Corley paused, his smile momentarily frozen.
He swiped left on his phone, and there it was—the photo of the dinner table he'd snapped just moments ago.
Feeling a sudden impulse, he opened his social media app and posted the picture with a simple caption: "Family Reunion."
It didn't take long for the likes to start rolling in, accompanied by a smattering of comments from his friends—each more curious than the last:
"Is this a family dinner?"
"Corley's got a new flame!"
"Wow, a personal post! A refreshing break from your usual finance news and stock updates."
"Mysterious Corley, always up to something big in silence."
"Well, looks like someone didn't get the memo about staying single! What's this about meeting the parents?"
"Oh, the caption 'Family Reunion' and such a cozy scene... Are we hearing wedding bells?"
Corley clicked through the comments, scanning them with mild amusement until he paused. Something caught his eye. He zoomed in on the photo and spotted the edge of Roseanne's face in the corner—just her chin and lips, barely noticeable but enough for his friends to turn into amateur detectives.
He frowned, considering whether to clarify the situation, but decided it wasn't worth it. The comments were light-hearted, and any explanation might just add fuel to the fire.
Just then, a message popped up. It was from an old college buddy who now owned a local BBQ joint:
"Congrats, man! Best wishes."
"Next time you visit, your meal's on the house."
Corley sighed, shaking his head. No point in responding to that one.
...
As night fell and city lights flickered to life, Cliff was organizing a small get-together with York and Murray.
York initially declined, saying, "Gotta pick up Leda from work, no time."
But five minutes later, York called back, "Actually, I'm free now. Be there soon."
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