, and if there's a tie then there will be a tiebreaker until one couple misses the point. Ready?" Everyone nodded. "Can everyone in the right pick up the white board?" Nolan was the one sitting on the right, so he picked up the board and the marker. "Alright, here's the first question. What city and country was your boyfriend, girlfriend, or fiance born in?"
I looked over at Nolan and he wasn't writing it down. I swear, he better remember it. It was where we were planning on going for our honeymoon and we were just talking about it last night.
Finally, Nolan wrote something down. If it wasn't right, I was going to cry.
"Time's up," the MC said. "We'll start with Jerlan 2.0. Jerome, where were you born?"
"I was born in Cascade, Seychelles," I said. When Nolan was told to turn over the whiteboard, he did. Thankfully, he got it right. If he didn't, I was going to call off the wedding.
Not really, because I loved him too much.
Everyone got the question right, so we moved onto the next one. "What is the name of your significant other's siblings, if any?" the MC asked. "If they have none, just simply right none."
This was going to take a while.
When the time was up, Dirk and Cheryl went first this time before it made our way down to us. "Okay," Nolan said. "There's Ryder, Alan, Orchid, Tulip, Rose, and William. And an unborn baby we don't know the name of yet. And does my sister-in-law count? Because that would be Mae."
The MC told me to flip the whiteboard over, so I did and, of course, we got it right. I even wrote down Mae's name with a question mark because I wasn't sure if his sister-in-law counted.
"The next question is if you and your significant other were to get married, what month would you want the wedding in?" the MC said.
"Oh, come on, that's not fair," Dirk said. "That's basically giving Jerome and Nolan a free point because they are getting married and they already have the date planned."
"Dirk, do you watch my videos?" I asked with a smile. He just scoffed and ignored me.
He was secretly a Jeroman.
"Alright, then Dirk, why don't you think of a question for them?" the MC said.
Bring it, Dirk. Nolan knew me like the back of his hand.
"I'd love to," Dirk said. "Nolan, what does Jerome hate the most about your parents? You'll have to answer for both your mom and dad."
Nolan shrugged before he began writing it down while the other couples wrote down the wedding question.
"Alright, time's up," the MC said. "Team Jerlan 2.0. We'll start with you again. Jerome, what do you hate the most about Nolan's parents? Which is a bit of a harsh question, but Nolan didn't seem to have a problem with it, so...."
"Well, for his dad, it's how he has a tattoo of all his sons' names, but he refuses to get one of my name," I said. "And for his mom, it's how she says it's okay for Nolan to steal my clothes."
Nolan turned around the whiteboard which said Dad - won't get a tattoo of Jerome's name. Mom - let's me steal his clothes.
"See? We got a point either way," I said.
It was even better because Dirk got it wrong about what Cheryl said.
On the fourteenth question, we got it wrong. Well, not really. I knew the answer, but we didn't get the point.
"If your significant other could change anything they did in the past, what would it be?" the MC asked.
I knew the answer, so I wrote it down. But as soon as it was Nolan's turn to answer, I knew he wasn't going to do it, so I leaned towards the microphone and said, "We're going to have to skip this one."
"Are you sure?" the MC asked. "You won't get the point."
"Yeah, I'm sure," I said. I did want Nolan and I to win with full points, but he wasn't going to say that he would change how he tried ending his life before and I didn't want him to think about that again.
"Thanks," Nolan said quietly to me when the points were being added onto the screen to the left. "I know how much you want to win."
"Hey, we still have a chance," I said. "And I wouldn't want to get a point if it made you feel uncomfortable." I gave him a side hug and kissed the side of his head. "I love you."
"I love you too," he said.
"Here's the final question," the MC said. "What does your significant other love the most about you?"
Nolan quickly wrote down the four-lettered answer. I already knew he was going to get it right.
"Alright," the MC said. "Jerlan 2.0. Jerome, what do you love the most about Nolan?"
"His eyes," I said. "They're just....so blue."
Nolan turned around the whiteboard, which said eyes.
We ended up tying with two other couples; Dirk and Cheryl, and Fitz and Millie so we got a tiebreaker.
"Here's the tiebreaker," he said. "If only one couple gets it right, they're the winner. If two get it right, those two will move to another question, and if all three get it right, they'll all move on. So, when is all of your significant other's family members birthdays? That's their parents and their siblings and including theirs."
Oh.
Come on. That was eight I had to answer.
I got this. I went to all their birthdays anyway.
When the time was up, he started with Dirk and Cheryl. Dirk had to answer it about Cheryl and he missed one of her sisters' birthday. Same with Fitz. He missed Millie's brother's birthday.
"And Jerlan 2.0," the MC said. "If you get it wrong, there'll be another tiebreaker. So, Nolan, when is all your family members' birthday?"
"Okay, my dad's is February fourth," Nolan said. "My mom's is February fourteenth. Ryder's is May twenty-second. My, Alan, and Orchid's is December twenty-sixth, Tulip's is July sixth, Rose's is April fourteenth, William's is June eighteenth, and I don't know if my sister-in-law counts but if it does, then Mae's is May twenty-ninth."
I turned the whiteboard around. "I think I got it all," I said. "Even Mae's. I regret getting married to someone with so many siblings' birthdays I have to remember."
"Yeah, Nolan, you're going to have to repeat that," the MC did, so he did as the MC looked at the whiteboard.
"And that's all correct," the MC said. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of this year's couples contest is the reigning champions, Jerome and Nolan."
Duh.
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Poor Jerome having to remember all those birthdays. cx Just like one of my sisters' boyfriends. He has to know all ten of our birthdays. cx OOPS.
But it's less for Jerome because three of them share a day.
But yay, Jerlan for the win because Jerlan. I love them so much and they're still my OTP. (go away Kenny and Calvin and stop trying to creep your way to the top even if you are my child Calvin)
But can you blame Calvin? Like:
Okay now I'll post a gif of Nolan so you can see his blue eyes
Aww cutie <3