WE WERE FINE UNTIL WE WEREN'T

CHAPTER 5. Midnight Confessions

Emily’s house smelled like popcorn and nail polish. Her little brother had finally gone to bed, and she’d commandeered the living room for a movie marathon. The couch sagged under the weight of blankets, pillows, and the two of them sprawled like they owned the place.

“So,” Liam said, grabbing a handful of popcorn and tossing a piece into his mouth, “are you seriously crying at the opening scene already?”

Emily swatted his hand away. “Shut up! It’s a sad scene, okay? Emotional damage!”

He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Emotional damage from a cartoon penguin movie.”

“Pfft, don’t judge my feelings,” she shot back.

For a while, they just watched, laughing at the jokes, groaning at the predictable parts, and occasionally shoving each other when one got too into the drama. Emily loved that they could be so comfortable together—no pretense, no pressure, just laughter and teasing and the occasional quiet moment where they both got lost in the story.

Halfway through the second movie, Liam flopped back on the couch, arms stretched behind his head. “You ever think about how weird it is that we’ve been friends for, like… forever?”

Emily tilted her head, studying him. “Forever is a long time. But yeah… it is kind of weird.”

He grinned. “Not weird in a bad way, though. Just… crazy. Like, we’ve been through all this—school, drama, lame teachers—and somehow we still manage to survive together.”

Emily laughed softly. “Survive together, huh? Sounds dramatic.”

“Yeah, but accurate. We’re practically a survival team,” Liam said, nudging her with his elbow.

She snorted. “Team Disaster, more like.”

“Exactly. And don’t forget our motto,” he added, serious for a moment. “Chaos suits us.”

Emily rolled her eyes but smiled. “Ugh, you’re impossible.”

“Yeah, but you love it,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She groaned, hiding her smile behind a pillow. “Stop saying that.”

They spent the rest of the night joking, talking about everything from the silliest memes to the most embarrassing moments in school. At some point, they got quieter, just lying on the couch under a blanket, staring at the ceiling. The room felt smaller, warmer, like the rest of the world had disappeared.

“You ever think about the future?” Liam asked suddenly, his voice soft.

Emily blinked. “Sometimes. Why?”

“Just… curious. Wonder if we’ll still be friends, even when everything else changes. You know, college, jobs, life…”

Emily smiled. “I think we’ll survive. Team Disaster always survives.”

He chuckled. “Yeah… Team Disaster forever.”

They laughed quietly, a comfortable sound that didn’t need anything else. For a moment, the teasing, the chaos, the jokes—all of it—felt like it was enough. Maybe that was what mattered most.

Eventually, Emily yawned, stretching under the blanket. “I should probably try to sleep before my parents freak out,” she said.

Liam nodded, smiling. “Yeah… me too. But thanks for tonight. Seriously.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said.

As she got up to head to the guest room, he called after her, “You know… you’re not half bad at this friendship thing.”

Emily laughed. “You’re terrible at compliments.”

“Yeah, but you love it,” Liam said one last time, smirking.

Emily rolled her eyes, smiling to herself as she walked to her room. No romance, no heartbreak, just the kind of friendship that could survive anything—laughing, teasing, and maybe a little spark that neither of them fully understood yet.