𝒹𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 ⁱⁿ 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐲

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐

Chris's words hung in the air like a heavy fog. Eleanor's pulse thundered in her ears, and she was certain she'd misheard him.

"Wait... what?" Her voice came out softer than she intended.

Chris's expression was unreadable, his dark eyes fixed on her. "Maybe we don't need to fight it. Let them think whatever they want. It's not like we can change their minds."

Eleanor blinked, disbelief coursing through her. "You're joking, right? Chris, do you realize how insane that sounds?"

He stepped closer, the sincerity in his gaze making her stomach twist. "No, I'm not joking. It's not like we're doing anything wrong."

"That doesn't mean—"

Chris cut her off gently. "Look, I'm just saying... it doesn't matter what people think as long as we know the truth. We're friends, Elle. That hasn't changed."

Eleanor swallowed, forcing herself to hold his gaze. The intensity there unnerved her, but before she could respond, a voice called from downstairs.

"Chris! We need you!"

It was Nick, his voice edged with frustration.

Chris glanced over his shoulder, then back at Eleanor. "Think about it, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and disappeared down the hallway.

Eleanor let out a shaky breath, her mind spinning. What is happening?

The next morning, the entire house buzzed with nervous energy. The triplets—Nick, Chris, and Matt—were filming their next big YouTube video, a vlog of them trying ridiculous TikTok food trends. Eleanor and Angel sat on the sidelines, pretending to help but mostly watching the chaos unfold.

Matt kept the energy high as he dumped candy into a giant bowl of popcorn. "Okay, this trend is supposed to be like, the ultimate sweet-and-salty combo. I'm skeptical, but I'll try anything once."

"Or twice," Nick quipped, earning a smirk from Angel.

Chris, who had been unusually quiet since the night before, stepped up next. "Fine, I'm next. But you're not getting me to try that disgusting spaghetti-on-waffles trend. That's just—"

"Oh, you will be trying it, Chris," Nick shot back. "The people demand it."

The camera rolled as they continued bantering, but Eleanor felt like an outsider looking in. She couldn't shake Chris's words from the night before. Worse, her stomach did an odd flip every time his eyes found hers.

About halfway through the video, Matt turned the camera toward Eleanor and Angel. "The fans want to know what you two think of this madness. Eleanor, Angel, come over here."

"No thanks," Eleanor protested. "You guys are the stars here."

"Get over here," Chris said suddenly, a playful smile tugging at his lips. His tone was lighthearted, but the look he gave her made her stomach tighten.

Reluctantly, Eleanor stood and walked toward the counter, where Chris leaned against the edge, a bowl of TikTok's latest food monstrosity in hand. "Here, try this," he said, holding a spoon out toward her.

Eleanor shot him a glare. "Absolutely not."

"Oh, come on. Live a little."

"Chris, I swear—"

Before she could finish, Chris pushed the spoon closer. Eleanor moved to swat it away, but in her effort to dodge him, she stumbled, bumping into him. Chris caught her waist instinctively, steadying her.

For a split second, they froze. Eleanor felt her heart thudding wildly as Chris's face hovered inches from hers. His expression softened, the teasing smile fading as his eyes lingered on her lips.

"Are you okay?" he murmured.

Eleanor barely nodded, her voice caught in her throat.

Then, before she could process what was happening, Chris leaned in and kissed her. It was soft, tentative, like he wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't pull away.

The room felt like it had gone completely silent.

When Chris finally pulled back, Eleanor stared at him, stunned. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and from the corner of her eye, she caught Matt lowering the camera with wide eyes.

"Uh... that wasn't part of the plan," Matt muttered.

Nick snorted. "No, but that's going in the video."

Chris shot his brothers a glare but didn't say anything, his focus still on Eleanor. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she turned and hurried out of the room, ignoring Angel's questioning look.

By the time the video went up two days later, Eleanor was bracing herself for the worst. She hadn't spoken to Chris much since the kiss, and neither of them brought it up. But now, the entire world would see it—every awkward, heart-pounding second.

Sitting on her bed with Angel beside her, Eleanor watched the vlog unfold.

"Okay, here comes the part," Angel said, nudging her. "Don't freak out."

"I'm already freaking out," Eleanor groaned.

On the screen, Chris and Eleanor's kiss played out. It wasn't overly dramatic, just... real. The moment felt even more intense watching it back. Eleanor could barely look at it, but Angel was already scrolling through the comments.

"Holy crap," Angel breathed. "The fans are losing their minds."

Eleanor peeked at the screen.

— 'CHRIS AND ELEANOR????? DID THAT JUST HAPPEN???'
— 'I KNEW IT. I KNEW THEY WERE ENDGAME.'
— 'Somebody check on Matt and Nick—they looked so done.'
— 'This better not be a prank because I'm INVESTED.'

Eleanor buried her face in her hands. "This is a disaster."

Angel laughed. "Disaster? This is the best content they've ever posted."

Eleanor shot her a glare. "Angel."

Angel sobered quickly, though the smile lingered. "Sorry. But seriously... are you going to talk to him?"

Eleanor hesitated. "I don't know."

Before Angel could respond, Matt and Nick barged into the room, both grinning mischievously.

"Have you seen the comments?" Nick asked, flopping onto the bed.

"Yeah," Eleanor muttered. "They're insane."

"Not just that," Matt added, his expression more serious. "Chris's ex—she's been online too. People think Iris is the one sending pictures to the tabloids, trying to mess with him."

Eleanor's stomach dropped. "Iris? Why would she do that?"

Nick shrugged. "Probably jealous. She's been shady ever since they broke up."

"She wouldn't..." Eleanor trailed off, unsure. Would Iris really go that far?

As if on cue, her phone buzzed. She glanced down to see a message from Chris.

"Can we talk?"

Eleanor stared at the screen, her pulse quickening.

Angel peered over her shoulder. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Eleanor took a deep breath and stood up. "I guess I'm about to find out."

𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀 ˢᵖᵉᵃᵏˢ: I have a few more chapters that I wrote a while ago. I've just been editing and revising them before I went to post them. Literally, no one reads this, but I don't really care because I love writing this fanfiction and hopefully one day people actually read it.