The argument had ended but Ben was still fuming. Things had blown up when Livi announced, as nonchalantly as possible, that Mike was coming to her birthday soiree that evening.
“*That* Mike? The Mike you used to date?”
Ben was unable to contain himself, his annoyance all too obvious. Livi sighed and rolled her eyes in response to yet another jealous outburst,
“How many times do I have to tell you, we never dated. We never even slept together!”
She had offered this, entirely false, account of she and Mike’s history before – specifically after accidentally sending Ben a text on WhatsApp a couple of months meant for Mike which had read,
“Stop it, you’re killing me Mikey,” followed by the squirting emoji. Livi had feigned ignorance of its meaning, claiming she was under the impression it indicated ‘crying with laughter,’ as she put it.
As poor as it was, the excuse provided just enough plausible deniability to stop Ben leaving her.