𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑:
Iz was lying on my bed, phone in hand, eyes glued to the screen as she aimlessly scrolled. I was beside her, mirroring her posture, both of us trapped in the black hole of doom-scrolling.

The room was quiet except for the occasional sound of one of us exhaling in boredom. The only light came from our phones, casting a soft glow across the sheets.

Then, out of nowhere, Iz let out a loud gasp.

"Oh my God."

I glanced over at her. "What?"

She turned her phone toward me, and I squinted at the screen.

It was a Facebook post. A girl we went to school with.

Engaged.

I blinked. "No way."

"Yes way," she said, flipping the phone back toward herself and clicking on the girl's profile. "She got engaged last week. And—oh my God look at this rock of a ring."

She zoomed in on the ring, shoving the screen in my face.

I whistled. "Damn. Someone's got money."

"I know, right?" She shook her head, scrolling further. "God, it's so weird seeing people we grew up with doing stuff like this."

I smirked. "What, getting engaged?"

"Yes!" She sat up slightly. "Like, we used to sit behind her in math class while she drew hearts in her notebook and we would make fun of her and now she's somebody's fiancée?"

I shrugged. "People grow up."

"Not me," she muttered, going back to scrolling.

I chuckled, turning my attention back to my own phone. But about a minute later, she gasped again.

"No way."

I sighed. "What now?"

She turned her screen toward me again. Another girl. Another big life event.

"She's pregnant."

I let out a low whistle. "Jesus. When did we get so old?"

"That's what I'm saying." She scrolled through the comments, reading them to herself before glancing up at me. "Can you having kids?"

I snorted. "Absolutely not."

She laughed. "Right? Like, imagine you with a baby."

I smirked. "I'd be a great dad, actually."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." I leaned back against the pillows. "I'd teach them all the important things. How to play video games, how to make the perfect cup of tea, how to pretend to listen when someone's talking but you're actually thinking about something completely different"

"Okay, so, you'd be a terrible dad."

I scoffed. "Excuse me, but those are valuable life skills."

She shook her head, laughing. "God help your future children."

I smirked. "What about you? You think you'd be a good parent?"

She hesitated. "I don't know."

I watched as she absentmindedly scrolled, her expression softer now, like she was actually thinking about it.

"I guess I've never really thought about it that much," she admitted. "It's just... weird to imagine myself in that stage of life."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Silence settled between us for a moment, neither of us scrolling anymore.

Then, she turned her head toward me. "What about marriage?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Do you ever think about it?"

I let out a breath, staring at the ceiling. "I mean... I guess? But not in a serious way."

"Same," she said. "Like, I can picture myself in a wedding dress, standing at the altar, doing the whole 'till death do us part' thing. but I don't see it happening for a while"

I smirked. "I can't picture you in a wedding dress at all."

She nudged me with her foot. "I can't ethier sometimes "

I chuckled, glancing over at her. "So, what, you think you'll just never get married?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "It just doesn't feel real to me. Like, the concept of it is nice, I guess. But actually doing it? Feels impossible."

I hummed in agreement. "Maybe that just means we're not at that stage yet."

"Maybe," she murmured.

For a second, neither of us spoke. realizing what we both just said till iz breaks through the silence

Then, she smirked. "Would you wear a dress at your wedding?"

I scoffed. "Absolutely." I giggle with her

She laughed. "Okay, but be serious. What would your wedding be like?"

I thought for a second. "Small. Nothing too fancy. Maybe somewhere cool, like on a beach or in a cabin in the woods. Good food, good music, no weird distant relatives I don't actually like."

She grinned. "That's solid. Okay, what about me?"

I pretended to think seriously. "Hmm. Probably something simple, but classy. Nothing over-the-top, but also not half-arsed. And you'd absolutely try to get out of writing your vows until the last second."

She gasped. "I would not."

"You absolutely would."

She huffed, but I could see the amusement in her eyes. "Okay, maybe. But I'd nail them in the end I'm better at speaking from the heart than planning."

"Sure sure." I roll my eyes at her

She rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling.

For a while, we just lay there, scrolling through old classmates' lives, watching from a distance as they all took steps into the future while we sat in bed, stuck somewhere between growing up and avoiding it entirely.