Ethan sat hunched at the edge of the couch, his eyes wide, jaw slack. His laptop was perched on his lap, the screen's glow lighting up his focused face. In his right hand, a burger hovered dangerously close to his mouth, the lettuce dangling out like it, too, was waiting for the next scene to unfold. But the burger remained suspended in time and space—because Ethan wasn't moving. He couldn't. His body was frozen, completely captivated by the scene unfolding before him in Top Boy Season 4.
Onscreen, the tension was unbearable. Jamie had just arrived at the house. The door creaked open. Kit stood in the hallway, trying to act normal, but there was fear in his eyes. Jamie knew something was wrong. Ethan had seen this episode before, but it didn't matter. This was the scene.
"Jamie, listen, I—"
"Where is he?" Jamie cut in sharply.
Then came the line. The one that every Top Boy fan could recite in their sleep.
"You think I'm stupid?" Jamie growled, stepping forward with deadly calm. "You think I don't know you killed Ats?"
Ethan gasped. The burger slipped lower from his hand, one tomato slice falling onto his lap without him noticing. His mouth was still wide open, but no bite had been taken. His brain was too consumed by the brutal drama playing out in front of him.
He was so absorbed, he didn't even notice the girl next to him on the couch: Sydney. And Sydney, unlike Ethan, was not having a good time.
She sat cross-legged beside him, her own Chick-fil-A burger already half eaten, her hands wrapped around the wrapper like it had personally betrayed her. She stared blankly at the screen, bored out of her mind. Her eyelids drooped. Her stomach was full. Her heart? Slightly bruised.
This was not how she'd imagined the night going.
They were on Ethan's tour bus, which was parked for the night in a quiet lot just outside the venue. It had been her idea to stay in instead of going out. She'd called it a cozy "movie date," though it was more of a chill night in—just the two of them, food, vibes, and cuddles. At least, that was the plan in her head.
When she suggested they "watch a movie," she pictured blankets, banter, mid-movie gossip, and a few kisses in between.
Instead, Ethan had lit up like a child in a candy store and declared, "Let me show you a series I love." His eyes sparkled. He was so genuinely excited that Sydney, despite her reservations, smiled and nodded along. She thought it would be fun. Maybe a romantic thriller. Maybe a comedy. Something they could laugh over together. Something cute. Something… couple-y.
But no.
He'd loaded up Top Boy—not from the beginning, not from the pilot, not even from a reasonable midpoint—but from Season 4, Episode 7. Midway through the chaos. "I'll explain as we go," he had promised.
Lies.
He explained nothing.
As soon as the opening music faded, Ethan had fallen into a trance. All the playful things couples did while watching shows—like nudging each other when a character did something silly, whispering side comments, or rewinding to laugh at a moment—had been completely thrown out the window.
Sydney had been left to sit silently, her face expressionless, occasionally glancing at her burger like it might offer her companionship. She tried to pay attention. Really, she did. But all she saw were tense conversations, accents she had to focus to catch, and guns being flashed every five minutes. Was this romantic? No. Was this even relaxing? Absolutely not.
Then she heard him.
"Ooooh fuuuck," Ethan whispered beside her, his body tensing.
She blinked and turned. He was now on the edge of his seat, muttering to himself like a sports fan watching a penalty shootout. She watched as his eyes glimmered with joy, totally lost in Jamie's pain and Kit's guilt.
And that was when Sydney decided: She needed attention. Now.
She leaned back, sighed loudly, and let out a fake yawn.
"Yaaawwwnnn," she muttered, stretching her arms dramatically.
Nothing. Ethan didn't blink.
She tried again. "YAAAAAAAAAWWWWNNN." Louder. Sharper. With a slight wiggle of her shoulders.
Still, no reaction. He was grinning now, murmuring, "Shit's about to go down…"
By the fifth yawn, each more theatrical than the last, she had a slight twitch in her left eye and a growing fire in her chest. She couldn't believe this man. He was glued to his laptop like it held the meaning of life.
And then the scene hit a peak.
Onscreen, Jamie confronted Kit again. The camera zoomed in. The background music was nothing but a low pulse. Ethan was leaning forward, eyes wild. "Shit, shit… YES. Let's gooooo," he whispered. "This is it, this is the scene. He's gonna do it."
Then—
SLAM.
A hand reached from the side and shut the laptop.
Ethan jolted back, blinking like someone had slapped him out of a dream.
"What the—? No, no, why?!" he cried, twisting toward the culprit like a betrayed child.
But the rage on his face melted the moment he saw her.
Sydney sat there, her burger now abandoned, arms folded across her chest, her face scrunched into the cutest blend of sadness, irritation, and disappointment. Her big eyes were glossy, her bottom lip ever-so-slightly jutted out. Her hair fell over one shoulder as she blinked up at him, cheeks puffed in frustration.
"I'm bored," she said softly, her voice like a feather landing on a drum.
Ethan's heart was still racing from the adrenaline of the Top Boy scene he had just watched. The intensity of the betrayal, the looming tension between Jamie and Kit—it had all taken over his mind. He stared at the closed laptop screen, desperate to know what would happen next. His entire body was practically screaming at him to open the laptop, to finish what he'd started, to dive back into the chaos of that suspenseful moment. But then, as his gaze shifted to Sydney, something in him pulled back.
'Let me leave it for now,' he thought, deciding to give her the attention she'd been clearly craving. A small smile tugged at his lips as he shifted in his seat, adjusting his posture so that he was facing her fully. He leaned in slightly, his eyes gleaming with warmth and playfulness.
"Okay, baby, I'm all yours," he said, the words flowing effortlessly as he gave her a grin that was equal parts teasing and affectionate.
The moment felt almost surreal, even to Ethan. Despite the whirlwind of his career, the non-stop shows, the millions of followers, and the endless rush of life in the spotlight, here he was, sitting across from Sydney—his girlfriend. A title that still gave him butterflies in his stomach whenever he thought about it. It was funny how something so simple, so grounded, could make him feel so... human. Since their conversation that morning, joking about how they weren't dating, things had changed. They'd grown closer—hadn't even realized how much until they'd put the label on it.
Sitting there, he was keenly aware of how lucky he was. A warm, happy feeling filled his chest as he waited for her response.
"So, what does my baby want to do?" he asked, his voice light, his tone soft.
Sydney couldn't help but giggle at the way he called her "baby." It had a warmth to it, something affectionate and sweet. A smile spread across her face as she looked at him, her earlier frustration fading away in the presence of his attention.
"I want to have a talk," she said with a grin, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she made the suggestion.
Ethan tilted his head slightly, a playful expression dancing across his features. "Okay, what do you want to talk about? Anything you want."
Sydney put on a thoughtful expression, pretending to deliberate for a moment, though Ethan could see through her act. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to make her decision. After a brief pause, she brightened up and grinned, her finger pointing upward as if she'd just had a brilliant idea.
"Ooh, I got it!" she said, her voice filled with playful excitement.
Ethan leaned forward, eager to know what was on her mind, his curiosity piqued. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked, grinning back at her.
Sydney glanced at him, then spoke, her tone light but laced with a touch of seriousness. "About your time at the Super Bowl."
Ethan immediately froze, his expression shifting to one of mild alarm. "No, no, no," he muttered, clearly uncomfortable.
Sydney raised an eyebrow, an innocent smile tugging at her lips. "Why not? You said you'd tell me anything, didn't you? Well, I want to know more about your time there."
Ethan groaned inwardly but couldn't help but laugh at how determined she was. "We've talked about it so much already," he said, trying to avoid the conversation, but Sydney wasn't having it.
"No, no, we've talked about why you went, and what happened afterward. But we've never really talked about what went down during it," she insisted, giving him a pleading look. "I'm just curious, okay? Can't I know? I just want to know, that's all."
Ethan's resolve started to weaken as he saw her giving him that adorable, pleading look. He sighed heavily, resigning himself to the conversation. "Alright, fine," he muttered, though he couldn't hide the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.
Sydney's face brightened instantly, and she leaned in closer, clearly excited to hear what he had to say.
"You need to cut it out with that look of yours," Ethan joked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Sydney feigned innocence. "I don't know what you mean," she said, putting on her best 'who, me?' face.
"Sure you don't," Ethan replied dryly, but his smile remained as she sat up, ready to listen intently.
"Okay, chop chop," she said eagerly, her hands outstretched as though urging him to start.
Ethan chuckled softly, looking down at his hands for a moment as if gathering his thoughts. Then, with a deep breath, he started to recount the experience, his words slow and deliberate, though he still seemed somewhat unsure about what Sydney might think of it.
"Okay, so... I went there with Eminem and 50 Cent, and Eminem's daughter, Hailie," he began, his tone casual but thoughtful as he recounted the details. "When we got there, I had to split off from them because they were rehearsing, so I went to meet up with Hailie. That's when I met her friends, and one of her friend's boyfriends was going to come over, and that's how I met Billie and her brother Finneas—he was Hailie's friend's boyfriend."
Sydney nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the details. "Hmm," she said as she processed the information, her eyes never leaving him. Ethan noticed the way she was looking at him, but he kept going, hoping the conversation would pass quickly.
"So that's how you two met?" Sydney asked, an inquisitive tone in her voice, her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"Yeah, that's how," Ethan confirmed, trying to keep it light, but there was a flicker of unease in his expression.
"Everything okay?" he asked, noticing a slight change in her demeanor.
Sydney smiled at him, reassuring him with her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Continue," she said with a casual wave of her hand.
Ethan nodded and continued, "After we met, they both entered the party and things just went from there. It wasn't anything crazy or out of the ordinary."
Sydney's eyes never left him as she listened. She could tell there was more to the story, but she kept her thoughts to herself for now. "Is that all?" she asked, sounding a bit disappointed that it wasn't more eventful than he had led her to believe.
Ethan shrugged slightly. "Yeah, nothing really happened," he said.
Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but what happened afterward?" she asked, pressing for more details.
Ethan's face shifted slightly, realizing he was getting into murky waters. "Well, there was the after-party... and you already know what happened there," he said with a slight grin.
Sydney gave him a sly look, cracking a joke under her breath. "The whole world knows what happened," she said, just loud enough for him to hear.
Ethan let out a dry laugh, clearly trying to shrug it off. "Ha ha, very funny," he said, his voice flat,
She continued to giggle, clearly enjoying teasing him
Ethan turned to Sydney, his expression casual as he continued, "Honestly, in the game, nothing really happened. I didn't really enjoy it, 'cause I didn't know what was going on, and I'm not really a fan. Apart from the halftime show, I don't think anything else happened, like I—" His words trailed off as he suddenly froze, his eyes widening a little, a faint flicker of realization flashing across his face.
Sydney, sensing the shift, immediately noticed the change in his demeanor. She leaned forward, brow furrowing with concern. "What happened?" she asked, her voice softer now, as she looked at him with a mixture of confusion and worry. There was something in his expression that seemed... off.
Ethan, who had been speaking without thinking just moments before, now stood frozen in the middle of his sentence. He didn't answer immediately, his gaze fixed on something far away, as though his mind was racing to catch up. Then, with a low murmur, he muttered, "Bet…"
Sydney blinked, her confusion deepening. "Bet?" she repeated, the word rolling off her tongue in a puzzled tone. She looked at him closely, her mind trying to piece together what he meant.
Ethan blinked a few times, snapping out of his trance. "Yeah," he said quickly, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the daze. "During the game… we all took a bet. Everyone was doing it. I didn't even really know what I was doing, to be honest, but… I put in 200K."
Sydney's eyes widened, her mind struggling to catch up. "Wait, hold on," she said, her voice rising in shock. "You bet… 200K? And you don't even remember who you chose?"
Ethan, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, nodded. "Yeah, it was kinda impulsive. I didn't even care who won, honestly. I just put it down 'cause everyone else was doing it. Didn't set up Face ID or anything, so I had to go through my usual password to open the app," he explained, his voice trailing off as he pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the betting app.
Sydney's eyes widened even further as she processed what he was saying. "200K is a lot, Ethan," she said, her tone shifting from disbelief to excitement. "Wait—did you win? The Rams won, right? You picked them, didn't you?"
Ethan's fingers paused mid-scroll, and for a brief moment, his expression became blank. He stared at the screen, and his mind began to whirl as he processed what was in front of him. His eyes widened as he finally registered the notifications that filled his screen. The green message. The congratulatory note. It couldn't be real.
Sydney leaned forward, her eyes fixed on his face. "Ethan? Did you win?" she repeated, her voice brimming with anticipation, her eyes sparkling as she watched him.
For a long moment, Ethan stood frozen, his gaze still locked on the phone in his hands. He was breathing a little heavier now, as the weight of what was in front of him slowly began to sink in. The prize—his prize—was staring back at him in bold, unmistakable numbers.
Finally, with a weak voice, barely audible, he muttered, "Yes." The word barely escaped his lips as his fingers shook slightly, still hovering over the phone screen. He clicked on the notification again, and as the screen loaded, his mind scrambled to make sense of the staggering amount.
Sydney, still waiting for confirmation, finally caught her breath as she glanced at the screen. And then, just like that, everything clicked into place. She gasped. "Oh my God, Ethan," she breathed, her voice quivering with excitement and disbelief. "You—YOU WON 4.43 MILLION DOLLARS?!"
(For the bet i used Drakes odds for that time which was +118 odds for the rams to win)