The Group Chat Incident
In hindsight, you should have known Jake would figure it out.
Not because he was particularly observant.
He wasn't.
In fact, Aussie Line had spent years making fun of Jake for missing painfully obvious things.
But once Jake noticed something?
It was over.
The discovery happened because of Berry.
Again.
You and Chan had volunteered to walk her after dinner.
Which wasn't suspicious.
Not even remotely.
You'd all walked Berry before.
Except this time, Hanni had mysteriously declined.
With a smile.
A very knowing smile.
You were still annoyed at her for figuring out your secret before anyone else.
"She's enjoying this way too much," you muttered as Berry enthusiastically investigated a bush.
Chan laughed quietly.
"Definitely."
The Sydney evening air was cool.
The streets were quiet.
And for the first time since arriving, you and Chan were actually alone.
Really alone.
No Hanni.
No Jake.
No parents.
Well.
Except Berry.
But she didn't count.
"You okay?" Chan asked.
You smiled.
"Yeah."
A beat.
"It's weird."
"What is?"
"Being here with you."
He glanced over.
"Good weird?"
"The best kind."
The smile he gave you made your chest ache.
Even after two months.
Especially after two months.
Because you'd spent years loving Bang Chan as your best friend.
And only two months realizing you'd been in love with him the entire time.
"Come here."
The words escaped before you could think.
Chan blinked.
"What?"
You held out your arms.
"You've been busy all day."
He laughed.
"That's your excuse?"
"Yes."
"Terrible excuse."
"Come here anyway."
He did.
Of course he did.
And for a minute, under the Sydney streetlights, with Berry attempting to eat leaves nearby, you let yourself have this.
His arms around you.
Your face against his chest.
Home.
"OH MY GOD."
You both jumped apart so violently that Berry barked.
Jake stood twenty feet away.
Holding takeaway coffees.
Staring.
Actually staring.
Your soul departed your body.
"Oh my God," Jake repeated.
"No," Chan said immediately.
"No?"
"No."
"You were hugging."
"We hug."
"You were doing the look."
You blinked.
"The what?"
"The look!"
"There is no look!"
"There is absolutely a look!"
Jake pointed at both of you accusingly.
"I knew you were weird!"
Ten minutes later, the three of you sat on a bench.
Berry slept under it.
You contemplated faking your own death.
Jake looked thrilled.
Chan looked like he wanted to join you.
"So."
Jake grinned.
"How long?"
You buried your face in your hands.
"Two months."
He screamed.
"TWO MONTHS?!"
Chan sighed.
"Please don't yell."
"You've been dating for TWO MONTHS?!"
"Yes."
"The dating rumors?"
You froze.
Oh no.
"The grainy photo."
Oh no.
"The one where everyone thought you were secretly seeing someone."
Oh no.
"The one WE HELPED YOU DENY."
Oh.
No.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
You nodded.
Jake looked at you.
Then Chan.
Then you again.
Then he burst out laughing.
Actually crying laughing.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT."
"You can't tell anyone."
Jake stopped laughing.
Immediately.
His expression became serious.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
He looked genuinely offended.
"I'd never out you."
Your chest tightened.
Because that's why you loved them.
All of them.
Beneath the teasing and chaos and drama, there was always that.
Trust.
"Thank you."
Jake smiled.
Then pulled out his phone.
You narrowed your eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Jake."
"Nothing."
"Jake."
He looked up.
Grinning.
"Technically, you only said I couldn't tell anyone."
Your blood ran cold.
"Jake."
"I'm not telling anyone."
"Jake."
He started typing.
"Oh my God."
AUSSIE LINE 🔥🇦🇺🦘
Jake: GUYS.
Jake: EMERGENCY.
Rosé: who's dying
Jennie: if this is another mario kart argument im muting this chat
Lily: i'm at rehearsal what happened
Danielle: ????
Felix: mate what
Hanni: 😊
Rosé: why is hanni smiling
Jake: REMEMBER THE DATING RUMOURS.
Felix: ???????
Lily: WHICH ONES
Jake: THE GRAINY PHOTO.
You lunged for his phone.
He dodged.
"JAKE!"
Chan looked moments from cardiac arrest.
Jake: WE WERE WRONG.
Rosé: WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WERE WRONG
Jake: IT WAS REAL.
Jennie: ?????
Felix: WAIT WHAT
Danielle: HOLD ON
Jake: AND THE PERSON IN THE PHOTO—
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
You had never hated technology more.
Jake: WAS CHAN.
The group chat exploded.
Actually exploded.
Messages flying faster than humanly possible.
Felix: WHAT
Rosé: WHAT
Lily: WHAT
Danielle: WHAT
Jennie: EXCUSE ME
Felix: BANG CHRISTOPHER CHAN?????
Rosé: YOU MEAN TO TELL ME
Jennie: WE HELPED COVER UP YOUR ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP
Lily: I DEFENDED YOU IN INTERVIEWS
Danielle: I LIED FOR YOU
Felix: I TOLD PEOPLE THEY WERE DELUSIONAL
You closed your eyes.
You were going to die.
In Australia.
Because of Jake.
Then another message.
From Felix.
Felix: wait.
Felix: MY TWO BEST FRIENDS HAVE BEEN DATING FOR TWO MONTHS AND DIDN'T TELL ME???
That was somehow worse.
The messages changed.
The outrage became personal.
Rosé: honestly i'm hurt
Jennie: same
Lily: the betrayal???
Danielle: i thought we were family 😭
Felix: YOU LET ME COMFORT YOU ABOUT YOUR OWN BOYFRIEND
You covered your face.
"Oh no."
Beside you, Chan groaned.
"Oh no."
Jake, the traitor, looked delighted.
Your phone rang.
A video call.
AUSSIE LINE GROUP CALL
Nope.
Absolutely not.
You declined.
Immediately.
It rang again.
Declined.
Again.
A third time.
Then a message.
Felix: ANSWER THE PHONE.
Rosé: NOW.
Jennie: immediately.
Lily: we're not angry
Jennie: okay maybe a little angry
Danielle: mostly sad
Felix: VERY SAD.
You looked at Chan.
Chan looked at you.
Hanni, who had somehow known this would happen all along, appeared behind the bench.
Holding ice cream.
"How's it going?"
You stared at her.
"You knew Jake would tell them."
She licked her ice cream.
"I believed in his ability to create chaos."
The phone rang again.
You answered.
Instantly, seven faces filled the screen.
Every one of them looked betrayed.
Mostly jokingly.
Mostly.
Felix spoke first.
"You hid a boyfriend from me."
You winced.
"It wasn't personal."
"It was Bang Chan!"
"That was the personal part."
Rosé pointed at the camera.
"I defended you."
Jennie nodded.
"We all did."
Danielle looked genuinely wounded.
"We thought you trusted us."
And that.
That hurt.
Because they were right.
You glanced at Chan.
He reached over.
Took your hand.
Not hiding anymore.
Not from them.
"We did trust you," he said quietly.
The group went silent.
"We just wanted something that was ours for a little while."
Nobody spoke.
Then Felix sighed.
"Okay."
You blinked.
"Okay?"
"Yeah."
He smiled.
Small.
Soft.
"You idiots deserve that."
Rosé wiped imaginary tears.
"I hate that that's romantic."
"I hate that I think it's cute," Jennie added.
Lily pointed accusingly.
"But we're still offended."
"Deeply offended," Jennie agreed.
Danielle nodded.
"Very deeply."
Jake leaned into frame.
"Can confirm."
And just like that.
The secret was out.
Not to the world.
Not yet.
But to the people who mattered most.
Your family.
And somehow.
That was even scarier.
And infinitely better.