The next day, Briar found herself lounging in the living room, the afternoon sunlight filtering through the windows. Her brothers, Oliver and Parker, were sprawled out on the couch, engrossed in their video game.

The room was filled with the sounds of rapid button-mashing and their competitive banter.

"Come on, Parker, you're going down!" Oliver shouted as his character lunged forward on the screen. "In your dreams!" Parker shot back, his fingers moving at lightning speed.

Briar rolled her eyes at their usual antics, half listening as she scrolled through her phone, checking updates from last night's surprise party for Austin.

She smiled to herself, remembering how everything had gone perfectly. Austin had been completely caught off guard, and the whole night was filled with laughter and fun.

Just as she was reminiscing, there was a knock at the door. Briar got up and opened it to find Isla, one of her closest friends, standing there with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hey!" Briar greeted, stepping aside to let Isla in. "What brings you here?"

"I've got some juicy gossip," Isla said excitedly, slipping off her shoes and walking into the living room.

Briar's ears perked up as she followed Isla to the couch. Oliver and Parker, completely oblivious, were still locked in their video game showdown.

Isla settled into a chair, crossing her legs as she leaned forward, clearly eager to spill the tea. "Okay, so you know how my family loves to gossip, right?" Isla began, lowering her voice like she was about to share a top-secret mission.

Briar chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, your family basically has a PhD in gossip."

Isla grinned wider, clearly enjoying herself. "Exactly! So last night, the topic of conversation was someone who *really* thinks they're hot stuff, always bragging about how rich they are. And get this, they're actually rich, but like, they won't stop flaunting it!" Briar raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not entirely surprised.

"Oh boy, sounds like a headache." Isla leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper for dramatic effect.

"It was Maddy something." Briar's reaction was immediate—her eyes widened, and she let out a slow, understanding, "Ohhhh."

Isla caught the look on her friend's face and instantly became curious. "Wait... you know her?" Briar nodded, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips as she stood up.

"Oh, you have *no idea.* Come on, I've got to tell you something." Without waiting for a response, Briar grabbed Isla's hand and led her away from the living room, much to the confusion of Oliver and Parker, who only glanced up from their game briefly before returning to their virtual battle.

They headed to the kitchen, where they could talk without being overheard. Once they were out of earshot, Isla gave Briar a puzzled look.

"Okay, you're being mysterious. Spill it already." Briar bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before blurting out, "Maddy used to be Austin's girlfriend."

Isla's eyebrows shot up. "What? No way! *That* Maddy?" Briar nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yep. The very same one who can't go five minutes without bragging about her money." Isla looked thoroughly confused.

"Okay, but what does that have to do with you?" Her eyes narrowed playfully, sensing there was more to the story.

"You're acting way too cagey for this to be just some random gossip." Briar felt a flush creep up her cheeks, suddenly realizing she'd never told Isla the full truth.

Her closest friend. How had she not mentioned this before?" Uh... well, I might have forgotten to tell you something kinda important," Briar admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Isla's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh my God, what is it?" Taking a deep breath, Briar finally confessed.

"Austin and I... we're sort of... together now." The revelation hung in the air for a moment as Isla processed what she'd just heard.

Her jaw dropped, and then she broke into a huge grin. "Wait, what?! Since when?! How could you not tell me this, Briar?" Briar cringed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"It's kind of recent. I've been meaning to tell you, but things have been so crazy, especially with his birthday surprise and all..." Isla shook her head, a look of mock betrayal on her face.

"I cannot believe you kept this from me! You and Austin—seriously? This is *huge* news!"

"I know, I know," Briar said, laughing at Isla's reaction. "I just didn't know how to bring it up, and things with Maddy are still kind of awkward.

She's definitely still into him, and... well, it's complicated. "Isla's smile faded slightly as she pieced it together.

"Wait, so you're saying *that* Maddy is the one who used to date Austin?" Briar nodded.

"Yep. And trust me, she's not exactly thrilled about us being together." Isla let out a low whistle.

"Oh man, no wonder you've been keeping this on the down-low. Maddy is *so* extra. I bet she's not making this easy for you."

"She's not," Briar admitted, leaning against the counter. "But it's whatever. I'm not worried about her. It's just... awkward, you know?" Isla snorted.

"Awkward? That's an understatement. But you and Austin, huh? Wow. I didn't see that coming." Briar smiled, thinking back to all the teasing and flirting she and Austin had shared.

"Yeah, it sort of just happened. But he's... well, he's amazing." Isla nudged her playfully.

"Oh, someone's got it *bad.*"
"Shut up," Briar said, laughing. "It's true, though."

"Well, now you've got me curious about what's going to happen with Maddy," Isla said, her gossip senses tingling.

"You think she's going to cause trouble?" Briar shrugged. "I hope not. I just want her to stay in her lane, you know? We're happy, and that's all that matters."

Isla smirked, giving Briar a knowing look. "Well, now that I'm in on the secret, you better believe I've got your back. And if Maddy tries anything, we'll handle it." Briar grinned, grateful to finally have Isla in on the whole situation.

"Thanks. I knew I could count on you."
"Always," Isla said, crossing her arms with a wink.

"And hey, I can't wait to see what happens next. It's like a real-life drama, and I'm here for it." They both laughed, knowing that things were bound to get more interesting now that the truth was out in the open.

𓇼𖦹

As Briar and Isla continued their gossip session, the air seemed to change, growing quieter as their laughter trailed off. Isla's curious expression quickly shifted to something more serious, as if she was piecing together the puzzle of Briar's secret relationship.

"So..." Isla began, her voice dropping to a low murmur, "do your parents or your brothers know? Like, at all?"

Briar froze for a second. Her eyes widened, and her brain seemed to momentarily short-circuit. Of course, her brothers—Oliver and Parker—were the nosiest people alive, and if they knew about her relationship with Austin, she'd never hear the end of it.

But had they figured it out already? Before she could even answer Isla, a noise from the doorway caught her attention.

There, leaning oh-so-casually against the wall with a bag of popcorn in hand, stood Parker, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Hi," Parker said nonchalantly, popping a kernel into his mouth as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"What's up, ladies? Talking about me?" Briar's heart jumped into her throat. *Oh no.* She'd completely forgotten Parker was around.

He must've overheard everything. "Parker!" she squeaked, her voice cracking.

"What are you doing here?" Parker shrugged, still munching away on his popcorn, clearly enjoying this way more than he should.

"Just hanging out, you know. You guys are way more entertaining than Oliver. I figured I'd join the fun." Briar narrowed her eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" Parker paused dramatically, pretending to think.

"Long enough to hear about your little secret romance with Austin." He wiggled his eyebrows and shot her a teasing grin. "Boyfriend material, huh?"

Isla burst out laughing, unable to contain herself. "Oh my God, this is too good!" Briar groaned, her face turning crimson.

"Parker, seriously, could you not?" But Parker was in full teasing mode now, and there was no stopping him.

"What? I'm just here for the popcorn and the gossip," he said, holding up the bag as if to prove his innocence.

"Plus, come on, Bri, it's not every day I find out my sister is dating someone." He smirked and leaned in closer.

"Does Mom know? Dad? What about Oliver?" Briar's hands flew up to her face, mortified. "No! And you better not tell them, Parker!" Parker gasped dramatically, clutching his chest.

"What?! Keep this juicy news from the family? Briar, this is prime dinner table conversation!" Isla was practically in tears now, laughing so hard she had to hold onto the counter for support. "Parker, you're killing me!"

Briar shot Isla a look that said *you're not helping!* but Isla just shrugged, still giggling.

"Sorry, Briar, but this is comedy gold. "Parker took a few steps closer, tossing another kernel of popcorn into his mouth.

"I gotta hand it to you, though. Keeping this whole Austin thing a secret? Impressive. I mean, it's not like you're subtle or anything."

Briar groaned again. "I was being subtle! You were just eavesdropping!"

"Eavesdropping?" Parker repeated with mock offense. "I was merely existing in my home, eating my popcorn. If the truth just so happened to reach my ears, well..." He gave her a wicked grin. "That's your problem."

Isla snorted. "He's got a point."Briar shot Isla another look, her face still flushed. "Not helping, Isla!" Parker leaned casually against the kitchen counter, clearly enjoying his role as the instigator.

"So, what's Austin like as a boyfriend? Is he the lovey-dovey type? Ooh, does he call you 'Babe'? Or 'Princess'? Or"—he put on a fake swoon—"*Sweetie pie*?" Briar's eyes widened in horror.

"Parker! I'm warning you!" But Parker was on a roll, and there was no stopping him now.

"Come on, Bri! Give me something here! I mean, we're brothers, right? We should bond over this stuff! Like, what's his deal? Is he all romantic or—"

"Parker!" Briar interrupted, looking like she was about to lose it. "I swear, if you don't stop—"Parker held up his hands in surrender, though his smirk remained firmly in place.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. But seriously, this is huge. You're dating Austin? The guy who showed up at our house once with his family and talked about sports with Dad for like three hours? That guy?"

Briar rolled her eyes, still flustered. "Yes, *that* guy. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make this into a big thing." Parker's grin only widened. "Too late. It's already a big thing."

Isla, finally catching her breath after her fit of laughter, chimed in. "You know, Parker, you're really good at this whole annoying brother thing."

"Thank you," Parker said with a proud grin. "I try my best." Briar, on the verge of pulling her hair out, glared at him.

"Parker, I'm serious. Don't tell Mom and Dad. Or Oliver. Or anyone, for that matter." Parker sighed, finally relenting a little.

"Fine, fine. I won't spill the beans. But only because you asked nicely." He shot her a wink.

"But just know, this is the kind of ammo that could come in handy someday. You owe me, Briar." Briar threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Great, now I'm in debt to you. Just what I needed."Parker chuckled, clearly pleased with himself, and turned to head out of the kitchen, popcorn in hand.

"Alright, ladies, I'll leave you to your gossip. But seriously, don't think you can keep *any* secrets in this house. I've got ears everywhere." As he sauntered out, Briar collapsed onto the kitchen counter with a groan, burying her face in her hands.

"I can't believe this." Isla, still giggling, patted her on the back.

"Look on the bright side, at least Parker knows now, and you won't have to worry about him snooping around." Briar peeked up from behind her hands, her face still flushed.

"Yeah, but now I've got to worry about him blackmailing me for the rest of my life."Isla laughed again.

"That's what brothers are for, right?" Briar let out a defeated sigh, but couldn't help but laugh too. "I guess so."