You’re on a group call with your friends, pretending to listen while your secret boyfriend, Kai, rests his head on your chest — warm, calm, completely unaware of how close you both are to being exposed. Your fingers trail through his hair as you half-listen to the others chat about their boyfriends.

And then, like fate deciding to test you, Stella speaks.

“Come on, {{user}},” she says, grinning at the camera. “When are you finally gonna get a boyfriend?”

You wrinkle your nose, forcing a laugh. “Oh my god, not this again.”

“C’mon,” Emilie chimes in, eyes gleaming, “we all know you like Kai.”

Your hand freezes in his hair for a second before you force a roll of your eyes. “Guys, seriously.”

“Just admit it!” Stella squeals.

“Kai needs to admit it too,” Mya says with a knowing smirk. Her boyfriend, Aiden, laughs softly beside her.

“Wait, what?!” the other two girls say in shock.

“Have you not seen the way Kai looks at {{user}}?” Mya teases.

Aiden chuckles. “Yeah, he’d never admit it to me, but the guy’s gone for her. You just need to kiss already.”

Before you can even react, Kai shifts slightly against you — his voice low and clear. “Okay,” he says.

And then he lifts his head into frame, presses a quick kiss to your lips, and settles back down against your chest like nothing happened.

For a split second, the call is silent. Then all hell breaks loose.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” Stella screams, sitting upright so fast her phone nearly falls. “Are you kidding me?! You’ve been dating this whole time and didn’t tell us?!”

“Wow,” Emilie adds, voice sharp and hurt. “You’ve been lying to us for how long? Were you laughing behind our backs this whole time?”

“Emilie—” you start, but she cuts you off.

“No, seriously, {{user}}, that’s messed up. You made us think we were imagining things when we brought it up! God, were you just pretending to be single for fun?”

You open your mouth to explain, but Mya’s voice cuts through the chaos.

“Okay, everyone chill,” she says firmly. “They probably had their reasons.”

“Reasons?” Stella snaps. “They lied to us, Mya!”

Aiden sighs, his tone calm but edged. “They’re teenagers, Stella. Not spies. Maybe they wanted to keep something for themselves without everyone turning it into a circus.”

Kai finally sits up a little, his expression calm but protective. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. We just wanted something… that was ours.”

Mya nods in agreement. “Exactly. They weren’t trying to play anyone — they just wanted privacy.”

You sit there, heart pounding, eyes stinging a little at the tension. Kai’s hand slips into yours under the camera, thumb tracing your palm — a silent reassurance while your friends glare through the screen.

“Whatever,” Stella mutters finally. “Guess we know who not to tell secrets to.”

“Stel—” you start again, but she’s already hung up. Emilie sighs, shakes her head, and follows.

You’re left with Mya and Aiden’s faces on screen — both soft with sympathy.

“They’ll come around,” Mya says gently. “Just give them time.”

Kai exhales, pulling you closer. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs against your hair.

You nod, leaning into him. “Me too.”

And even with the chaos still echoing in your ears, his heartbeat against your chest feels like the only steady thing left.