Chapter 2

On Thursday night, Ethan received a call from Liam inviting us to his new apartment for a board game night over the weekend. I knew this was Chloe's idea because she had posted a story: "Surprise plans this weekend! Bros, get ready to party!"

When I followed Ethan into Liam’s apartment, Chloe was sitting cross-legged on the carpet wearing one of Liam's oversized T-shirts, her hair tied in a messy bun with a few loose strands framing her neck.

"You guys are here!" She jumped up, ran barefoot to the door, and gave Ethan a "bro-style" hug first—a little too tight, and lasting a little too long.

Only then did she turn to me. "Olivia! It's so good you could come. I was worried you wouldn't be interested in board games."

"I play a bit," I responded politely. "Catan, Werewolf, I'm okay with those."

"Wow, that's great!" Chloe clapped her hands, then turned to the men. "See? Olivia is way better than you guys. Last time we played Catan, I absolutely destroyed you three grown men."

Liam and Noah—Ethan's other two best friends—laughed. Liam was a tall fitness trainer, and Noah was a product manager at a tech company. They both treated Chloe as a "bro," but I noticed Liam's gaze lingering on Chloe a little too long at times.

Once the game started, I quickly realized Chloe's strategy: she would deliberately help Ethan, even if it put her own game at a disadvantage.

"Ethan, do you want this territory? I can trade with you."

"Don't attack Ethan's side, come attack me!"

"Ethan's about to win, someone stop him!"

She said these things in a teasing tone, but every physical contact was perfectly timed: a pat on his shoulder, a gentle shove on his arm. When Ethan won a round, she even picked up a potato chip and tried to feed it directly to his mouth.

"Celebration!" she laughed.

Ethan awkwardly dodged it. "I'll get it myself."

"Oh come on, didn't we always do this before?" Chloe pouted, then turned to Liam. "Noah, you be the judge. Has Ethan changed since he got a girlfriend?"

Noah scratched his head, laughing as he tried to smooth things over. "The man has a family now; it's right to be careful."

"What family," Chloe muttered softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "They aren't married yet."

In that moment, Ethan's face darkened. He put down the game cards in his hand and looked at Chloe seriously. "Olivia is my family. I hope you respect that."

The air suddenly became awkward. Noah hurriedly interjected, "Alright, alright, next round!"

But after that night, I began to plan certain things.