A surprise

Ari's phone vibrated with Joe's response, her heart skipping a beat in anticipation of his reaction. However, the message that appeared made her blood run cold:

Uh oh, babe... I may have accidentally shown your pic to Tyler and Jake. They grabbed my phone when I wasn't looking and saw it. Sorry! Hope you're not mad. Love you!

Panic seized her chest as the implications sank in. Not only had her boyfriend seen her in such a lewd state, but his closest friends had witnessed it too. Friends who had already proven themselves to be trouble. Her mind raced with scenarios of their reactions, their judgemental stares and whispers behind her back.

Ari's fingers trembled as she typed out a response, equal parts mortified and furious:

Joe!! How could you??

Ari's anger simmered as she awaited Joe's explanation, her stomach churning with anxiety. When his reply finally came through, it only served to fan the flames of her irritation:

They were just messing around, babe. You know how guys are. Besides, they're meeting us at Club X tonight! Thought it would be fun to hang out with them. Surprise!

Surprise indeed, Ari thought bitterly. The last thing she wanted was to spend an evening surrounded by reminders of her shameful behavior, especially when two of them had firsthand knowledge of it. She stared at the phone screen, debating how to respond without causing a scene.

‘Great’ she typed eventually, injecting false cheer into her words. ‘Can't wait to catch up with them!’