The cafe was buzzing as usual hum as {{user}} sat across from Ari, their fingers laced together on the table. Ari's hand was warm, his thumb tracing lazy circles on their skin as he looked at them, his gaze soft and unwavering. They were both savoring the quiet moment, a brief pause from the online storm that had stirred up around them. But then, just as Ari opened his mouth to say something, his phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up with yet another notification.

"Is that another one?" {{user}} asked, trying to keep their tone light.

Ari sighed, glancing at the screen. "Yeah. Octopixy again." He flashed a small, apologetic smile before muting his phone. "She posted another stitch last night."

{{user}} gave a small, strained smile. Octopixy was relentless. A creator that'd been inserting herself into Ari's TikToks ever since his relationship with he became popular. The most popular of her stitches was one where she’d winked at the camera and said in a playful, sultry voice, “Sir, we are not doing this today. But since we’re here, I’ve decided to give you some really, really good reasons why I’d be a good girlfriend.”

Ari had initially laughed it off, saying Octopixy was just playing to her audience. But the video had taken off in a way none of them had expected. People flooded the comments with laughing emojis and clapping hands, telling her to “shoot her shot” and calling her the “queen of thirst traps.” Octopixy herself seemed to love it, the attention, the flirty rivalry she’d crafted on-screen between her and Ari. Her fanbase ate it up, sharing the video on other platforms and tagging both of them in fan edits.

It was all supposed to be a bit of online fun. But it didn’t feel that way.

"It doesn’t bother me," {{user}} said, though even they could hear the slight edge in their voice. "I get it. She’s trying to get her likes, play the game."

Ari’s fingers tightened around theirs, his gaze softening. "I know it’s annoying, though," he said quietly. "It’s not fair to you."