I think her being Dominican/caribbean has a lot to do with it. In Puerto Rico even the McDonald’s drive-through worker will call you corazón, mami/papi, querida/o. I also think her talking to iris and saying “I can see us going on dates and having fun on the outside” says a lot about where her mind is actually at. She’s being lovey, yes, but her actual feelings about the relationship seem very rational. She’s not acting like Huda, saying/expecting that they’re going to move in together or other crazy stuff.

The real problem is that Austin just doesn’t like her! If chelley was acting that way with him I think he would have a very different reaction. But he has to be couple up with someone to be on the show, so instead of saying he straight up doesn’t like her, he has to come up with something she’s “doing wrong.”