I read it again — slower. It still sucks. Not even a "Hey" or a "Just saw this" — just a passive-aggressive slap in lowercase.

  "Did you guys see Liam's email?" I ask, holding up my screen.

  Jessie's mouth flattens. "Yup. He's pissed."

  "Pissed I can deal with," I say. "Condescending? Less cute."

  Dean clutches his chest theatrically. "Getting scolded by someone that hot feels personal."

  "Maybe don't answer yet," Jessie says, ever the diplomat. "We didn't do anything wrong. Let it breathe."

  She’s right. But something about that tone — like we are toddlers in a dress-up game pretending to run a studio — made my blood boil.

  "We're not amateurs. We're a small studio, yeah. But this is what we do." I’m fuming quietly. "Whatever. He can stay pressed."

  "I'm just relieved I'm not going with you guys on Monday," Dean muttered, mock-wiping sweat from his brow. "He sounds intense."

  "I think ‘pissed’ will be a good look on him. Clenched jaw, cold posture.” Jess says, hands to her cheeks, “Big ‘tsundere' vibes."

  Dean smiles "Ah. The emotionally constipated heart of gold type."

  We laugh.

  We call it a day and start packing up.

  "So, tomorrow we have a photoshoot at ten." I remind everyone.

  "Yep, the cream background." Dean nods, slinging his backpack on.

  "There's not so much to prepare, just the lighting and the backdrop." I look over at Jessie, who is still sitting at the kitchen table.

  "I actually wanted to ask you something," she says carefully. "Can I crash here tonight?"

  I blink. Right — Ana is also coming over. "Everything okay?"

  "Yeah, it's just—they're fumigating my building. It reeks like death. I can text someone else if it's too much trouble, seriously—"

  "Shut up," I cut her off. "You're absolutely staying. I already have someone else coming, but she's cool. You'll get along."

  "No problem with me," she says, visibly relieved.

  "Aww, are you guys having a sleepover?" Dean asks with a clown frown. "I feel so left out."

  We lean in and squeeze him, laughing.

  "You know you can stay too." I remind him.

  "I know." He hugs us tight, then pulls away with a sigh. "But I actually have shit to do tonight. I'm out."

  I open the door for him. "See you tomorrow."

  "Bye, weirdos."

  As soon as the door clicks shut, I text Ana and Daniel:

  To Ana: Hey, just a heads-up — a friend of mine asked to crash here tonight too. Is that okay with you?

  Ana: Of course. Just tell me when I can come.

  Me: Come anytime, we're done working.

  Ana: On my way. I have wine and flowers.

  God, I love her. Suddenly the idea of tonight felt so fun. Something close to comfort.

  To Daniel: Hey babe. I have some friends staying over tonight. Would you mind crashing at one of the guys' places?

  I waited. No immediate reply. But I'm sure he'll be fine with it. I can explain tomorrow.

  The doorbell rings just as Jessie and I are moving the couch to make more space in the living room. I pad over in my socks and open the door to Ana, wine in one hand, a tote bag slung over her shoulder.

  "Emergency girls' night essentials," she says, stepping in. "One bottle of wine, one little bag of joy, and one emotionally damaged woman ready to process."

  "You've come to the right place," I say, hugging her tight. She smells like oranges and vanilla.

  Jessie pops her head out from the hallway. "Did I hear wine?"

  "You heard salvation," Ana grins.

  "Hi, I’m Jess." She waves.

  "Ana, nice to meet you."

  I clock the space they leave between them — the careful distance, the polite pause. It feels strange to watch. Back home, we’d already be kissing cheeks, even if we’d just met. This hovering, standing still and looking at each other, like waiting for instructions — it kills me, but in a funny way.

  I step aside and gesture toward the living room. "Come in. Mi casa es tu casa."

  Ana kicks off her shoes and hands Jessie the bottle like she’s passing a torch.

  "No one brought a corkscrew, right?" I ask, digging through the kitchen drawers. "Because I will bite it open if I have to."

  "Relax," Jessie says, holding up my wine opener. "We’re not animals."

  While I pour, Ana pulls a small grinder and a pre-roll from her bag, and sets them on the table with deliberate care, as if beginning a ritual.

  "No judgment," she says.

  "Only devotion," Jessie replies.

  We giggle.

  The wine hits fast — the kind that makes your cheeks warm. Jessie turns off the big light, and I put on the string of fairy lights that framed the living room. We sit in a triangle on the carpet, over a blanket, pillows everywhere. We looked like some kind of coven in crisis.

  I got a reply from Daniel.

  Daniel: No problem babe.

  "So," Ana says, exhaling a slow puff. "You two are like... work-married now?"

  "Basically," Jessie giggles. "But without the sex and with way more caffeine dependency."

  "We're all burnout-coded," I add.

  Ana laughs, tilting her head back. "You guys are funny." She grabs her glass. "I didn’t realize how much I missed this kind of energy."

  "What do you mean?" Jess also reaches for her wine.

  "Since I got in a relationship I’ve been neglecting my friends a lot."

  "I know what you mean." I say thinking of all the people I got distant with since I started the company and dating Daniel.

  "And yesterday, with my friends — even with all the chaos — I laughed more than I expected." She glances between us. "And I was a bit nervous about tonight, but this feels easy."

  I nod. Yeah, she’s right. This feels easy.

  Jessie says, a little shy, "Sorry — you said your name was?"

  "Jessie, this is Ana," I say, and gesture like a television show host presenting the famous guest for the night. "Remember? Daniel told us today at the table, that he was going to see his friend Martin, that was pretty bad because Ana his girlfriend—"

  "—left just a note and disappeared," Jessie cuts in, hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God. You’re fugitive. I'm gonna have the full story. This is exciting." She makes little claps.

  Ana laughs, "Daniel really said that?"

  "Yeah. Apparently he has . Just came home to a note and got dumped out of nowhere. End of story."

  "Oh, that makes me so pissed." She says clenching her jaw and making a fist.

  "Then what’s the full story?" Jessie says, lighting the joint again "Why did you leave?"

  Ana set her glass down with the slow caution of someone about to detonate something.

  "Okay," she says, sitting up straighter.

  "You want the full story? Buckle up."

  Jessie and I exchange glances, wine glasses half-raised, bracing.

  "So... the first was a long time ago."

  She gave a deep breath.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "He picked me up from work, and when I got in the car I sat on something, it was a silver earring hoop. And really, look at me—" She moved her hair with her hands to show her golden earring and her golden rings.

  "Yeah…no. You totally have a gold skin complexion." Says Jess while shaking her head.

  Ana makes a face. "When I asked him about it he said Like, I don't know my accessories. I obviously said , and then he brushed it off saying ‘. So I just believed him and forgot about it"

  "And what does he do for a living?"

  "He’s a real estate agent."

  I didn’t know that. I’m amazed sometimes at how little I know about people.

  She tucks her hair behind her ear. "Then, animal hair. Over and over. On his socks, his pants, even his shoes." She pauses dramatically. "Do you know how intimate it is to take your shoes off at someone else's house?"

  Jessie bites her lip. "Inside the shoes?"

  Ana nodded. "Like, where are you kicking your shoes off, my guy? Who is letting you walk around in socks? Worst thing, I brushed that off also."

  I’m trying to pass the joint back to Jessie, who’s too absorbed to notice my hand hovering next to her. I poke her until she grabs it.

  "So then the movie thing happened," Ana says. "And that’s when I checked his phone."

  "What thing?" Jess asks, instantly alert.

  "There was this movie I’d been talking about for months," Ana says. "We never went to see it. Then one night it pops up on Netflix, and I ask him, ‘Do you remember this one?’ and he goes —she tilts her head, role-playing—‘Didn’t we watch it?’"

  Jessie gasps in slow motion. I have another sip of wine.

  "I say, ‘Did we?’" Ana continues. "And then he describes the entire movie"

  "And that’s how you realized?"

  "Yep, that night I checked his phone."

  "What did you see?" she asks, practically whispering.

  "Texts," Ana said. "Flirty, gross, all timestamped for when he said he was at work. Nudes. ‘I miss you's' after they saw each other. Whole-ass conversations about their little ‘getaways.'" She mimes air quotes so hard it looks like a claw. "And here's the kicker — all those work trips he's been taking, were actually weekends with her."

  I made a disgusted face, "Oh my god."

  "Oh I'm not done," she says, eyes full of hate. "Guess where I found photos of them together?"

  "I'm scared." I say, putting a hand on my stomach, that's usually where I hurt emotionally.

  "At The Sunset"

  "No. Fucking. Way." I can't wrap my head around that.

  Jessie opens her eyes in realization "Where Daniel works. So, he knows?!"

  "To be honest Emma, for a bit I thought you knew." Ana says leaving the joint on the ashtray.

  "Me?! No fucking way. I had no idea."

  "Yeah, I noticed the other night I told you everything."

  "So you guys bonded over this?" Jessie says.

  We look at each other and nod to the realization.

  She makes that face you do when you see puppies playing. "Awwe, this is SO cute."

  We all laugh in between rage and psychosis.

  And it starts to sink in for me "But wait, so—"

  "For sure Daniel knows, yes. He was in the background in a couple of pics."

  I can't believe this. I feel like a rock falling into my stomach. "And what about the note? What you wrote?"

  "I wrote " She says it like reciting a poem.

  "You're telling me Daniel sat at the table today, repeated Martin's fake sob story, acted confused, when he knew everything?"

  She shrugs, "I don't know how much Daniel knows. But yeah, he knows. Actually,—start looking for her phone around her—here I have it." Finds it under a pillow.

  She scrolls a bit and seconds later shows me her screen. A picture, clearly at The Sunset. Flash hitting on Martin and a brunette girl kissing. Orange light from the bar in the background. And right there behind the bar, Daniel talking with a client glancing at the scene.

  I have no words. He performed for at the table.

  Ana broke the silence. "Emma, does Daniel know I’m here?"

  I shook my head slowly, still in shock.

  "Am I going to bring you problems with him? Because I don't want that."

  "You don’t have to worry about my relationship," I say quickly. "I’m having my own doubts anyway." The last part slips out before I can stop it. My stomach growls loud enough to cut through the moment. They both notice and laugh.

  "It’s the weed," Jess says.

  I grab my stomach, "Yeah. I’m gonna make some popcorn. I need to feed the beast" I move to the kitchen. It’s not that I’m trying to change the topic. Not at all.

  "Can we order something? I'm feeling like French fries." Ana says stretching on the couch.

  "And onion rings? We can order at Burger, they have plant-based options." I suggest.

  Jessie grabs her wallet, "I will just eat popcorn, I'm short on cash."

  "Jessica shut up. I’ve got you," I say, rolling my eyes.

  She smiles at me, "Thanks"

  Okay, food is coming. We stand around the stove waiting for the popcorn to pop.

  "You were saying, what doubts?" Jessie presses.

  "Well, last week we were at The Sunset." I say, gesturing between Jess and me. "At some point she went to the bathroom, and I glanced around for Daniel."

  I hesitate. "He was talking to this girl I've never seen before. And they looked so… close."

  "But, flirty vibes?" Ana asked.

  I shook my head. "Not really. They were just talking and laughing. And maybe I'm just being insane, but it felt like... more than friends. Like they had a chemistry way too familiar."

  The corn starts to explode violently inside the metal pot, and I grab the handles to shake it.

  "You talked to him about her?" Jessie says, handing me a bowl.

  "Yes," I shrug.

  I peeked into the pot to check if it’s done, but a few explosive kernels jump at me. I put the lid back on, and shake them a bit more.

  "He said she is just a new girl. Didn’t even know her that much. But guys, I swear…he was talking so relaxed with her. I don't have a logical explanation, just like this hunch that they liked each other."

  Actually, it is more than that, I feel like they have a deep connection, but this sounds less crazy.

  "Intuition is real," Ana says. "Especially when you're already seeing cracks."

  I pour the popcorn. "Yeah," I whispered. My eyes teared up a bit. "I just never had him as the lying type. Performative, yeah, dismissive, sometimes, but he never lied." I thought about it twice, "that I know of."

  We all refill our wine glasses sit again in the living room around the popcorn bowl.

  "I think you should talk with Daniel about Martin, and about this girl." Ana says, reaching my hand.

  "Yeah, I know." I grunt. "Is that, I can't make my mind on why we are not working out lately. So, it's like I'm going to complain about a thousand little things I'm just , but what's really bothering me is not that. And I can't find what it is."

  The silence that followed wasn't awkward — it was heavy with understanding. Ana gets her things to grind to roll another, but a notification on her phone gets her attention.

  The bell rang, and I went down to pick up our food. When I got back upstairs Ana was doing a live on Instagram.

  "Hi guys, hi Natt. Hiii. How's everyone doing? I am here, having a chill night with two friends."

  I leave everything on the coffee table, and start to unpack the burgers, and the fries, while watching her talking to her screen. She stretches out to grab some fries.

  "Okaay, Hii Jason! Hii. Oh my god, everyone is coming in, this is insane." She grabbed her glass of wine, and gave a sip.

  I give Jessie her burger and sit next to her. I lean a bit a whisper, "What's going on?"

  Jessie mouths almost without any sound, "I don't know, she saw her phone and started a live."

  We both start to eat popcorn at the same time, it’s cinema.

  Ana is so pretty omg, and her Instagram is the most aesthetic thing I've seen. She is saying non stop to people who's joining her live. Suddenly she makes a pause, her smile becomes a bit colder, like performed.

  With a slow clap she says. "Okay, it's time to start. So, first, I wanna tell everyone I'm okay. I know I've been avoiding calls these past few days and I'm sorry, I'll call back everyone."

  She fixed her bangs casually.

  "And second," she took a breath like gathering courage. "It looks like I'm gonna have to explain what has been really going on in my relationship. Because I think that Martin hasn't been telling the full story from what I heard." It looks like she’s reading what people’s saying, “Oh, I bet he told you that.—Yeah I’ll spill the tea—”

  I have this intense gut feeling. I grab my phone in a rush and enter her live. I start checking between the people watching it—and there they are, Martin, Paul, and Daniel. My stomach kind of twists. Daniel doesn't know that I know what I know. But now he clearly knows.

  "But not today, I'm gonna do another live tomorrow, at this time. And if you wanna know, join in." She blows a kiss to the cam and ends the live right there.

  "Girrrrlllll. Like. What?" I say, I'm overstimulated.

  She is fired up. "He wrote me an email— because I blocked him from everywhere — saying that he is not leaving the apartment until I go there and talk to him, that I'm not being reasonable, and that's unfair. After all he’s done for me." She laughs hysterically.

  I’m already attacking my burger, ignoring the knot on my stomach named Daniel.

  "He didn't say like really? Because what he did was fair." Jessie says, outraged.

  "HE DID! He literally said, " She takes a bite of her order, takes a second, and continues, "and now he is texting me, and it keeps going, he is desperate."

  "Let him spiral for a while, talking to himself." Jessi says, “Nothing you say will calm him down.”

  "Uhh, I like that. I'll let him spiral for a while."

  “Is this like a ‘leave the apartment or I’ll expose you’ kind of scenario? Not judging, just asking” I say and stuff my mouth with fries.

  My phone buzzes on the table, and we all look at it like a ticking bomb—Daniel.

  I stop mid motion, re-reading. The sudden realization of an incoming confrontation with Daniel is enough to wipe my appetite. I drop the potato.

  The guys notice I stopped stuffing my mouth with food.

  "You got a text too, right?" Ana says, looking a bit worried.

  I nod. But why the fuck am I getting nervous for? if the one hiding and acting is him. Yeah I avoided saying Ana was coming, but mostly because of his friendship with Martin, and it was a delicate moment. Not because I wanted to hide it. This is so stupid. I remembered him today at the table saying It's not crazy if you know he has been cheating. He could just avoid saying that. Or anything.

  I text back, barely keeping up with my own typing.

  Me:Yeah, Ana's here.

  Daniel: Okay Emma, talk later.

  Infuriating.

  Both girls are staring at me like time had stopped since I started texting.

  "So, he texted me…" I read the back and forward to them. Both silent.

  "It's okay guys, don't worry. I'm sure we will talk tomorrow and figure it out."

  Ana stretches her hands like about to play the piano "Can we just roll another one and try to change the vibe?"

  It was a unanimous "Yes!"

  We gathered around the ashtray while listening to some latin music.

  Jessie leans back against the couch "So," she starts, "escape room guy is no longer a thing."

  Ana perks up. "Wait—what? That's a real person?"

  Jessie nods, already laughing at herself. "Yeah, I dated a guy who did competitive escape rooms," Jessie clarifies, deadpan. "Like, as a sport. That was his thing. And look—I thought I could be chill about it. Everyone has weird hobbies, right?"

  Ana chuckles. "Do we?"

  "Well. Turns out, dating someone who treats emotional intimacy like a timed puzzle... not ideal."

  I say, halfway through a sip. "Why? What happened?"

  Jessie sighs, swirling her wine like she is stirring up regret. "Last week, we had this dumb conversation where I said I wasn't sure where things were going. Like, just opening the door for an honest talk, right?"

  We both nod.

  "He goes… "

  Ana blinks. "I'm sorry?"

  "I know," Jessie says. "And then he says something like, "

  I spontaneously laugh while drinking, so now my nostrils taste like wine. "No. Nooo. That’s not true."

  Jessie nods solemnly. "Dead serious. Said it like it was profound. Like he just dropped poetry."

  Ana clutches a pillow to her chest. "You should've left immediately."

  "I did." Jessie takes a sip. "I told him, and left."

  We burst out laughing, wine glasses spilling. Greta meows as if she is offended by the sudden chaos.

  Muffled by our laughter I start to hear the bell, followed by bangs on the door. I think we all hear the same because we go silent.

  We exchange looks.

  Suddenly more bells—now frenetic, and the banging continues, louder, stronger this time. Greta jolts under the couch.

  "EMMA!" We hear a loud scream from the door.

  "I KNOW ANA IS THERE!"

  "OPEN THE DOOR!"