25. catching on

Saturday afternoons with Martin and Mandy were always a mix of chaos and comedy. The four of us had fallen into an easy rhythm of hanging out together whenever life allowed, and today was no different. Mandy had invited us over to their apartment, promising food, banter, and the inevitable impromptu video shoot that Martin and Hamzah couldn't resist.

The smell of freshly baked pizza hit us as soon as we walked through the door. Mandy stood in the kitchen, expertly slicing a pie while Martin fiddled with his camera setup in the living room.

"About time!" Mandy said, waving the pizza cutter at us. "I was starting to think you got lost." "Blame Cora," Hamzah teased, nudging me gently as he set a pack of sodas on the counter. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, sure, because I was the one who spent ten minutes picking out the perfect hoodie." Mandy laughed. "It does look good on you, though," she said, smirking at Hamzah. He spread his arms dramatically. "Always gotta stay on brand." "Alright, alright, food first," Martin called from the living room. "Then Hamzah and I are filming, and I expect full participation." Hamzah raised an eyebrow. "What am I, your sidekick now?" Martin grinned. "No, you're the comic relief."

Mandy and I exchanged a look, both of us trying to suppress our laughter.

After devouring an obscene amount of pizza, Martin and Hamzah set up shop in the living room, diving into one of their many chaotic recording sessions. Today's theme was "terrible co-op games," which involved them yelling at each other over a split-screen racing game that neither of them seemed to understand.

"Why are you driving backward, bro?" Hamzah asked, throwing his hands up as Martin crashed into yet another wall. "I'm trying to go forward!" Martin shouted back, his voice a mix of frustration and laughter. "Your controller is cursed," Hamzah said, leaning forward as if that would somehow help him steer better.

Meanwhile, Mandy and I sat on the couch, the recording session devolved into more shouting, a mix of playful insults and uncontrollable laughter. Mandy and I couldn't stop giggling as the two of them struggled through increasingly absurd game levels.

"You two should guest-star in one of their videos," Mandy suggested, leaning closer. I shook my head. "No way. I'd ruin it." "Ruin it? Nah," Hamzah said, glancing over his shoulder. "It'd be better with you."

I felt a flush rise to my cheeks, and Mandy gave me a knowing smirk.

By the time the recording wrapped up, it was late afternoon. Martin began editing the footage immediately, muttering about audio levels and "fixing Hamzah's voice." Mandy handed him a drink and then flopped onto the couch beside me.

"You guys staying for a bit?" she asked, grabbing the remote and queuing up a movie. "Depends," Hamzah said, collapsing onto the couch beside me. "What's the bribe?" Mandy grinned. "Dessert." Hamzah nudged me. "What do you think?" I shrugged. "I mean, who says no to dessert?" "Exactly," Mandy said, heading for the kitchen.

As the movie started, Hamzah shifted closer to me, his arm draping casually across the back of the couch. I leaned into him without thinking, feeling the warmth of his presence.

Mandy noticed, her eyes flickering between us with a raised eyebrow. "You two are disgustingly cute, you know that?" "We're not-" I started, but Hamzah cut me off. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Mandy," he said, smirking. Mandy rolled her eyes. "Sure, keep denying it. But we all see it." Martin glanced up from his laptop, grinning. "Oh yeah. It's obvious." Hamzah and I exchanged a glance, both of us fighting back smiles. "You guys are imagining things," I said, trying to sound convincing. "Uh-huh," Mandy said, winking.

Despite their teasing, I couldn't deny how natural it felt to be here, tucked against Hamzah. It was one of those rare, perfect moments that made me want to freeze time and hold onto it forever.