C92 A Photo

Early the next morning, I was awakened by the continuous vibration of my phone. Groaning, I reached for it on the bedside table, only to discover that Laura had sent me dozens of messages. More specifically, she had sent every single picture we had taken during our date yesterday.

A smile slowly spread across my face as I opened the album. There were pictures of us shopping, laughing while carrying bags, eating ice cream, walking barefoot on the beach, and watching the sunset together. Looking at them brought back every wonderful moment we had shared.

Without wasting another second, I sent her a message. "Good morning. Thank you for sending all these pictures." A reply came almost instantly. "Good morning! You're awake already?" "Your messages wouldn't let me sleep." She sent a laughing emoji. "Sorry. I couldn't decide which ones to send first." I chuckled before typing again. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

There was a brief pause before another message appeared. "Yesterday was one of the happiest days I've had in a long time." Reading those words made my heart warm. "Me too. Thank you for spending the day with me." She replied almost immediately. "No... thank you for asking me out. I was worried the date would be awkward, but it turned out to be perfect."

I smiled as I looked through another picture of us standing by the ocean. "My favorite part was the beach." " Really? Mine was watching you struggle to choose clothes." I laughed. "You enjoyed teasing me, didn't you?" "Very much." A few moments later she added another message. "By the way... wear the blue outfit next time we go out. It suits you the most."

I blinked in surprise before smiling to myself. "Alicia said exactly the same thing yesterday." "See? That means we're both right." We chatted for another few minutes before wishing each other a good morning. Feeling refreshed, I got out of bed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

As soon as I entered the dining room, I realized there was only one topic of conversation. Alicia. My mother was enthusiastically talking about the dishes Alicia had prepared yesterday. "I've never imagined someone so young could cook like that," Mary said with admiration. "Every dish was delicious."

Meanwhile, my father was carefully cleaning the new chess set Alicia had given him as though it were made of pure gold. Quinton couldn't stop smiling. "Look at this craftsmanship," he said proudly. "This is too beautiful to use." Mary rolled her eyes. "You've looked at that chess set at least twenty times this morning." "And I'll probably look at it twenty more." Everyone laughed.

As we ate breakfast, my mother suddenly turned to me. "Mike, what does Alicia like to do in her free time?" I paused with a piece of toast halfway to my mouth. "I... don't know." Mary looked surprised. "What about her hobbies?" I thought for a moment before shaking my head. "I don't know those either." "What about her favorite food?" "I've never asked." "Favorite color?" Again, I could only shake my head.

The more questions my mother asked, the more uncomfortable I became.I realized something that filled me with guilt.Alicia knew so much about me.She knew what clothes suited me best. She knew the kind of food I liked. She remembered small details about my life. Yet apart from her basic information, I hardly knew anything about her. She had helped me countless times, but I had never taken the time to truly know her. I really need to change that, I thought silently.

On the other side of the city, Alicia was also awakened by the constant vibration of her phone. Still sleepy, she reached for it. The moment she unlocked the screen, her eyes widened. "Oh my God..." She immediately sat upright. "Mike... you're in trouble." Without wasting another second, she started a video call.

Back at our house, breakfast had turned into another discussion about yesterday's events. My mother and father were arguing over which moment had been the most memorable. "It was definitely when Alicia finished cooking," Mary insisted. Quinton laughed. "No, it was when David lost a chess match in five minutes." "I still can't believe he lost that quickly." Neither could I.

Just then, my phone rang. Alicia's name appeared on the screen. I answered immediately. The moment her face appeared, I grinned. "You beat my dad and Uncle David in five minutes?" Alicia laughed, but her smile quickly disappeared. She looked unusually worried.

I immediately excused myself and walked upstairs. Behind me, my parents shouted together. "There goes your polygamy again! Which one is it this time?" I ignored them and hurried into my bedroom before closing the door.

Only then did Alicia speak. "Mike... there's trouble." Seeing how serious she looked, I decided to tease her first. "What? Are you pregnant? No wonder you've gained a little weight." Her face instantly turned bright red. "Mike!" "I'm serious." "So am I!" she replied, glaring at me. "And I'm not pregnant! I haven't gained any weight."

She folded her arms. "You two are the ones who have done that, not me. I'm still pure." I burst into laughter. "Not me either. I haven't done anything." She blinked. "Really?" I nodded. "I told you." She looked genuinely surprised. "I thought... since you and Laura love each other... sooner or later..." I shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

She stared at me for a second before remembering why she had called. "Forget that." Her expression became serious again. "There's real trouble." "What happened?" "My colleagues sent me a photo of you." I frowned. "What's wrong with someone sending you my picture?"

She sighed. "You still don't understand." She shared her screen. "The picture was taken yesterday while you were shopping." A cold feeling spread through my chest. "You mean..." She nodded. "Someone secretly took a picture of you and Laura."

My heartbeat quickened. "Were we... together in the picture?" "Worse." She looked directly into my eyes. "You were holding hands." I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Anyone who saw that picture would immediately assume we were a couple.

"Who sent it to you?" I asked quietly. "My colleagues." She opened the chat. The message read: 'Your boyfriend was caught cheating. Do you know who this beauty is?' Below it was the photo of Laura and me walking hand in hand through the shopping mall.

"Don't mind the boyfriend part," I said awkwardly. "You already know about the rumors." I nodded."I know." I frowned. "But how did this reach your colleagues?" "They said the picture has been circulating around your department." I froze. "My department?" She nodded again.

A chill ran down my spine. That meant this wasn't just a random photo. Someone had deliberately taken it and spread it throughout the company. "I don't know who's behind this," I admitted. Alicia bit her lip. "Josh may be old, but once he sees this picture, he'll definitely know it's her daughter. "

I rubbed my forehead, trying to think of a solution. Nothing came to mind. "I'll tell Laura first." Alicia shook her head. "No need, just add her here."

A moment later, he added Laura to the video call. Laura answered almost immediately. She smiled at first, expecting it to be only me. However, the moment she saw Alicia, she looked confused. Before either of us could speak, Alicia got straight to the point. "Laura... we're in trouble." She shared her screen once more, showing the same message and photo.

Laura's expression immediately changed. "Who... who took that picture?" "No one knows," Alicia replied. "But according to my colleagues, it first started circulating in the Cybersecurity Department, Mike's department... and your father's department."

Laura's face instantly turned pale. "My father's department?" She covered her mouth. "W-What do we do? Do you think my father has already seen it? He doesn't usually check social media... but what if someone showed him?"

She began panicking. "Should I confess first before he hears it from someone else? What if he misunderstands everything? What if he reacts badly?" Alicia and I exchanged worried glances. Neither of us had an answer.

For the first time since yesterday's perfect date, the three of us found ourselves staring silently at our screens, wondering what would happen next.