My phone rings. I look away from the TV show I'm watching and answer it.
"Hello?" I say grumpily, not really wanting to be interrupted.
"Heeey Ari!" someone very enthusiastic chirps from the other end of the line.
I groan inside. That's my 16 year old cousin Victoria, my aunt Rita's daughter.
I try to sound really polite, "Hi Vic! Umm, I'm really busy at the moment, can I call you back later?"
"Come on Ari," she whines, "I know you're actually not doing anything important. I have really exciting news!"
"Oh really?" I raise an eyebrow, sarcastically.
"Well, you can tell me that later, let me just finish this... this thing I'm doing first," and I end the conversation.
Don't get the wrong impression - I love my uncle and auntie and my cousins, but I'm just not really into smaller children. And today it's double the grumpiness - since mine and Jai's kiss last night he hasn't made even one effort to contact me. I've called, texted, even DMed him on Twitter. Gina sent me a message though, saying I won't have to come to work today, but when I tried texting her back I got no reply. None.
I sigh and dial Victoria's cell number again. After about four rings she picks up.
"Suddenly not busy again?" she smirks.
I grin. She saw through me. "Okay, I just wasn't willing to talk. Now tell me the news?"
"Well... I just started my summer holidays yesterday and mom and auntie were thinking that maybe I could come to visit your family in Melbourne for a month are so-"
"WHAT?!" I interrupt her. "Oh no, nononono. I have a job through the whole summer and I don't have time to be with you and you don't have any friends here..."
"Then I could... come with you to your work? Auntie said it's not a very strict place." I put my head in my hands. Damn you, mom. Why couldn't you just have told I work in an office or as a librarian?
Okay, Vic is not THAT much younger than me and she's not THAT annoying, either. There's just two things I'm worried about. First of all, she has told me multiple times how she adores Aussie guys. I can only pray she has never heard of the Janoskians or else I'll be dead, because when she came with me she would probably be all over them. I really hope she doesn't turn out to be a fangirl.
Second of all, she's really pretty and can get any guy she wants. Boys just seem to fall for her honey-colored hair and brown eyes and Italian nationality. It doesn't seem to work for me, though. And I fear that if Jai saw her, he would fall for her just like all the others and forget about me. Their relationship would be possible, unlike ours. It's stupid, I know, but I just can't risk with that.
Gosh, I have to stop being so paranoid! I gotta embrace the fact that there is nothing actually going on between Jai and I. I don't own him. If he liked Victoria, I would be hurt, but eventually get over it. And the chances that Jai would like her are only 1 out of 5. There are 4 other guys, single and ready to mingle. And there is always the chance that there would only be friendship and that's it. Now I see how dumb I'd been.
I finally smile and say, "Okay, you can go with me if you'd like to. When are you coming anyway?"
"Thanks Ari! You're the best," Victoria says, her voice excited. "I don't know, gotta ask mom." She shouts something and I can hear my aunt Rita answer. "Mom said that if it's okay then with the earliest plane on Wednesday morning?"
I take a glimpse at the calendar. Thursday, July the 24th. That means I have almost one week before Victoria comes. "Sounds fair to me. I'll let my mom call Rita then and sort important things through."
