Sophie’s POV
The café was exactly as I remembered—warm lighting, mismatched furniture, the smell of fresh coffee mixing with cinnamon from the pastries in the display case.
Cleo and Ayden were already at our usual corner table when I arrived, and the moment Cleo spotted me, she launched out of her chair with a squeal that made half the café turn to stare.
"Let me see it!" she demanded, grabbing my left hand before I'd even fully sat down. "Oh my God, Sophie, it's gorgeous! Adrian has good taste, I'll give him that."
The diamond caught the afternoon light, winking innocently. I forced a smile as Cleo examined the ring from every angle, gushing about the cut and setting. Ayden leaned back in his chair with an amused expression, clearly used to Cleo's enthusiasm.
"Congratulations," he said warmly. "When's the big day?"
"We haven't set a date yet," I managed, sliding into the chair across from them. "There's still so much to plan, and with Amelia and classes, it's just…"
"Sophie."
Cleo's voice cut through my rambling. She was staring at me with that look I knew too well—the one that said she could see straight through whatever mask I was wearing.
"What happened? And don't say nothing. I can see it on your face."
My throat tightened. "I don't know what you’re talking about."
Cleo shot Ayden a pointed look, her eyes widening meaningfully toward the counter.
"Okay, I'm going to go order," Ayden announced immediately, catching her signal and standing up with deliberate casualness. "Cleo, you want your usual? Sophie, how about that vanilla latte you always get?"
I nodded gratefully, not trusting my voice. The moment Ayden was out of earshot at the counter, Cleo leaned forward across the table.
"Talk," she commanded. "Now. Or I’ll use torture. What's going on?"
The dam broke. "Bellamy kissed me."
Cleo's eyes went wide. "What? When? Where? What the hell, Sophie?!"
"The night Adrian came back with the proposal."
I whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.
"We were on the balcony, and he just… He kissed me. And then Adrian came out, and Bellamy acted like nothing happened, and Adrian was thanking him for taking care of me while he was gone, and I just stood there frozen like an idiot."
"Oh my God." Cleo sat back hard in her chair. "I didn’t see that coming. At all. Does Adrian know?"
"No!" I said too loudly, then lowered my voice. "No, he can't know. He can never know, Cleo. It would destroy everything."
"Okay, okay, calm down." She reached across and grabbed my hands. "First question: do you have feelings for Bellamy?"
"I don't know!" The words burst out of me, tinged with desperation. "I'm so confused. He was there when Adrian left, and he took care of me and Amelia, and he was so good to us. He moved his whole life to help me. And when Adrian came back, I felt… I don't know what I felt."
"Relief? Anger? Resentment?"
"All of it," I admitted. "And guilt. So much guilt, Cleo. I kissed another man the night I got engaged. What kind of person does that make me?"
Cleo squeezed my hands tighter. "Listen to me. Bellamy kissed you, right? You didn't initiate it?"
"No, but I didn't exactly pull away immediately either."
"Sophie, here's what I think. You need to figure out if what you're feeling is actual romantic attraction, or if you're confusing gratitude and appreciation for something more."
She talks carefully.
"Bellamy was there when you were drowning. He threw you a lifeline when Adrian abandoned you. That creates incredibly powerful bonds, but they're not necessarily romantic ones."
I wanted so desperately for that to be true. "You really think that's all it is?"
"I think you need to be honest with yourself about it. But also, Sophie," Her expression grew more serious. "You need to be careful. Secrets like this have a way of coming out, and when they do, they destroy everything in their path."
I nodded, pulling my hands back to wipe my eyes. "Can we talk about something else? Please? I can't… I need to think about literally anything else right now."
Cleo studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Different subject."
"What about you and Ayden?" I asked, seizing the opening. "Has something shifted there? You two seem different lately."
Her face immediately flushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Cleo." I gave her the same look she'd given me earlier. "Come on. I see the way he looks at you, the way you look at him when you think no one's watching."
She groaned, dropping her face into her hands.
"Okay, fine. I think, maybe, Ayden might see me as more than just friends-with-benefits. But I'm terrified to bring it up directly. What if I'm wrong? What if I'm reading signals that aren't there, and I ruin the best friendship I have by making it weird?"
"What if you're right?" I countered. "What if he's sitting over there right now wishing you'd bring it up so he doesn't have to risk rejection?"
"God, when did relationships become so complicated?" She peeked at me through her fingers. "We used to just have fun. No strings, no expectations. Now I'm lying awake at night analyzing every text message."
"That's called catching feelings," I said gently. "It happens to the best of us."
"I hate it," she declared, but she was smiling. "I absolutely hate it."
We both laughed, and for a moment, the weight on my chest lifted slightly. Then I took a deep breath, gathering my courage.
"Cleo, I wanted to ask you something. Well, I wanted to ask you officially, I guess." I twisted the engagement ring nervously. "Will you be my maid of honor? My one and only bridesmaid?"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "Are you serious?"
"Completely serious. You're my best friend, Cleo. You've been there through everything—the scandal, the pregnancy, all of it. I can't imagine standing up there without you beside me."
"Oh my God, Sophie." She was full-on crying now, not even trying to hide it. "Yes! Yes, of course I will. I'm honored. Genuinely honored."
We both stood simultaneously and hugged across the corner of the table, awkward and tearful and perfect. When we finally pulled apart, we were both laughing through our tears.
That's when Ayden returned, carefully balancing three drinks and a plate of pastries. He stopped short, looking between our tear-streaked faces with obvious alarm.
"Everything okay?" he asked cautiously, setting the drinks down. "Should I leave again?"
"We're fine," Cleo assured him, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "Happy tears. Sophie just asked me to be her maid of honor."
"That's amazing!" Ayden's face broke into a genuine smile. "Congratulations to you both."
He slid into his seat, pushing the pastry plate toward the center. "Although I have to say, you two crying in public is terrifying. I thought someone died."
We all laughed, and the conversation shifted to easier topics—wedding colors, potential venues, whether Sophie should wear her hair up or down.
Ayden offered surprisingly detailed opinions about floral arrangements, which made Cleo tease him mercilessly about his secret love of wedding planning shows.
But when Ayden excused himself to take a phone call, stepping outside for privacy, Cleo's expression turned serious again. She reached across the table and caught my hand, holding my gaze.
"I meant what I said earlier," she said quietly. "Secrets have a way of surfacing, Sophie. No matter how deep you bury them. You need to be careful. Really careful."
Her warning hung in the air between us, heavy with implications I didn't want to examine. I nodded slowly, unable to find words.
Through the café window, I could see Ayden pacing on the sidewalk, phone pressed to his ear. Inside, Cleo watched me with concern and love written all over her face. And somewhere across the city, Adrian was probably at home with Amelia, believing his family was whole and his future was secure.
While I sat here carrying a secret that could destroy everything.
"I will be," I finally whispered. "I promise."
But even as I said it, I wasn't sure if it was a promise I could keep.