(flash story)

Mark had spent weeks planning the perfect proposal. The ring was hidden in his sock drawer, the restaurant was booked, and he’d finally composed the perfect text to his girlfriend’s best friend Sarah to coordinate the surprise photographer:

“Hey Sarah, Operation Romance is going on tonight! Emma thinks we’re just making dinner, but I’ve got the ring ready. Photographer will be hiding behind the fountain. When you see my signal (fixing my tie), start recording!”

He hit ‘send’ and went back to rehearsing his speech. Twenty minutes later, his phone exploded with notifications.

Confused, he opened Facebook to find 47 congratulatory messages. There was his proposal plan, shared on Emma’s timeline by Sarah, who had written: “OMG EMMA! LOOK WHAT YOUR SILLY BOYFRIEND ACCIDENTALLY SENT TO THE GROUP CHAT!”

Mark’s stomach dropped. He frantically checked his sent messages. There it was – instead of sending it to “Sarah Wilson,” his phone had helpfully auto-corrected to “Senior Writers,” his workplace group chat with 156 members, including Emma’s cousin who worked in accounting.

The restaurant called: someone had tipped off the local news, and a reporter was asking about filming permissions for the “viral proposal.”

When Emma called, laughing so hard she could barely speak, Mark considered moving to another country. Instead, he grabbed the ring and drove to her place.

She opened the door wearing a t-shirt that said “SPOILER: I SAID YES!”

“How did you—”

“Sarah rush-ordered it,” Emma grinned. “Now, about this fountain proposal…”

“Actually,” Mark said, getting down on one knee right there in her doorway, “I think this is perfect. Technology has already messed with us enough today.”