"Relaxation Mode"

As we settled in to watch movies, Ethan pulled out his phone to scroll through his social media feeds. I caught sight of his screen and my heart sank as I saw the photo he had taken of Jace and me earlier. Ethan had captioned it "Pampered and relaxed with my favorite guys" and was now preparing to post it. Lila quickly sat up, her eyes wide with alarm. "Ethan, can you not put this on Instagram? Alex doesn't know I'm hanging out with you guys," she whispered urgently. Ethan's eyes lit up with amusement. "Oh, come on Lila. It's just a harmless photo," he teased, his fingers hovering over the post button. Lila's face turned bright red as she reached out to grab Ethan's phone. "Please don't, Ethan. I'm serious. Alex would freak out if he saw this," she pleaded. Jace, who had been quietly observing the exchange, finally spoke up. "Ethan, maybe you should listen to her. We don't want to stir up any trouble," he said, his voice calm and reasonable. Ethan sighed, reluctantly putting down his phone. "Fine, fine. I won't post it. But only because I don't want to deal with Lila's drama," he said, grinning at her. Lila let out a sigh of relief as Ethan deleted the photo. "Thanks, Ethan. I owe you one," she said, smiling weakly. As we settled back in to watch our movies, the tension in the room was palpable. I could sense that there was more to Lila's relationship with Alex than met the eye, and I was determined to learn more. As the movie played on, Lila snuggled deeper into Jace's chest, her eyes fixed on the screen. But I could tell her mind was elsewhere, and I wondered what secrets she was hiding. Meanwhile, Ethan pulled out a bowl of popcorn and began munching on it, his eyes fixed on the screen. But every now and then, he would glance over at Lila, a look of curiosity in his eyes. As the hours passed, the room grew quieter, the only sound the hum of the TV and the occasional crunch of popcorn. It was a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this sleepover than met the eye.