Aleeza:Yeah, I collect them.
Jay:Is the orange one in your pictures the one that lives on my bed?
Aleeza:Yeah, that’s Tentacle Ted. Since I don’t have Mia anymore, he’s been keeping me company.
Jay:Mia’s the friend that ditched you, right? I saw her in your pictures.
Aleeza:Yeah, she was my best friend since we were kids. We haven’t spoken since I moved out Tuesday.
It’s the longest I’ve gone without talking to Mia since we met. My chest tightens. I have no regrets about moving out, but I didn’t expect this emptiness after losing that friendship.
Jay:Good riddance. I think you’ll find out that you can be yourself now. And be a much better person without her.
That’s ... kind of him to say.
Aleeza:Can I ask you questions just to get to know you too? Not for the podcast.
Jay:Go ahead.
Aleeza:What’s your favorite TV character?
Jay:The Swedish Chef and Nick Fury. What’s yours?
Aleeza:Wait. Why the Swedish Chef? Like the Muppet?
Jay:Yes, the Muppet. He loves good food, and I love good food. Also, there’s chaos whenever he’s cooking and nothing ever works out right, but that doesn’t stop him from trying again the next time. I like his commitment.
Aleeza:So you DO like commitment.
Jay:I am very committed to excellent meals. What’s yours?
Aleeza:Veronica Mars or Velma.
Jay:Velma from Scooby Doo. Of course. Teenage sleuths. Favorite type of food? Mine’s sandwiches.
I chuckle, remembering when Emma said he would take transit to Scarborough just for a sandwich.
Aleeza:Samosas, but only my grandmother’s homemade ones. That or bowls.
Jay:Bowls?
Aleeza:Burrito bowls, poke bowls, papri chat, curry bowls. I like a whole bunch of random things mixed in a bowl.
Jay:Were you the type of kid who mixed all the cereals together?
Aleeza:Yes, I still do.
Jay:We have the opposite taste in food. I like things neatly between bread, and you like them chaotically mixed. Ask me another question.
I do have another question for him. One that’s a bit heavier. I’m a little afraid to ask it. But I do anyway.
Aleeza:Why aren’t you more freaked out? About being missing, I mean. You seem to be taking it well.
Jay:I am freaking out. I’m freaking out so much that I went home yesterday for no reason and spent the whole day with my mother. But I have you, right? My own Veronica Mars to solve this case for me.
Emo bad-boy Jay Hoque is a huge optimist. And at the same time, a total pessimist. He’s a mystery.
Aleeza:You mentioned earlier that this is like a Keanu Reeves movie, but not The Matrix. What movie were you talking about?
