The fire had burned down to glowing embers, casting shadows that danced across the walls like they were auditioning for some indie art film.
I was curled against Liam's chest on the oversized couch, cocooned in warmth and the kind of peace that had become familiar over the past few weeks. His fingers traced lazy patterns through my hair, and I could feel his heartbeat steady and strong beneath my cheek.
Three weeks of stolen moments in studios and late dinners at the villa and learning the different languages each of the men spoke.
With them, I was finally becoming someone else. Someone who made music that mattered, who walked into rooms without apologizing for existing, who wanted things and reached for them without guilt.
This was who I was supposed to be. They'd helped me find her.
"I could stay here forever," I murmured against his chest.
"I wish you could," he replied quietly, voice rumbling like distant thunder.
"But Leo will lose his shit if I don't come home." I sighed. Reality check. Because despite how safe this moment felt, tomorrow was coming whether I wanted it or not.
Tomorrow Adelyn returned from London.
The thought landed like a stone in still water.
"I should go," I said reluctantly, but made zero effort to extract myself from his arms.
"Five more minutes," Liam said, tightening his hold. "The city's not going anywhere."
But eventually, real life intruded like an unwelcome party crasher. I forced myself to sit up, immediately missing his warmth, and began the tragic process of gathering my things.
Liam walked me toward the door, hand resting on the small of my back — protective and reluctant to let me go.
"Jasmine," he said as I reached for my coat.
I turned to find him holding a black garment bag that looked expensive even in dim light. The fabric was pristine, silver zipper gleaming.
"What's this?" I raised an eyebrow. "Bribing me with designer wear?"
Liam didn't smile, but I caught the tiny twitch at his mouth. "It's not a bribe. It's armor. For tomorrow."
The word hung between us. Armor. Because tomorrow wasn't just a press conference.
"I already have something to wear," I protested gently, though his gesture was melting my cynical heart.
"I know you do." He stepped closer, pressing the garment bag into my hands. "But I picked this for you." He paused, searching for words. "It's about — I wanted you to have something that makes you feel the way I see you. Powerful. Beautiful." His voice dropped. "Like you could take on the whole world and win."
The weight of the bag felt significant, like he was handing me more than clothing.
"Thank you a lot." I whispered.
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "You're going to be incredible tomorrow. And when Adelyn walks back into that office, she's going to find someone who isn't afraid anymore."
"I'm not afraid," I said, and realized I meant it. Three weeks ago, the thought of her return would have sent me spiraling. But I wasn't that woman anymore. "I have too much to lose now. And too much worth fighting for."
Liam's eyes softened. "You have us. Whatever she tries."
"I know." I kissed him once more, lingering.
I expected my apartment to be quiet when I got home. Instead, Nora's voice bellowed from my bedroom.
"Finally! I was starting to think you'd been kidnapped by your mysterious after-hours meetings!"
I opened the door to find my apartment looking like a fashion magazine had exploded. Clothes draped over every surface, makeup covering my dresser, shoes lined up in military precision.
In the center of this chaos sat Nora, cross-legged on my bed with wine in one hand and a magazine in the other.
"What is all this?"
"This," Nora announced dramatically, "is your fairy godmother moment. I'm here to make sure you absolutely slay at tomorrow's press conference."
"How did you even get in?"
"Leo let me in before his study group. Sweet kid. Made me promise I wasn't here to give you 'bad advice about boys.'" She grinned wickedly. "Little does he know, I'm here to give you excellent advice about all the boys. Plural." She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I noticed. No, I'm not judging. Yes, I want details eventually."
"Nora—"
"Ah-ah! No protests. I brought wine, cupcakes from that bakery you love, and my considerable expertise in making women look like goddesses."
Despite everything, I found myself laughing, the kind that came from somewhere deep.
I'd been so consumed by Adelyn and the brothers and the chaos of my own making that I'd almost forgotten I had a best friend. The lunches we used to share, the random texts, the easy comfort of someone who'd known me before all of this — I'd let it slip away without even noticing.
But Nora hadn't forgotten me.
I'd been so damn lucky to have someone who refused to let me disappear.
"You didn't have to do this," I said, and my voice came out thick.
"Of course I didn't. I wanted to." She patted the bed. "Now sit. Important work ahead."
I settled next to her, accepting the wine. "What kind of work?"
"The kind where we pick an outfit that says 'I'm a brilliant professional who also writes music that makes people cry,' and then we practice your 'Adelyn who?' face for tomorrow."
"She's back tomorrow," I said quietly.
Nora's expression sharpened. "I know. That's why I'm here." She squeezed my hand. "These past few weeks — I've watched you come alive. The music you've been making, the confidence, the way you actually smile." She held my gaze. "Don't let her take that from you."
"I won't." And I meant it.
"Damn right you're not." Nora jumped up and began rifling through clothes. "Now, what's in the mystery bag? Please tell me someone fabulous bought you something gorgeous."
I glanced at Liam's garment bag. "Maybe."
"Ooh, mysterious. But first, let's see what else we're working with."
For the next two hours, Nora transformed my apartment into a staging area. She had me try on outfits, critiqued my posture, coached me on projecting confidence.
"The key," she said, adjusting a blazer collar, "is remembering you belong in that room. You've earned your place through talent and hard work."
"And the music," I added softly. "They gave me that. Permission to actually create instead of just... existing."
"Then hold onto that tomorrow." Nora's voice was fierce. "When Adelyn looks at you like you're nothing, remember who you are now. Remember what you've built."
As the night wore on, our conversation meandered from strategies to memories to Nora's dating disasters. The laughter filling my apartment was exactly what I needed — light, genuine, uncomplicated.
"Thank you," I said as we cleaned up. "For not giving up on me when I was too wrapped up in my own mess to remember I had a best friend."
Nora paused, then smiled — soft and real, none of her usual dramatics. "You would have come back eventually. You always do. I just... sped up the timeline a little."
"I don't deserve you."
"Probably not." She grinned. "But you're stuck with me anyway. That's what friends do. We show up when it matters."
"Even when it's messy?"
"Especially then." She pulled me into a fierce hug. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, you remind everyone why you're the best damn assistant — and songwriter — that label has ever had."
After Nora left, I hung Liam's garment bag carefully in my closet, still reluctant to look inside. The mystery felt important, like opening it too soon would break the spell.
As I got ready for bed, the city settled into its late-night rhythm outside my windows. Tomorrow, Adelyn would return. The whispers might start again. The game would resume.
But I wasn't the same woman who'd crumbled under her gaze weeks ago.
The burdens were still there, but somehow Nora's presence had made them feel lighter, more manageable.