Rody had never been the kind of guy to stress over life. He preferred to take things as they came, dodge drama when he could, and keep his head down when the world got noisy.
But this?
This was uncharted territory.
Dating Sam had already flipped his world upside down in the best possible way. But now came the part he wasn't prepared for: telling the group.
It wasn't that he feared judgment. His friends were weird, yes, but they weren't mean. He just feared something worse.
The grilling.
The endless, merciless, soul-dismantling interrogation.
Especially from Ray.
Ray had clocked Rody's feelings before Rody even knew what he was feeling himself. Telling Ray now felt like waving a white flag. It meant surrendering to his best friend's sixth sense—and, more painfully, to his smug face.
But the truth needed to come out.
With a deep sigh, Rody grabbed his phone and made the call.
_______________________________________________________________________
The Call to Ray
Ray picked up after just two rings.
"Yo, what's up?"
Rody hesitated. His voice came out quieter than he intended. "You free right now?"
Ray's tone shifted instantly, a spark of curiosity lighting up. "Yeah, what's going on?"
"Can you come down?" Rody asked. "Need to talk. In person."
Ray let the suspense hang for half a second too long.
"Huh. Okay. Bit early for our usual meetup, but sure. I'll be there in five."
Click.
Rody stared at the screen, regretting everything.
_______________________________________________________________________
Texting Sam
He shot a quick message to Sam while slipping into his hoodie.
Rody: Hey love, how you doing?
Sam: Heyyy bun ughhh mom's nagging me again. Apparently, the dishes being in the sink is my fault AND world peace depends on me cleaning them. Anyway, tell me what's up??
Rody: I'm about to tell Ray.
Sam: WHAT?! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE GONNA DO THAT! Are we hiding things from each other now?!
Rody smiled, already hearing her faux-dramatic gasp in his head.
Rody: It's literally been less than 24 hours since we started dating
Sam: Hehe. You're cute when you're annoyed.
Rody: And you're annoying when you're cute.
Sam: Aww, look at us. Flirting while you're about to face your doom. I love this journey for you.
Rody: Just know if I don't survive, tell my mom I love her.
Sam: LMAO. Sure. I'll light a candle for you or something. Byeee see you soon, hero.
_______________________________________________________________________
The Confrontation
The walk to the meeting spot felt longer than usual. Rody's stomach churned like he was heading into a job interview with Ray as the boss who already knew everything on his résumé and all the embarrassing stories from his childhood.
He spotted Ray walking over from the other end of the block. The guy was casually sipping an energy drink like this was just any other day.
But today it wasn't.
"You good?" Ray asked immediately. "You look like you're about to confess to murder."
"Not murder," Rody muttered. "But close."
Ray raised a brow. "Okay. Now you've got my attention."
To delay the inevitable, Rody launched into small talk anime updates, the Champions League match, the new burger place that opened down the road. Ray humored him for about three minutes before stopping mid-step.
"Alright," he said. "You're stalling. What's really up?"
Rody exhaled like he was about to disarm a bomb.
"…Me and Sam are a thing now."
Ray blinked. "Oh."
Rody waited.
"Already?" Ray added, his voice calm. Too calm.
"…That's it?" Rody asked, confused. "No shouting? No 'I so knew it'?"
Ray smirked. "I mean, I did tell you. But nah. I figured this would happen eventually."
"You what?"
"I knew the moment I saw the way she looks at you. And the way you pretend not to look at her. You were doomed, bro."
Rody rubbed the back of his neck, awkward.
"…You really think we're obvious?"
"Obvious?" Ray laughed. "My grandma, who met you once at Christmas, asked me last month if you and your 'redhead friend' were dating yet."
Rody groaned.
Then, like someone popped the lid off a soda bottle, he poured out the entire story last night's pizza date, the suit, the flowers, the candlelight, the rain, the cab ride, the confession.
Ray nodded through it all like a therapist, giving only the occasional "mm-hmm" and raised eyebrow.
"And you're… happy?" he asked eventually.
"I am," Rody said honestly. "It's weird. But it feels right."
Ray nodded again, serious now. "Then good. I got your back."
And for a moment, that was that.
Until
"By the way," Ray added with a smirk, "I think Lina's going to win the bet."
Rody froze. "What bet?"
But before Ray could answer, a familiar voice called out.
_______________________________________________________________________
The Whole Gang Shows Up
Pri and Zozo showed up first, waving like nothing was unusual.
Within minutes, the entire friend group had gathered at their usual hangout bench under the banyan tree in the apartment complex. Even Sam joined, walking in with her usual glow, her eyes finding Rody's immediately.
He smiled.
She smiled back.
The room , the courtyard had shifted. Everyone could feel it. Even the birds seemed to know something was up.
Rody stood up, clapping his hands.
"Alright. I've got something to say."
Everyone turned to him.
Lina's eyes sparkled with dangerous excitement, while Pri, Zozo, AJ, and JJ already looked like they were holding back laughter.
"Sam and I…" Rody paused, taking a quick look at her, "are official now."
Silence.
Then
"Woohoo," AJ deadpanned.
"Okay? And?" Pri teased, playing dumb.
"About time," Zozo muttered, high-fiving JJ.
But then
Lina exploded from her seat. "OMG, SAM! YOU DID IT!"
She jumped up and down, shrieking like she'd won the lottery.
Which, in a way, she had.
"I KNEW it! I KNEW it would be today! I TOLD YOU ALL!"
Rody blinked. "…Told them what?"
JJ grinned mischievously. "Oh, buddy. There was a bet."
Sam's face dropped. "Wait, what bet?"
Ray coughed into his fist, suddenly finding the sky interesting.
Lina, beaming, pointed to the rest of the group. "We all placed bets on when you two would finally get together. I said April. Right down to this week. I knew it'd happen after that New Year party when Sam didn't stop talking about your hoodie smell."
"Lina!" Sam screeched.
"What? You did!" Lina shrugged.
AJ pulled out his phone and read from the notes app.
"Ray guessed June . JJ said after college started. Pri said it wouldn't happen until 2040. Zozo said never sorry Zozo. And he said, 'if it happens at all, I'll eat my shoe.'"
Everyone turned to Zozo.
"…You're not really gonna eat a shoe, right?" Sam asked, half-laughing.
Zozo held up a flip-flop. "I'll start with dessert."
Everyone cracked up.
Rody rubbed his temples, half-laughing, half-mortified.
"Seriously? We were a whole betting pool?!"
"You were the main event, bro," Ray said, grinning.
"But don't be mad," Lina added, looping her arm around Sam. "We're really happy for you two. And honestly… it was inevitable."
The banter continued, with fake bets being made about their wedding date and who would cry first during the ceremony. (Zozo confidently voted for Rody.)
Despite the chaos, the teasing, and the shoe-eating jokes, Rody felt something settle inside him.
Acceptance.
Not just of the relationship, but of the world shifting under his feet friends becoming family, laughter becoming legacy.
He glanced at Sam again.
She mouthed: You okay?
He nodded
They had crossed the line from "maybe" into something real. And even though the journey had started with flowers at a pizza place and an accidental group bet, it felt… right.
No more hiding.
No more overthinking.
Just surrounded by their people, and finally on the same page.
Together