Lonely hearts

13. My best friend back

A few days later, I was back at the triplets' house. It felt good to be here, surrounded by friends . Chris, Nick and Matt were preparing their next YouTube video, and I had been invited to join them.

"We're going to do something epic today," Chris said enthusiastically as he set up the camera in the living room. "A challenges video with some hilarious challenges."

Nick nodded as he placed a stack of cards on the table. "Each card has a crazy challenge. We take turns spinning the wheel and performing whatever is on the card."

Matt came over and smiled broadly. "Ready to be famous, Liv?"

I smiled and felt a warm glow in my chest. "Absolutely. Let's do this."

Once the cameras were running, the atmosphere was playful and cheerful. We all sat around the table, and Chris turned the wheel first. The challenge on his card was "Eat a spoonful of mustard", and we all burst out laughing as he took up the challenge with a dirty face.

Nick was next and had to "Stand in a handstand for two minutes". He tried, but fell over almost immediately, which caused even more laughter.

Then it was my turn. I turned the wheel and drew a card with the challenge "Get someone to do your make-up while you are blindfolded". Matt raised his hand. "I'll do it!"

I sat down while Matt put on a blindfold and started applying my make-up. The result was a hilarious chaos of colours and lines, and the room filled with laughter as Chris and Nick filmed the result.

Throughout the video, the challenges got crazier and funnier. We did the "Mentos and Cola" challenge, a "Blindfold Flavours Test" and even a "Lip Sync Battle". The atmosphere was relaxed and upbeat.

Matt and I often worked on the challenges together, and it felt good to be so close with him. It was as if the old friendship was slowly but surely reviving. When we did the "Two-Person Sweater Challenge" together, where we had to fit into an oversized jumper together and complete various tasks.

"OK, for the last challenge," Chris said with a broad smile, "we have to do a team sprint while tied together."

Matt and I formed a team, while Chris and Nick were the other team. With our ankles tied together, we had to run through an obstacle course in the garden. It was a chaos of stumbling and laughing, but eventually Matt and I crossed the finish line first.

"Winners!" shouted Matt triumphantly, as we both gasped with laughter.

The video ended with all of us waving to the camera and thanking them for watching. Chris switched off the camera and sighed contentedly. "That was great, guys. This is going to be a hit."

Nick nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this was one of our best videos so far."

Matt looked at me and smiled. "Thanks for joining in, Olivia. This was really fun."

I smiled back. "Thanks for including me. It was great."

After we finished recording the video, we lingered in the living room, laughing and talking. The room was filled with a warm glow, both from the setting sun outside and from the cheerful energy inside.

Chris and Nick were sitting on the couch, discussing which clips they definitely wanted to keep in the video. Matt and I were sitting on the floor, our backs leaning against the couch, our knees almost touching. My heart was beating faster than usual, a subtle reminder of the feelings I have for him. Feelings that, despite everything that had happened, were still present.

"That makeup challenge was really hilarious," Matt said, laughing. "I don't think I've ever did makeup so badly."

I laughed with him, though my heart skipped a beat at the sight of his smile. "It was indeed a masterpiece," I joked.

Chris leaned forward and looked at us. "It was great to have you with us, Liv. We should do this more often." Nick nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you really brought something special to the video." I smiled at them, grateful for their support and friendship. "Thank you, guys. I really enjoyed being part of it."

Matt looked at me, his eyes sparkling in the soft light. "It felt good to work together again, Liv. Like the old times are back."

My heart melted at his words. "Yes, it really did."

We stayed there for a while longer, talking and laughing about all sorts of things. Time seemed to fly by, and I felt more and more at ease. The warmth of the friendship between us was almost tangible, and despite my lingering feelings for Matt, I was happy that we were so close again.

At some point, Nick stood up and stretched. "Okay, I'm going to start editing the video. Who wants to help?" Chris jumped up immediately. "I'm in. This is going to be epic."

I laughed and shook my head. "You guys are really tireless."

Chris grinned. "It's what we love to do. But feel free to stay and chill, Liv."

Matt also stood up and looked at me. "Do you want to hang out a bit longer? We could watch a movie or something."

My heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, that sounds fun."

Chris and Nick went to the workspace to start editing the video, while Matt and I stayed in the living room. We picked a movie and settled on the couch, close to each other. As the movie started, I felt tension between us.

After a while, I dared to glance sideways. Matt was focused on the screen, but I could feel the warmth of his presence. My thoughts drifted to the moments we had shared together, the good and the challenging times. Although my feelings for him were still strong, I was mainly happy to have my best friend back.