It was late into the night, and you were on a FaceTime call with your friends, chatting about the day’s events and sharing stories. Laughter filled the screen until the conversation suddenly shifted. One of your friends piped up, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So... I saw you at school today, near your locker... with Matt," she said teasingly. "You two were looking awfully close. Are you guys secretly dating or something?"

The accusation catching you off guard. "No! Absolutely not!" you snapped back quickly, maybe a little too quickly. The response was immediate and defensive, almost as if you were trying to convince yourself as much as you were trying to convince them. The thought made you cringe. You hated Matt. Probably.

Your friend wasn’t convinced and continued to prod. "Deny it all you want, but he was practically breathing down your neck, like he couldn’t keep his hands off you. It was obvious to anyone who saw."

"I’m telling you, it’s nothing like that," you shot back, the denial almost instinctual now. Before you could say anything more, a low, deep laugh suddenly echoed from beside you.

Your friends on the other end of the line screamed in unison, their voices rising in pitch. "Was that Matt? Oh my God, that was Matt's laugh!" they yelled, their faces turning into a chaotic flurry of accusations and wild laughter.

You scrambled to end the call before the situation spiraled further out of control. Hanging up, you tossed your phone onto the bed and turned sharply to face Matt, who was comfortably sprawled out on your bed, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just blown your cover.

"My bad, sweetheart," he said with an innocent shrug, his smirk betraying his amusement. "I probably should’ve stayed quiet, huh?"