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The morning sunlight crept in like an uninvited guest, slipping between the curtains and landing right on Carter's face.
He groaned, rolling over only to find Leah snoring softly on the other end of the couch, half-buried under a throw blanket. Maria was on the floor with a pillow over her head, mumbling something about "never drinking again."
The apartment was a war zone of empty glasses, snack crumbs, and half-played board games. Someone's phone was vibrating nonstop against a coaster.
It was Ericka's.
She stirred from where she and Amanda had somehow managed to fall asleep side by side on the couch. Her hair was a tangle, her voice still low with sleep as she reached for the phone on the coffee table. "Who in the world—"
She squinted at the screen. PR Team — Urgent.
Her stomach dropped. She answered immediately, voice hoarse but professional. "This is Ericka."
"Ms. Mathews, good morning. Sorry for the early call," the PR lead's voice came quick and uneasy. "We're monitoring a situation online that's gaining traction—uh, it appears someone posted a short video from last night's gathering."
Amanda blinked awake beside her, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Ericka mouthed, video, then stood up, pacing slightly. "What kind of video?"
"Just a few seconds," the voice replied. "You and Ms. Parker sitting together, laughing, she puts her hand on your knee. It's... innocent, but social media has decided it's something more."
Amanda sat up straight now. "Wait—what?"
Ericka pinched the bridge of her nose. "And what's the coverage like?"
"Mixed," the PR lead admitted. "Some pages are saying it's confirmation of the dating rumors, others are calling it adorable. The quote that's trending right now is 'They're glowing — that's not just work chemistry.'"
Amanda groaned, sinking into the couch. "Oh my God..."
Ericka's tone stayed calm, but her jaw tightened. "Alright. Send me links and screenshots. I'll handle it from here."
When she hung up, the room was stirring Carter blinking groggily awake, Leah stretching, Maria mumbling into her pillow.
Amanda looked around at all of them. "Okay, everyone. Emergency meeting. Sit up."
Leah groaned. "Is it brunch time already?"
"No," Ericka said, folding her arms. "It's damage control time."
That got everyone's attention.
Maria sat up immediately. "What happened?"
Ericka sighed, scrolling through her phone. "Someone posted a video last night. A short one. Me and Amanda. It's going viral."
Leah blinked. "Oh, no."
Carter frowned, rubbing his eyes. "Viral like funny viral or—"
"Viral like 'Is the CEO dating her assistant?' viral," Amanda said flatly.
Everyone started checking their phones. Notifications, tags, DMs the video was everywhere.
Leah winced. "Oh my God, there are comments. 'They're glowing.' 'They're goals.' 'The office romance we needed.'"
Jamie muttered, "It's kind of flattering though..."
Ericka gave a small sigh, all calm authority now. "Everyone, please check your accounts. If you recorded or posted anything, take it down now."
Carter was already scrolling, looking more and more horrified by the second. "Oh no..."
Amanda looked up sharply. "Carter."
He froze. "Okay before you say anything I can explain."
Leah groaned. "Oh my God, of course it was you."
Carter put both hands up. "I swear I wasn't trying to post it! I just meant to download it from Snapchat so I could send it to Amanda later. You two looked cute, okay? But I hit the wrong button. It uploaded to my story instead of saving."
Maria gasped. "Oh my God, Carter, that's like rookie drunk mistake 101."
Carter looked mortified. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Mathews. I took it down the second I realized. But someone already screen-recorded it, I guess..."
Ericka rubbed her temple, taking a breath. "It's okay. What's done is done." She glanced over at Amanda, who gave her a small, rueful smile.
"We'll figure the rest out," Ericka said quietly, her voice gentle now. "Right?"
Amanda nodded, slipping a comforting hand along her arm. "Right. It's not that bad. At least we're trending for looking happy."
Carter looked miserable. "I'll delete everything and like publicly disappear if I have to."
Ericka finally cracked a small smile. "You're not fired, Carter. Just... no more late-night posting after shots."
Leah muttered, "Or during shots."
Amanda added dryly, "Or before."
Everyone laughed weakly, the tension easing just a little.
Ericka exhaled, her calm returning. "Okay. We'll call PR later this morning and draft a statement. Until then, no one responds to comments, no matter how flattering. Agreed?"
The group nodded in unison.
Amanda leaned closer, her voice quiet but teasing. "You know... at least they said we're glowing."
Ericka gave her a look, but the corner of her mouth curved. "You're not helping."
"I wasn't trying to," Amanda whispered, smiling.
Carter groaned, flopping back onto the couch. "Man, if this turns into a news headline, I'm gonna die of guilt."
Leah patted his leg. "Then at least your death will trend with positive engagement."
Even Ericka laughed at that, shaking her head. "Alright. Everyone shower, coffee, and delete."
Amanda raised her glass of water, smirking. "To accidental PR crises and really photogenic knee touches."
The group groaned, but laughter bubbled up again anyway the sound of found family, of chaos, and love all tangled together.
Ericka looked at Amanda, her eyes soft in the morning light. "We'll handle it," she murmured.
Amanda smiled. "Together."
The door finally clicked shut behind them. The silence that followed was thick, but not heavy. Just... waiting.
Amanda turned toward Ericka. "Hey," she said softly, "can we talk real quick?"
Ericka glanced up, immediately sensing the tone. "Yeah, of course."
Amanda led her down the hall toward the bedroom. The curtains were half-open, and the bed was still a little messy from where they'd crashed earlier.
Amanda closed the door behind them. For a long moment, she didn't speak just stood there, running a hand through her hair before finally meeting Ericka's eyes.
"This is the time I was referring to," she said quietly.
Ericka tilted her head, brow furrowed. "The time for what?"
Amanda took a deep breath, voice steady but firm. "Getting ahead of it. The board, the press, the speculation all of it. We can't wait for it to blow over, because it might not. And if it doesn't..." She paused, letting the weight of it sink in. "They'll try to use it against us."
Ericka crossed her arms, pacing slowly near the window. "You think they'd actually go that far?"
"I know they would," Amanda said. "And I'm not letting anyone question what we have or what we've built. So..." She stepped closer, eyes never leaving Ericka's. "I think we should go to the courthouse Monday morning. Get married. Make it official before anyone else gets the chance to twist it."
The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the city outside.
Ericka turned the idea over in her mind pacing once, twice, before stopping. She looked at Amanda, really looked at her, the woman she trusted, the woman who had fought beside her through every storm.
And for once, she didn't hesitate.
"You know what?" Ericka said finally, her tone quiet but resolute. "I actually agree with you this time."
Amanda's breath caught. "You do?"
Ericka nodded, a small smile forming. "Yeah. Let's do it. Monday morning."
Amanda's lips parted in surprise, then curved into a smile of her own. "You're serious."
"Completely," Ericka said, stepping forward to rest her hands on Amanda's hips. "It's us. We've weathered worse. And honestly, I can't think of a better reason to take control back."
Amanda grinned, cupping her cheek. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."
Ericka leaned in, kissing her softly slow and certain. "Then it's settled."
The kiss deepened for a moment just enough to melt away the tension before a buzz from Amanda's phone interrupted them.
She sighed, pulling it out of her pocket. "Oh, crap."
Ericka raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
Amanda looked at the screen, groaning. "I forgot I have brunch with Sam today."
Ericka chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Of course you do."
"I promised," Amanda said, brushing her thumb along Ericka's arm. "You okay if I still go? I won't be long."
"Of course," Ericka said gently. "I'll be on calls with PR most of the day anyway. Go. Enjoy it."
Amanda smiled, leaning in for one last kiss slow and tender. "Okay. I'll be back soon."
She disappeared into the closet to get dressed. By the time she came out, Ericka was already on her phone, talking to her communications director, her calm, commanding tone slipping back into place.
Amanda grabbed her purse and jacket, glancing over her shoulder with a soft smile. "Love you, boss lady."
Ericka covered the phone's mic and smiled back. "Love you too, troublemaker."
Amanda's phone buzzed again a text from Samantha:
"I'm downstairs."
Amanda typed back quickly:
"Heading down now."
She slipped on her sunglasses, gave Ericka one last look and then she was gone, the door closing behind her with a soft click.