As I continued to stir the frosting, the sound of Emily and Rose's laughter filled the kitchen. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw them sitting on the couch, their hands intertwined as they scrolled through something on Emily's phone. A warm feeling spread through my chest at the sight of them together.

"Ugh, can you two be any more nauseatingly cute?" I teased, trying to mask the fondness in my voice with mock annoyance. Emily looked up, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Sorry, River, we'll try to contain our cuteness," she replied with a playful smile.

Rose nudged Emily gently, her grin widening. "Speak for yourself, Em. I make no promises," she chimed in, her tone teasing. I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly, but couldn't help but smile at their playful banter. "Just don't forget about us single folks over here," I joked, gesturing to myself with a spatula. They both laughed, and Emily joked back. "Don't worry, River, your time will come," she said reassuringly.

I chuckled softly, feeling grateful for their lighthearted presence. "Thanks, Em," I replied sincerely, turning my attention back to the frosting. As I continued to work, their laughter and chatter provided a comforting backdrop. 

 My phone chimed at the same moment the oven timer went off. I quickly turned off the oven and opened the door a bit as I picked up my phone to see it was Marco. 

 -June 8th: 7:50 pm-

Marco: Hey, I have a personal 

question to ask you

River: Sure.

 I rush to grab the oven mitt so I can get the cookies out of the oven and put them on the cookie rack. I grab the Mickey Mouse-themed oven mitts as I go to grab the pan from the oven. I put the pan down as the chime of my phone went off. I look over at my phone.

Marco: When did you realize

 You were trans?

 I blinked as I reread that a few times as I was putting the cookies on the cookie rack. Was he having a gender crisis? Was that why he was having a bad day? I pick up my phone. 

River: I think it started when

 I hit puberty. Like I knew

 something was off but I didn’t 

have the words. When Rose came

 out as a lesbian when I was 16 she

 wanted to go the lgbtq center to

 meet other gays. Mom made me go

 with her and I met Roxy. At the

 She was 22 and a new counselor.

 She was also genderqueer. She used 

She/They pronouns btw. She explained

 what it was like for her and I went 

“Oh I related in a weird way” And the 

more I talked to the trans people at the

 center I went “Oh. I am trans.” 

Marco: Oh that makes sense.

River: Did that help?

Marco: With what?

River: Uh- why did you want to

know?

Marco: Oh. yeah, it helped.

I wanted to press further but I heard giggling behind me. I jerked my head towards the sound and saw Emily and Rose stealing some cookies. “HEY!” I shouted. “We have been caught! Scatter!” Rose yelled as they both ran off with 4 cookies

I couldn't help but laugh as Emily and Rose dashed away, giggling like a pair of mischievous kids. Setting my phone aside, I quickly abandoned my baking station determined to reclaim the stolen cookies. With a playful grin, I darted after them, weaving through the kitchen with surprising agility.

"Come back here, you cookie thieves!" I called out, my laughter echoing through the room as I pursued them. Emily and Rose giggled even harder, their infectious joy filling the air as they ducked around corners and dodged between furniture, each carrying a handful of pilfered treats.

Despite their head start, I managed to catch up to them near the living room, where they had paused to catch their breath, still clutching their ill-gotten gains. I lunged forward, reaching out to snatch the cookies from their hands. Caught off guard, they squealed in surprise, but I managed to reclaim the stolen sweets, grinning triumphantly as I held them aloft. "Gotcha!"