The sound of a notification on my phone broke the silence of dawn. Still half-asleep, I reached for the device from the table and unlocked the screen. What I saw made me frown.
Olivia had posted something on Instagram. And it wasn't just anything.
The photo she took last night — the one of Lindsay and me sleeping curled up together on the couch — was now on her profile, accompanied by a caption that read:
"When two people try to hide the obvious... but Olivia Hart always has photographic evidence. 📸✨ #LoveInYosemite #CaughtByAProfessional."
I rolled my eyes. Of course, she would do this. Naturally, Olivia couldn't just keep the photo to herself. No, she had to share it with the entire world.
But what really surprised me were the comments. My friends had already responded, as if they'd been waiting for this post their whole lives.
Megan : "I already knew. Now we just need official confirmation. 😏💕 #TimeToWait" Megan has always been straightforward, but this was too much even for her. Confirmation? There wasn't even anything to confirm.
Marcus : "Congrats, man. That blonde girl has been crazy about you for a while. Just… take care of yourself. 😂"
Marcus never misses an opportunity to mess with me. "Crazy about me," sure. As if that were true.
Daniel : "I didn't think you'd ever get a girlfriend, Sack. I thought you'd stay alone reading books and avoiding humans forever. Congrats, I guess. 🤷♂️😂"
Daniel always has that mix of sarcastic humor and brutal honesty. It didn't help that he was right about some things.
Charlotte : "So happy for you, Lindsay! You two look adorable together. ❤️🌸 #FriendshipsThatTurnIntoSomethingMore"
Charlotte has always been closer to Lindsay than to me, but even so, her comment made me feel uncomfortable. We weren't a couple. Not officially. I didn't even know what we were.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, processing everything. I hadn't expected the photo to go viral among our circles so quickly. Olivia had a special talent for causing social chaos.
Just as I was about to put the phone down, I heard a faint "ding" from across the room. Lindsay was sitting at the kitchen table, with her own phone in hand. Her expression shifted from curiosity to surprise in a matter of seconds.
"Did you see it?" she asked, looking up at me. Her tone was a mix of disbelief and amusement.
I nodded, letting out a sigh.
"Yes. Olivia just posted the photo."
Lindsay let out a small laugh.
"Of course, she did. I should've seen it coming. But… have all of them responded already?"
I showed her my screen without saying anything. Her eyes scanned the comments quickly, and I could see her face turning slightly red.
"Oh my God," she murmured, covering her face with one hand. "Megan already knew… Knew what?"
"Probably knows us better than we think," I replied dryly, though I couldn't help but let a small smile slip through.
"And Daniel…" Lindsay continued, pointing to his comment. "'I didn't think you'd ever get a girlfriend'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means Daniel thinks I'm antisocial," I said, shrugging, trying to downplay it.
"Well, technically, you kind of are," Lindsay teased, but her tone shifted slightly when she mentioned Charlotte's comment. "And… she says we're 'adorable together.'"
We sat in silence for a moment. The atmosphere felt strangely charged, as if we were both thinking the same thing but neither wanted to say it out loud.
Finally, Lindsay broke the silence.
"I guess everyone now thinks we're… something."
"We're friends," I said quickly, maybe too quickly. I realized I sounded defensive, but I didn't want this to spiral out of control.
"Yes, of course, friends," Lindsay repeated, though her tone suggested she wasn't entirely convinced.
I decided to change the subject before the conversation became even more awkward.
"Olivia is going to pay for this."
Lindsay laughed, regaining her usual energy.
"No doubt. But first, we need to think of something creative. Something that'll make her suffer as much as we're suffering now."
"Like what?" I asked, intrigued.
"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something," Lindsay said with a mischievous smile that reminded me a lot of Olivia.
At that moment, we heard footsteps in the hallway. Olivia appeared in the living room, yawning and stretching as if she had just woken up.
"Good morning, lovebirds," she said with a huge smile, holding her phone. "I see my post is already causing a stir. What did you think of the comments?"
Lindsay and I exchanged a quick glance before responding.
"That was a dirty move," I said, crossing my arms.
"Dirty? It was art!" Olivia exclaimed, clearly proud of herself. "Besides, everyone needed to know the truth."
"There's no 'truth' to tell," Lindsay interjected, though her tone didn't sound entirely convincing — not to me, and probably not to herself either.
"Uh-huh, sure," Olivia replied, winking at us. "Let's keep telling ourselves that."
Before we could respond, Olivia was already walking toward the kitchen, humming a song and acting as if nothing had happened.
Lindsay sighed and stood up from the table.
"I'm going to make coffee. I think we're going to need it."
I nodded, watching her walk away. I knew this day was going to be long. My friends' words kept echoing in my mind, and although I tried to ignore them, I couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to them.
After all, Olivia was right about one thing: that photo didn't lie. But admitting it out loud was another story.
Later, after breakfast…
The three of us were in the living room, relaxed but tired from the long hike the day before. Olivia was sprawled on the couch, scrolling through her phone, while Lindsay and I discussed what to do today.
"Honestly, I don't think I can walk anymore," Lindsay said, massaging her legs. "Yesterday was intense."
"I agree," I added, leaning back against the couch. "Maybe we should stay here today. Rest, read, watch movies…"
"Movies!" Lindsay exclaimed with a mischievous smile. "I know exactly what we can do."
Olivia looked up from her phone, suspicious.
"What kind of movies?"
"Something classic," Lindsay replied, feigning innocence. "Something we should all watch at least once in our lives."
"I don't like the sound of that," Olivia muttered, narrowing her eyes.
"It's The Ring ," I chimed in, joining Lindsay's plan. "A legendary horror movie. Perfect for a quiet afternoon in the cabin."
"No way!" Olivia protested, jumping up. "You know I hate horror movies. I'm not spending hours watching a ghost girl crawl out of a TV. That's traumatic!"
"Exactly why we're watching it," Lindsay said, crossing her arms. "Consider this your punishment for posting that photo."
"It's unfair!" Olivia whined dramatically. "Besides, what's my fault if you two look adorable together?"
"That's not your decision to make," I said, raising an eyebrow. "So, get ready. The movie starts in ten minutes."
"You guys are the worst friends ever!" Olivia shouted, but she couldn't help laughing in the end.
Half an hour later, the three of us were on the couch, lights off, the TV screen illuminating the room. Olivia was wrapped in a blanket, almost completely covered, while Lindsay and I tried not to laugh every time she jumped at a scare.
"This is cruel!" Olivia whispered during a particularly tense scene. "I'll never post compromising photos again, I promise."
"Too late," Lindsay replied, smiling. "Now enjoy the show."
When the movie ended, Olivia was pale and trembling.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight," she said, clutching her pillow like a life raft.
"That was the point," I said, unable to hold back a laugh.
Despite Olivia's protests, the day had turned out perfectly. Relaxed, fun, and full of little acts of revenge. Maybe we hadn't resolved anything about what everyone thought of Lindsay and me, but for now, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that we were here, together, living moments we'd never forget.