Then Renee's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and blinked. "I need to answer this," she said, standing up abruptly. "It's Rey." She looked at Eliana meaningfully—Rey, their flamboyant gay friend she'd met at Luca's birthday. The one who always had gossip before it broke.
She answered casually, putting the phone to her ear as she flicked her gaze lazily over the room. "Hello? Yeah, hey. What's up?" she said lightly, twirling a strand of Eliana's hair, more relaxed now.
But within seconds, her tone dropped. "Wait—what? Are you sure? Where did you see it? Send it to me. Now."
Her posture straightened like a pulled string, tension flashing through every muscle in her face. Eliana and Luca both turned to each other, alarmed.
As Renee kept listening, her face began to morph—from normal to confused, then to stunned horror. Her lips parted, blinking rapidly, trying to process whatever she was hearing. "Yeah... okay. Okay, I'm looking now."
