Tangled Hearts

Chapter 23

Lily's POV

The following morning finds me lounging in the comfort of my flat with the girls and the faint aroma of coffee lingering in the air.

"So, spill the details, Lily," Jen prompts eagerly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "How was your date with Finn last night?"

I smile, feeling a rush of warmth as I recall the events of the previous evening. "It was nice, really," I reply, settling back against the couch. "We went to this cozy bistro downtown and just talked for hours. It was... perfect."

Jen listens intently, her expression a mix of amusement and delight. "Sounds like you had a great time,"

"When am I going to find someone" she collapses on my lap, and I play with her hair.

"Probably when you decide to reply to Kai's text" I tease

Kai's the goalkeeper Jen met at the football after party a couple of weeks ago. He seemed pretty into her, but she's been hesitant to respond to his messages. Maybe she's unsure about getting into something serious, or perhaps she's just enjoying the single life for now. Either way, it's clear that Kai has caught her interest.

"I don't know, it's complicated," she murmurs, her voice muffled against my lap.

I chuckle softly, knowing her well enough to understand that "complicated" usually translates to 'I'm not ready to admit what I want.'

"Well, you won't know unless you give it a shot," I say.

Kam, who's busy scrolling through her Instagram feed, scoffs suddenly, drawing our attention. "What's up?" I ask, furrowing my brow in confusion.

She walks over to where Jen and I are sitting and shows us her phone, a frown forming on her lips. "Take a look at this," she says, handing me her phone.

I glance down at the screen and feel my stomach drop at what I see. It's a picture of Finn, seemingly asleep at a desk, with Rachel posing beside him. On the surface, it looks innocent enough, but knowing Rachel, I can't help but feel a sense of unease.

"Why are you following her?" Jen asks, her voice laced with concern as she looks at Kam.

Kam shrugs nonchalantly, "I used my fake account to follow her, someone has to keep tabs on her," she replies cryptically. "And for good reason – she's crazy."

"I trust Finn," I say firmly, meeting Jen and Kam's concerned gazes with a determined expression. "And Rachel being Rachel is just... well, Rachel."

Jen nods in understanding, her expression softening with reassurance. "You're right, Lily. Finn wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what you two have," she says, offering me a supportive smile.

"Plus I highly doubt he's aware of this photo"

Kam chimes in, her tone more skeptical. "But still, it's not exactly comforting seeing her cozying up to him like that," she points out, her brows furrowed in concern.

Jen takes the phone from Kam and scrolls through the comments her eyes widening as she reads.

"Look at these"she says, her voice tinged with alarm. "Her friends are all over this, making it seem like they're a couple or something."

I swallow hard, feeling a mix of anger and fear rise, "She's trying to stir things up" I say "The picture is very disturbing, but Finn promised me he's spoken with Rachel about her antics before we started anything." I sigh, rubbing my temples.

So there's nothing to worry about, right?

*************

Finn's POV