She took a deep breath. Throwing herself onto the bed for ten minutes seemed to have helped.

She opened the door to an empty hallway. She had barely taken two steps out, still holding the doorknob to close it behind her, when she heard another door open.

Her eyes lifted automatically.

Joshua.

He was walking out of Marcela’s room.

Their eyes met. For a moment, Joshua smiled purely on instinct when he saw her, but the smile died before it had the chance to fully form when he noticed Laura’s expression change. Her brow furrowed slightly.

Only then did he realize what this looked like.

His shirt was a little wrinkled—courtesy of Scott and the awkward hug of an uncoordinated giant, though Laura obviously had no way of knowing that.

Then her eyes drifted downward before she could stop them.

They landed on his pants.

The bulge was impossible to ignore.

Laura went completely still. It took her brain a second or two to connect that with the only place he could have just come from.

Marcela’s room.

It was two plus two.

Before either of them could say anything, the door behind Joshua opened again.

Marcela stepped out wearing a different dress from the one she’d had on earlier. Black. New. Her hair still fell entirely over one shoulder, and she looked stunning.

She smiled faintly when she found the two of them standing in the hallway, clearly surprised.

“Hey, Laura. Hiding from the party too?”

Laura smiled back. Small. Polite.

“A little tired today... And, by the way, that dress looks beautiful on you.”

“Thank you.”

Marcela smiled warmly.

For a few seconds, no one said anything. Laura’s eyes went back to Joshua, then Marcela, then Joshua again.

The pieces began falling into place on their own.

Something tightened strangely in her chest. It wasn’t anger. Much less jealousy.

It was... emptiness.

And it only made sense.

They had been married. There was still affection between them. Laura had seen it all week. They talked easily, laughed together, knew each other incredibly well.

And now Joshua was walking out of her room looking like that.

Of course.

The thought came so naturally it almost hurt.

Of course.

How could she have imagined anything else?

Joshua took a step toward her.

“Laura...”

She immediately looked up and smiled. Calm. Almost too gentle.

“I need to take care of something.”

A lie. She didn’t want to say anything in front of Marcela.

Joshua stopped. Laura gave a small nod, already preparing to walk down the hallway, but he managed to speak before she could.

“I need to talk to you later. It’s urgent.”

She looked at him for a moment, and Joshua’s stomach twisted.

Not because Laura had raised her voice. Not because she was angry.

Quite the opposite.

She was calm.

Exactly the kind of calm she became when she had already made up her mind about something.

The smile vanished from Joshua’s face. His chest tightened, and for a moment, his breath seemed to catch.

Then the realization hit him all at once.

She had gotten it completely wrong.

“Laura, can we do it now...?”

She made a small gesture with her hand, shutting the conversation down before he could even begin.

“Later. What I need to take care of is urgent too.”

She wasn’t okay.

Her eyes said something entirely different. They had lost that easy brightness that almost always appeared whenever they talked.

Laura glanced at Marcela and smiled again.

“Enjoy the party.”

Marcela blinked, unsure why those words sounded so much like a goodbye—or perhaps like confirmation of the suspicions she’d been collecting for days.

A chill ran through Joshua’s entire body.

“Laura...”

But she was already walking past them. Her perfume lingered in the hallway for another second before the sound of her footsteps disappeared down the stairs.

Joshua kept staring at the empty space where she had been, unable to move.

It wasn’t Laura’s fault.

It wasn’t Marcela’s fault.

But for the first time that night, Joshua was afraid. Afraid that because of one moment seen without the rest of the story, he had just lost someone before he had even realized how much of himself he was already finding in her.

Marcela turned back to him. Joshua was still standing in the hallway, not entirely motionless—the strange rise and fall of his chest made sure of that—but close. His eyes remained fixed on the spot where Laura had disappeared, as though his body had understood before his mind that something important had just slipped away.

She waited a few seconds.

“What is it?”

Joshua blinked, finally returning to the hallway. He looked at Marcela, and for a moment, it seemed like he might actually tell her the truth.

She knew that tiny delay. She knew the way he pressed his lips together when he needed to choose his words. She even knew the almost imperceptible movement of his right hand opening and closing at his side.

He was hiding something.

“Nothing.”

Marcela raised an eyebrow.

“Josh.”

“It’s work.”

The answer came too quickly.

She tilted her head slightly.

“Work?”

“Yeah.” His eyes drifted back toward the stairs. “I need to talk to her about some things with the company.”

Marcela said nothing. That didn’t explain the look on his face. Much less the way Laura had looked at the two of them.

“That urgent?”

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck.

“It became urgent just now.”

She watched the movement.

Something was wrong. Not necessarily with the story itself, but in the spaces between his words. Joshua had always been terrible at lying to her. Not because his face gave everything away, but because he tried too hard to simplify things.

When he told the truth, he explained.

When he hid something, he cut it short.

Marcela looked toward the stairs.

“She seemed weird.”

“She’s tired.”

“She didn’t look tired.”

Joshua took a deep breath.

“Cela...”

His tone wasn’t harsh.

That was worse.

It was a silent request for her not to keep going.

Something tightened inside Marcela’s chest. Not pain exactly—not yet—but something close to a warning.

Only seconds ago, everything had made sense. The shiver. The way he had looked at her. His answer about the dress. The way he had walked out of that room trying to hide his body’s reaction.

She had left the room believing she finally recognized the terrain again.

Now, suddenly, she recognized nothing.

“Okay,” she said slowly.

Joshua nodded, but he was already moving. He walked past her without going back into the room, reached the stairs, and took the first two steps at once.

Marcela remained alone in the hallway.

The smile she had still been carrying from the bedroom was completely gone. She looked at her open door, then the empty hallway, and finally the stairs.

Laura’s words returned to her in full.

Enjoy the party.

At the time, they had sounded almost like confirmation.

Now they sounded like something else.

But what?

Marcela stepped back into her room only to close the door. She kept one hand on the doorknob for a few seconds, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

The dress was perfect. So was her hair. Everything had happened exactly the way she had planned it.

And yet the feeling of victory had disappeared before she’d even had the chance to enjoy it.

Joshua was hiding something.

So was Laura.

And for the first time since Marcela had started believing there might still be a chance for the two of them, she realized she had stepped into a game without knowing all the rules.

Joshua practically went down the stairs without seeing the steps beneath his feet. People were still laughing, someone turned the music up, and outside, a group near the pool was cheering about something.

It seemed absurd that the party could keep going exactly as it had been.

As if the world hadn’t ended five minutes ago.

He crossed the room quickly, looking for only one person. He found Scott near the grill while Megan was saying something that had him laughing with that shy little smile that seemed to appear more and more whenever she was around.

“Scott.”

Joshua’s voice came out firmer than he intended.

His brother turned immediately. One look at Joshua’s face was enough to wipe the smile from his own.

“What happened?”

Joshua didn’t answer. He simply tilted his head slightly and started walking.

Scott didn’t ask. He just glanced at Megan.

“I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, immediately realizing something was wrong.

The two of them walked to a quieter spot near the ping-pong room, where there were fewer people and the music reached them muffled through the walls. Joshua dragged both hands over his face, took a deep breath, and tried to organize his thoughts.

He couldn’t.

“Shit hit the fan.”

Scott crossed his arms and waited, already anxious before he even knew what had happened. He knew his brother well enough to understand that interrupting him would only make Joshua lose his train of thought even more.

“Marcela asked me to help her with a dress.”

Scott nodded. “Okay.”

“So I went upstairs.”

Another silent nod.

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. “She... did what she always used to do.”

Scott frowned for a second before it clicked. His eyes widened slightly.

“Oh...”

Joshua let out a completely humorless laugh. “Yeah.”

Scott scratched the back of his neck. “And...? Did you fall for it?”

Joshua looked down for a moment. “I left.”

Scott waited. He knew that still wasn’t the problem.

“When I walked out of the room...” Joshua closed his eyes, as if the rest of the sentence was too heavy to get out. “Laura was coming out of hers.”

Scott went completely still. His expression changed almost as quickly as he began putting the scene together in his head.

“She saw you coming out?”

Joshua nodded.

“And Marcela came out right behind me.”

Scott just stared at him. Joshua nodded again, and for a few seconds, his brother looked like he might actually explode from trying to process the scale of the disaster. He closed his eyes and brought one hand to his forehead.

“Josh...”

Joshua slowly exhaled. “I know.”

“She saw everything?”

Another nod.

A short, completely nervous laugh escaped Scott. There was nothing funny about it. It was pure desperation.

“Oh my God...”

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Scott finally asked, “Where is she?”

Joshua looked around for what had to be the thousandth time, as if Laura might simply appear.

“I don’t know.” His voice dropped almost to a whisper. “She said she had something to take care of... and that we’d talk later.”

Scott studied his brother for a few seconds. There was a restlessness in Joshua that he rarely let anyone see. He was standing still, but somehow looked ready to start running at any second.

“Did you explain?”

Joshua let out a bitter laugh.

“How? With Marcela standing right next to me and a fucking hard-on?”

Scott lowered his head, and this time a genuine laugh escaped him. The situation was so disastrous it had crossed over into absurdity.

And Joshua was right.

Marcela had been standing right there. Laura clearly wasn’t going to give him an opening, and Joshua would never expose a conversation that belonged to the two of them in front of someone else. Scott rubbed a hand over his face and tried to see the scene through Laura’s eyes. He knew his friend well enough to understand that, faced with what she had seen, she had almost certainly reached the worst possible conclusion.

“Okay.”

Joshua immediately looked up, waiting for him to continue.

“We find her first. That’s it. Then you talk.”

Joshua nodded without arguing.

Scott took two steps forward, already scanning the entire party, but stopped and turned back to his brother.

“Josh.”

“Hmm?”

“Where does she usually go when she needs to think?”

Joshua went completely still.

It sounded like such a simple question.

But he didn’t have an answer.

He realized, in that moment, that he knew how Laura liked her coffee. He knew exactly how she liked her toast, knew she made a face whenever her coffee was too sweet, and could recognize her perfume in any hallway.

But he didn’t know where Laura went when she needed to be alone.

Because most of the time, Laura didn’t go away.

She went to him.

Joshua was her safe place.

And tonight, he was the person she needed to get away from.

The guilt cut through his chest like a knife.

Scott saw his brother’s expression change and understood there would be no answer.

“Then we look everywhere.”

Joshua was already moving before Scott had even finished the sentence.

By the time Scott caught up with him, Joshua was already crossing the backyard. They split up without really needing to discuss it. Scott took the pool area while Joshua headed back inside.

The music made the floor vibrate beneath his feet. People were still dancing, someone was yelling because they’d lost at beer pong, and two strangers were arguing over what song to play next.

Everything carried on with absurd normalcy.

Joshua scanned the living room.

Nothing.

He went into the kitchen, where Sarah was still trying to convince Sunset that dishes did not, in fact, wash themselves. She looked up as soon as he walked in.

“Josh?”

“Have you seen Laura?”

Sarah thought for a moment.

“A few minutes ago.”

“Where did she go?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t see.”

Joshua thanked her with a quick gesture and was gone before Sarah could even ask why.

Outside, Scott moved between small groups of guests. He only stopped when he found someone he knew well enough, always asking the same way, trying to sound casual, like he was just making conversation.

“Hey... have you seen Laura recently?”

The answers were always more or less the same.

“Saw her near the kitchen.”

“She was going inside.”

“A little while ago.”

Nothing after that.

Every now and then, Scott looked for Joshua across the backyard. All it took was for their eyes to meet for each of them to immediately understand the other’s answer.

Nothing.

The minutes kept passing. Joshua checked the porch, the garage, the back of the house, even the front gate. He went back inside, climbed the stairs, and quickly scanned the hallway. Every door was closed.

For a second, he considered knocking on each one, but stopped himself. He wasn’t about to invade someone’s bedroom because of a gut feeling.

He went downstairs again.

Nearly forty minutes later, Scott found Joshua near the grill. Neither of them could hide their exhaustion anymore.

“Nothing?”

Joshua just shook his head.

Scott took a deep breath.

“She didn’t leave.”

Joshua looked up at him.

“How do you know?”

“Because she wouldn’t do that.”

Joshua fell silent, and Scott almost immediately recognized where his brother’s thoughts were going. He knew that expression. He knew exactly which memory Joshua was trying to run from.

“You’re not going through that again. Especially not with Laura. Come on, man. It’s Laura.”

Joshua thought about that for a few seconds.

It was true.

Laura would never ruin someone else’s party like that. She wouldn’t leave the house without saying anything, making everyone worry and turning Scott’s night into something else entirely.

She was still there.

Somewhere.

And while the two of them were practically organizing a search operation across the entire property, Laura was much closer than either of them realized.

On the first floor, inside Jennie’s bedroom.

Right next to Joshua’s room and practically beside the kitchen, where Sarah and Sunset were still trying to manage the chaos of the party.

The door slowly cracked open, and Laura poked just her head into the hallway. She looked one way, then the other.

Not a soul in sight.

She slipped back inside and closed the door again.

“No one?” Jennie asked.

Laura shook her head.

Matthew opened another beer.

“So they’re still looking for you.”

Laura took the bottle right out of his hand before he could even finish the sentence and took a long drink.

Then another.

And another.

Jennie watched the whole sequence before frowning.

“Laura...”

She lowered the bottle.

“Hmm?”

“You’re drinking way too fast.”

Laura smiled. Small. Almost automatic.

“I’m fine.”

No one answered.

Chad simply crossed his arms. Jin was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, watching Laura ever since she’d come into the room. She hadn’t asked a single question. When Laura sat down beside her, Jin simply wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close.

She was the one who finally broke the silence.

“No, you’re not, Laura. I know you.”

Without letting go of her friend, she held one hand out toward the others.

“Someone hand me another beer.”

Laura turned to look at her and tried to smile again.

This time, she couldn’t.

Jennie sat down on the floor beside them. She and Jin knew Laura well enough to understand that pushing her wouldn’t get them anywhere. Laura was a fortress. She rarely cried, and even more rarely allowed anyone to see when something had truly gotten to her.

“What happened?” Jennie asked.

Laura stared at the bottle for a few seconds, slowly turning the glass between her fingers.

“Nothing.”

Matthew sighed.

“Laura... even I’m starting to freak out, and I don’t know a damn thing about the gossip.”

A small laugh escaped her despite herself, and she shook her head.

“Seriously, guys. I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now. Let’s just drink.”

Jennie didn’t push. She simply took Laura’s hand for a moment and gave it a gentle squeeze. No questions. No attempt to force an explanation out of her.

Laura squeezed back.

That was enough to say thank you.

Meanwhile, Joshua had stopped paying attention to the party altogether. The conversations around him had become nothing but noise, and people walked past without him really seeing them. All he wanted was to send everyone home, empty the entire house, and look for Laura without having to push through dozens of people in every room.

Scott came back once again.

“Nothing.”

Joshua closed his eyes.

For the first time that night, he felt truly afraid.

Not of an argument. Not of a difficult conversation. Not even of what Laura might say when he finally found her.

He was afraid of not finding her.

Of going through the same thing all over again.

Another twenty minutes passed, and the beer in Jennie’s room finally ran out. Matthew looked at the empty cooler and grimaced.

“We’re screwed.”

Jennie huffed. “We’re gonna have to go out there.”

Chad immediately looked at Laura.

“Want to wait a little longer?”

She lowered her eyes to the empty bottle between her hands and took a deep breath.

“No. You can go get more. Just don’t announce our existence to the entire house.”

Jennie got up along with Jin and the guys. The four of them stared at the cooler as if they’d just been handed a mission of international importance.

“We’re filling this thing up, and if we have to, we’ll stay in here with you until tomorrow night, Laura.”

A faint smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you.”

The four of them walked toward the door. Jin grabbed the handle, slowly turned it, and poked her head into the hallway first.

Still empty.

She took the first step out.

At the exact moment Jennie started to follow her, the door next to them opened.

Joshua.

He had gone to his own room hoping a few minutes alone might help him clear his head.

It hadn’t.

He stopped the second he saw the four of them coming out of Jennie’s room carrying the cooler. Jin froze too. Jennie appeared right behind her and, the moment she noticed Joshua, instinctively tried to fill the remaining space in the doorway.

The two of them stood practically shoulder to shoulder.

A human barricade.

A human barricade made up of two women barely over five feet tall, but an attempt nonetheless.

Joshua frowned. For a second, he didn’t understand.

Then he tried to look between them.

Jin subtly shifted to one side.

Jennie moved to the other.

Joshua tilted his head.

They followed.

Under any other circumstances, it might have been funny.

But it didn’t work.

Joshua saw a beer bottle first.

Then a hand.

And finally, Laura sitting on Jennie’s bed.

That was when he remembered the one room in that house Laura had chosen before when she needed somewhere quiet. The room almost no one ever thought to check because Jennie was rarely in it.

Of course.

Jennie’s room.

Joshua stood frozen in the hallway for a few seconds, as if he still needed to convince himself that she was really there.

Scott had been right.

Laura had never left.

She had just disappeared.

His eyes found hers immediately. Laura was still sitting on the bed, the bottle between her hands, and Joshua’s heart finally began to slow down.

She was okay.

Physically, at least.

For now, that was enough.

Laura looked up at him.

No smile. No surprise.

Just exhaustion.

Joshua took a deep breath and stayed exactly where he was. He didn’t try to enter the room. He didn’t move any closer.

“Can I talk to you... now?”

Silence took over the room.

Laura glanced at Jennie, then Jin, before looking back at Joshua.

She gave a small nod.

“Okay.”

She slowly got up from the bed and looked at the four of them, still standing in the middle of their failed operation, holding the cooler and trying to figure out what exactly was happening.

“I’ll be back.”

Jennie simply nodded.

Matthew glanced discreetly at Chad. Chad looked at Jin. Jin looked at Laura.

No one dared say a word.

All four of them understood at the same time that this wasn’t a conversation that needed an audience.

Laura walked past Joshua. He stepped aside and waited for her to leave first. Only then did he follow her, without saying a single word.

The door closed.

The five seconds of silence left behind in the room felt much longer.

Matthew was the first one who couldn’t take it anymore.

“Is someone gonna explain...?”

Jennie picked up the cooler.

“Later. Right now, we’re getting beer.”

Jin nodded.

“And letting them talk.”

Laura left the room first and didn’t wait for Joshua. Only once she was already in the hallway did he start walking behind her. Neither of them said a word as they slowly made their way upstairs. With every step, the music from the party grew more distant. The voices, the laughter, the clinking of glasses—everything seemed to belong somewhere else.

Laura crossed the hallway without hesitation and stopped in front of the second-floor living room. Joshua recognized the place before she even turned the handle.

It was here.

The same room where they had talked for hours, where they had laughed, and where, without either of them planning it, their first different kind of kiss had happened.

Laura stepped inside. Joshua followed and closed the door behind them without locking it. Silence filled the entire room.

She walked past the cooler, grabbed a beer, and went to the window. Leaning against the sill, she looked down at the lights of the party below. Sarah had done an amazing job, once again. And they, as usual, seemed equally talented at finding a way to ruin everything in the middle of something incredible.

Joshua stayed near the door, as though he wasn’t sure how close he was still allowed to get. Time seemed to stop moving. He just needed to figure out how to tell her nothing but the truth.

Laura was the one who finally broke the silence.

“What was so urgent?”

Her voice was calm.

Too calm.

Joshua took a deep breath.

“You’re what’s urgent.”

A small, humorless smile touched her lips as she kept looking out the window.

“I thought it was work.”

She took a sip of her beer while Joshua walked over to the cooler, still respecting the distance between them. He knew Laura well enough to understand that forcing any kind of closeness right now would only make things worse.

He lowered his eyes for a moment and gave a faint, joyless smile.

“I lied to Marcela. I figured you didn’t want a scene.”

Laura simply nodded.

“I figured.”

Silence returned. Despite everything, she noticed the care he had taken not to reveal anything in front of Marcela. For a moment, she wondered what exactly this was. Why did the two of them even need to talk about it? And more importantly, why was it consuming her so completely?

Joshua took a step forward.

“Laura...”

She turned to face him and raised one hand, resting her back against the windowsill. It was a small gesture, almost imperceptible, but enough to make him stop immediately.

Laura took a deep breath.

“I spent the entire walk up here trying to decide which question I wanted to ask first. But...”

Her eyes dropped to the bottle, slowly turning the glass between her fingers.

“None of them change what I saw. And I don’t even know why it affected me this much, or why we need to talk about it. We’ve always had everything so figured out. Ever since the day we kissed, we knew what role we had in each other’s lives. I don’t fall in love with anyone, and she was the only person who ever got you to put a ring on your finger. You’ve said that yourself.”

Joshua felt his chest tighten, but he didn’t interrupt.

Laura was looking in his direction without really seeing him. Her eyes were distant, already glossy, and she was visibly fighting to keep it from going any further.

The walls couldn’t come down completely.

“I saw you coming out of her room. And what’s wrong with that? You were married. I’ve always known that. I’ve always been there. Then I saw her come out right behind you. I just want to understand why we’re feeling bad about something that used to be completely normal in our lives.”

She took a deep breath.

“I saw how wrinkled your shirt was.”

Joshua closed his eyes.

Laura had to gather the courage to finish. When she spoke again, her voice faltered for the first time.

Barely.

But it did.

“And... I saw that your body still reacted to her. I think I just never noticed things like that before because I was too busy running away from something, thinking I was doing the right thing. I chose not to see the intimacy between you two these past few days as anything other than what it had always been. And now I understand why.”

Joshua didn’t answer immediately.

Laura wasn’t making anything up. She was telling him exactly what she had seen.

And all of it was true.

It just wasn’t the whole truth.

He breathed slowly.

“Can I tell you exactly what happened?”

Laura took a few seconds before answering, but eventually nodded.

“Okay. Maybe I don’t want to know, but I do.”

Joshua started from the beginning. He told her that Marcela had asked him to help with the dress; that she had closed the door; that she had taken off her dress and he had immediately understood what she was doing. He told her he had tried to keep his distance, that he had zipped up the dress, that Marcela had moved closer, and that her perfume had brought back memories he hadn’t expected to feel. He told her his body had reacted before he could control it and that, the next moment, he had left.

He hid nothing.

He downplayed nothing.

He didn’t try to make himself look better than he had been.

When he finished, silence returned.

Laura stood still for a few seconds before turning back toward the window, trying to compose herself after hearing everything she hadn’t expected to hear.

She stayed that way until she quietly asked:

“Did you want to stay?”

Joshua answered before he could even think about it.

“No.”

She gave an almost imperceptible nod, as though she had expected that answer. Then she asked something else, still without looking at him.

“But part of you did.”

Joshua closed his eyes.

That question was infinitely harder, because the answer didn’t fit into a yes.

Much less a no.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low.

Honest.

“My body remembered who she used to be.”

Laura finally turned her head. Their eyes met, and Joshua held her gaze without looking away.

“But I was the one who chose who she isn’t anymore.”

Laura’s eyes began to shine.

Not with anger. Not exactly with jealousy.

It was pain.

She believed him.

And that was exactly the problem.

Because she knew Joshua was telling the truth, and somehow that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Quite the opposite.

Laura took a deep breath and tried to speak.

Nothing came out.

She tried again, and this time she managed, her voice barely more than a broken whisper.

“Then why does it hurt so much?”

Joshua went completely still.

There was no ready answer. No quick argument. No explanation that could erase the image she had seen.

For the first time that night, he realized that sometimes the truth wasn’t enough to mend a heart.

And that terrified him.

Laura set the empty bottle on the windowsill and walked over to the small minibar. She opened it and bent down to grab another beer.

That was when Joshua finally moved.

His steps were slow, unhurried. Laura heard them without looking.

She would recognize those footsteps anywhere.

When she straightened again, she was holding two bottles.

She looked up.

Joshua was close.

Very close.

Laura silently held one of the beers out to him. Joshua took it, and their fingers brushed for a second.

He took a deep breath.

“Do you really want to know the truth, Laura?”

She kept looking at him. Her eyes were already red from fighting so hard to keep the tears from falling. Slowly, she raised her eyebrows slightly and nodded.

Joshua lowered his head for a moment.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

That same smile that always made Laura forget whatever train of thought she had been trying to follow.

When he looked at her again, there was no going back.

“The truth... is that I’m completely crazy about you.”

The world stopped.

Laura simply stopped.

The air vanished from her lungs. Her hands were still wrapped around the bottle, but she could no longer feel the cold glass against her fingers.

All she could do was look at him.

At that subtle smile.

At those light eyes.

At the man who had just torn apart every certainty she had spent her entire life building.

Her chest tightened. Her heart beat so fast it almost hurt.

She needed to breathe.

She needed to.

But she seemed to have forgotten how.

Joshua took another half step closer and spoke almost in a whisper.

“I’ve spent days trying to convince both of us that this wasn’t happening. And I think you have too.”

He gave a faint, humorless smile.

“I couldn’t do it. The more I tried, the more I thought about you. Your scent, your body, your laugh.”

Laura remained completely still.

Joshua took a deep breath.

“So I stopped running.”

The silence that followed seemed to fill every inch of the room.

Laura looked at the bottle in her hand.

Then at his.

She raised hers and gently tapped it against Joshua’s, as if making a toast.

The sound of glass echoed through the room.

She still hadn’t found a single word.

Maybe because any word would have been too small.

Then she slowly walked past him.

Joshua only turned his head to follow her. Laura reached the door and stopped with her hand on the handle.

She didn’t look back.

She opened it.

Walked out.

The door closed softly behind her.

Joshua remained alone in the room, staring at it. After a few seconds, a smile appeared without him even realizing it.

Small.

Almost imperceptible.

For the first time that night, he felt relieved.

Because there were finally no secrets left.

Now Laura could run from him. She could deny it, be angry, need time.

But she could never again believe that the question was Marcela.

The question was Laura herself.

And for the first time since all of this had begun, Joshua knew exactly what his goal was.

Not to convince Laura to be with him.

Not to make her forget that night.

But to show her, for however many days it took, that falling in love had never been the problem.

The problem had always been her fear of finding out that she was loved too.

“Sunset.”

Across the kitchen, Sunset was leaning against the counter, attempting to balance three bags of bread, a bowl of salad, and a plate no one remembered putting there.

“Hmm?”

“Where's the mayonnaise?”

Sunset froze.

She looked at Sarah.

Then at the refrigerator.

“I put it away.”

Sarah stared at her for a few seconds.

“Where?”

Sunset frowned, genuinely trying to remember.

“Somewhere safe.”

Sarah closed her eyes.

The music was pounding through the walls hard enough to make the glasses on the counter vibrate slightly. People wandered in and out of the kitchen constantly, grabbing ice, opening bottles, and asking where things were that they were probably already holding.

Sarah had given up trying to control the party about twenty minutes ago.

At this point, she was simply trying to prevent someone from burning the house down.

“Sunset, mayonnaise needs to stay in the refrigerator.”

“I know.”

“So it's in the refrigerator?”

Sunset looked at the appliance again, as though she also expected it to answer.

“Maybe.”

Sarah opened the fridge.

Nothing.

She checked the lower cabinets.

Nothing.

Sunset joined the search, moving things from one place to another with no apparent strategy whatsoever.

A few minutes later, she opened the oven.

The mayonnaise was inside.

They both stared at the jar for a few seconds.

Sarah spoke first.

“Why?”

Sunset blinked at it.

“Because we were supposed to be talking about baking something, and then I got distracted.”

“Sunset...”

“I know. I don't control it.”

Sarah picked up the jar.

“I just keep imagining what would've happened if the oven had been on.”

Sunset pointed at her, looking oddly pleased with herself.

“Then I would've put it in the fridge!”

Sarah stared at her.

“How does that make any sense?”

“Because I would've opened the oven and thought, Why did I open the oven?”

Sarah closed the oven door with considerably more restraint than she felt.

“One day, you're going to kill me.”

“But not today.”

“The night is still young.”

Sunset smiled and went right back to arranging the bread, completely unfazed by the threat.

Sarah put the mayonnaise where mayonnaise belonged and took a deep breath.

“Go enjoy your party of sixty people.”

“Fifty-eight.”

“Sunset.”

“I'm going.”

She disappeared from the kitchen still smiling, sidestepping two people coming in looking for ice.

Sarah stood alone in the middle of the chaos for a few seconds, staring at the mess around her.

Then she picked up a dishcloth.

“I should've lived alone.”

By the time Sarah finally gave up looking for people willing to actually help, she realized four familiar faces had been missing for quite a while.

“Have you seen Jennie?” she asked Sunset as she passed by with the last tray that still needed arranging.

Sunset thought about it for a few seconds.

“Not for a while.”

“Chad's gone too.”

“Matthew too.”

Sarah stopped.

“And Jin.”

They looked at each other.

“They're up to something.”

“Definitely.”

They weren't wrong.

As they passed Jennie's bedroom beside the kitchen, muffled laughter slipped through the closed door. The pounding music from the party almost swallowed the sound, serving as the soundtrack to an entirely different kind of chaos happening on the other side.

Sarah stopped.

Sunset stopped beside her.

Another explosion of laughter came from the room.

They looked at the door.

Then at each other.

For half a second, they considered knocking.

Sarah sighed.

“You know what? I don't want to know.”

Sunset nodded solemnly.

“That's called personal growth.”

And they simply walked away to enjoy the party themselves.

Probably the wisest decision either of them would make that night.

Because on the other side of that door...

The missing cooler sat nearly empty in the corner of Jennie's room.

And four hands slapped their cards down on the bed at once.

Matthew looked at his hand and dragged a palm down his face.

“I hate poker.”

Jennie grinned.

“You only hate it because you're losing.”

“I've lost all my money.”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

Chad pushed a pile of improvised chips toward the middle of the bed.

They'd run out of anything resembling actual poker chips several rounds ago and were now betting whatever they happened to find in their pockets.

“Bet.”

Matthew spread his arms.

“I don't have anything left.”

Jennie shrugged.

“Then bet something else.”

The mischievous smile that appeared on her face promised absolutely nothing good.

Matthew looked around the room.

Then down at himself.

Then at everyone else.

“My dignity?”

Jin answered while calmly rearranging the cards in her hand.

“You lost that around the third round.”

The other three burst out laughing.

Matthew pointed at her.

“See? Even Jin's bullying me now.”

Jin shrugged, fighting back a smile.

“It was merely a statistical observation.”

Jennie clapped her hands.

“I'll take your shirt.”

Matthew's eyes widened.

“What?”

“Your shirt.”

“You're insane.”

“Scared?”

Chad immediately joined in.

“Ooh...”

Matthew took a deep breath.

Looked at his cards.

Then smiled.

“Deal.”

Five minutes later...

Matthew was sitting on the bed wearing nothing but his shorts.

Jennie had his shirt on over her own clothes.

She spread her arms, admiring the result.

“Looks good on me.”

“Give it back.”

“Win it back.”

Another round.

Two rounds later, Chad lost.

He stared at Jennie's cards in disbelief.

“There's no way.”

Jennie gave him the innocent smile that had never convinced anyone in her entire life.

“Skill.”

“You're cheating.”

“Prove it.”

“I can't.”

“Then accept defeat.”

Chad huffed.

“Fine.”

He took off his cap.

Jennie immediately put it on.

“Much better.”

Matthew started laughing.

“You're building an entirely new character out of our suffering.”

Jin glanced at Chad.

“Valid bet.”

“You're on her side?”

“I'm on the side of the rules.”

Chad looked at Matthew.

“I hate her.”

Matthew pointed at Jin.

“I hate her too.”

Jennie was already shuffling again, entirely too pleased with herself.

The music from the party made the bedroom window tremble slightly.

Another round.

Matthew lost.

Again.

He looked at Jennie.

Then down at his shorts.

Then back at Jennie.

Silence.

She smiled.

“Absolutely not.”

Matthew stared at her.

“You agreed to the rule!”

“I DIDN'T THINK WE'D GET THIS FAR!”

The other three started laughing at his desperation all over again.

Jennie rested her chin on her hand.

“Well...”

She waited.

Matthew looked at Chad.

“Help me.”

“I'm almost out of clothes too.”

Both of them turned toward Jin.

She was sitting exactly where she'd been all night.

Calm.

Completely focused on her cards.

Still wearing nothing but an oversized black T-shirt...

And a pair of pale blue lace panties.

Matthew stared at her for a few seconds.

His brow slowly furrowed.

Then he closed his eyes.

“Jin...”

She looked up.

“Hmm?”

“When the hell did you end up in just your underwear?”

Jin looked down at herself as though she'd genuinely forgotten.

At that point, all four of them were far too drunk to maintain any reliable timeline of events.

“Fifth round, maybe?”

Silence.

Matthew took a deep breath.

“I didn't even notice.”

Jennie laughed so hard she had to rest her forehead against his shoulder.

“SHE LOST HER SKIRT TEN MINUTES AGO!”

“I thought those were shorts!”

Jin glanced down at her underwear, partially hidden beneath the oversized shirt and the pillow she'd absentmindedly pulled across her lap.

“Understandable.”

Chad shook his head.

“No.”

Matthew agreed.

“Not even slightly.”

All four of them started laughing again.

Jennie finished shuffling the deck.

“Last round.”

Matthew narrowed his eyes.

“For what?”

That smile appeared on Jennie's face.

The smile that always came right before a terrible idea.

She looked at the nearly empty cooler.

Then at the door.

Slowly, her smile widened.

“Whoever loses...”

She paused.

“...has to go to the kitchen and refill the cooler.”

Silence.

The other three stared at her.

Matthew spoke first.

“You're completely insane.”

Chad nodded.

“Only if it's all-in.”

Jennie raised her eyebrows.

Chad pointed toward the door.

“Whoever loses goes exactly as they are when the round ends.”

Jin actually seemed intrigued by the proposal.

She looked at Chad.

Then at Jennie.

“I accept.”

Matthew slowly turned toward her.

“Jin...”

“Hmm?”

“You're literally wearing panties and a T-shirt.”

“Exactly.”

Jennie slapped the mattress, howling with laughter.

“I love you guys.”

She picked up the deck again.

“Last round.”

The cards were dealt.

One by one, they revealed their hands.

Matthew's face lit up.

“I WON!”

Chad threw both arms into the air.

“FINALLY!”

Jin simply nodded, satisfied.

Jennie continued staring at her cards in complete silence.

She blinked a few times.

Looked at them again.

Then very, very slowly raised her head.

The other three were already smiling.

“No.”

Matthew broke first.

“NO FUCKING WAY!”

Chad practically fell off the bed laughing.

“THE ONE WHO MADE THE RULE LOST!”

Jennie pressed a hand to her forehead.

“You cheated.”

“Prove it,” Chad shot back immediately.

She pointed accusingly at all three of them.

“All three of you cheated.”

Jin tilted her head slightly.

“Statistically unlikely.”

“Shut up, Jin.”

Matthew was already wiping tears from his eyes.

“Come on.”

He pointed toward the door.

“The kitchen awaits.”

Jennie crossed her arms.

“I hate all of you.”

“No, you don't.”

“Yes, I do.”

Chad pointed at the cooler.

“Go get the beer.”

Jennie took a deep breath.

Then looked down at herself.

Matthew's shirt reached halfway down her thighs.

Underneath it, all she had left was black lace lingerie.

And socks.

She looked at the three of them again.

Not one of them showed the slightest sign of mercy.

Jennie sighed dramatically.

“If anyone at this party sees me like this...”

Matthew took another sip of his beer.

“You invented the rule.”

She pointed a finger at him.

“Never let a drunk woman make rules.”

Then she grabbed the hem of Matthew's shirt.

He was still laughing when he realized what she was about to do.

His smile vanished.

“Wait—”

Jennie pulled the shirt over her head.

For one brief second, Matthew forgot every joke he'd ever learned in his life.

His eyes landed on her before his brain had the decency to intervene.

And judging by the complete change in his expression, the sight hit him considerably harder than he was prepared to admit.

Jennie noticed.

Of course she noticed.

But she was far too drunk—and having far too much fun—to do anything except give him a small, satisfied smile before throwing the shirt directly at his face.

“Enjoy.”

Chad, out of respect, immediately looked away from Jennie.

And found himself looking directly at Jin.

Still in her T-shirt.

Still in pale blue lace panties.

Jin noticed where he was looking.

Then realized why.

And started laughing.

“This room has become logistically complicated.”

Chad closed his eyes.

“Thank you, Jin.”

Jennie opened the door.

Stopped.

Looked down at herself one last time.

Black lace lingerie.

Socks.

Absolutely no dignity left to lose.

She took a deep breath.

And marched into the hallway like a soldier heading into battle.

Her socks immediately betrayed her on the smooth floor.

She slipped half a step, caught herself against the wall, and cursed under her breath.

“Fuck.”

The door closed behind her.

There was one full second of silence.

Then all three completely lost it.

Matthew raised his beer.

“Five minutes.”

Chad raised his too.

“She'll come back wanting to murder us.”

Jin calmly studied the cards still scattered across the bed.

“Less.”

Both men looked at her.

Jin took another sip of her beer.

“She'll come back wanting to murder Matthew specifically.”

Matthew's eyes widened.

“Hey!”

Jin shrugged.

“You laughed first.”

Silence.

Matthew considered that for approximately two seconds.

“Yeah...”

He looked toward the closed door.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

“I'm dead.”

A brief pause.

“But I think I'm in heaven too.”

Joshua had just handed his empty glass back to Scott when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Josh.”

He turned around.

Marcela was standing a few steps away, near the stairs. She smiled at him with that calm expression he knew so well.

“Can you help me with something real quick?”

Joshua glanced at Scott.

“I’ll be right back.”

Scott simply waved him off.

“Go ahead.”

Marcela started up the stairs without waiting for him.

Joshua followed.

The music grew more distant with every step. There was hardly anyone on the second floor; most of the guests were still gathered around the pool and outside.

Marcela stopped in front of her bedroom door.

Opened it.

Walked inside.

Joshua, however, remained in the hallway.

“You can come in.”

He stepped inside without giving it much thought.

And immediately realized how strange it still felt.

Walking into her bedroom.

For so long, her bedroom had been his too.

Seeing Marcela’s things arranged in a different room, even if it was still under the same roof, stirred something in him that was difficult to explain.

He recognized the bedding.

Some of her books.

Her perfume sitting on the dresser.

Little things that had once shared space with his now belonged entirely to this room.

Marcela looked at Joshua and approached him without saying a word.

Holding his gaze, she reached around the side of his body for the doorknob behind him.

She pulled the door shut.

She didn’t lock it.

Just closed it.

Then she stepped away again as if she hadn’t just completely invaded his personal space.

She turned her back to him.

“I brought two dresses.”

She picked one up and held it against her body.

“I think this one’s too simple.”

Joshua gave it a quick look.

“It looks good.”

She made a face.

“You always say that.”

“Because it’s usually true.”

The corner of Marcela’s mouth lifted.

Then, in a move Joshua definitely hadn’t been expecting, she grabbed the hem of the dress she was wearing and pulled it over her head.

He understood immediately.

She was attacking.

And Joshua knew this game.

He knew her.

He tried to look away.

Tried.

But froze.

His brain recognized that body before he could even decide where else to look.

Marcela remained with her back to him.

She was wearing nothing but delicate black lace lingerie against her skin.

And a garter belt.

Joshua almost laughed.

Of course.

The garter belt eliminated any possibility of this being accidental.

She was trying to get inside his head.

And she knew perfectly well that she could.

Her hair fell over her shoulders.

Marcela turned around.

Looked directly into his eyes.

Then calmly walked toward the closet.

As if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Joshua remained completely still.

Not because he had never seen that body before.

Quite the opposite.

He knew every detail of it.

Maybe that was exactly the problem.

But he hadn’t expected this.

And the surprise of it completely dismantled whatever defenses he might have had.

Marcela pulled another dress from a hanger.

Black.

Velvet.

The cut looked as though it had been designed specifically for her body, pairing perfectly with the garter belt and stockings.

“I think I want this one.”

That little smile returned when she noticed Joshua still hadn’t fully recovered.

It took him a few seconds to answer.

“Yeah...”

Marcela looked down at the dress.

“I thought so too.”

Without any hurry, she slipped it on.

Then she gathered her hair and brought it over one shoulder, leaving the back of her neck completely exposed.

Holding the fabric against her chest, she glanced back at Joshua over her shoulder.

“Zip me up?”

Joshua took a deep breath.

He slowly stepped closer.

His fingers found the small zipper at the back of the dress.

He began pulling it up.

Slowly.

When he reached about halfway...

His fingertips brushed against her skin.

Just for a moment.

Marcela shivered all over.

Joshua noticed.

She noticed that he noticed.

Neither of them said a single word.

He continued pulling the zipper until it reached the top.

When he finished...

He didn’t immediately step away.

For a second, he simply stood there.

Too close.

Her perfume reached him first.

Then her scent.

That scent.

So familiar it seemed to have survived the past few months completely untouched.

For a moment, memories of their marriage rushed through his mind without permission.

The mornings.

The long embraces.

Clothes scattered around their bedroom.

Marcela asleep against his chest.

It was unsettling how deeply the brain could remember a person through scent alone.

Marcela remained perfectly still with her back to him.

Then she subtly tilted her head toward her shoulder, exposing even more of her neck.

She knew.

Of course she knew.

She waited.

Without pressuring him.

Without turning around.

Simply aware that he was still there.

Joshua’s hand was still resting on her waist.

He took a deep breath.

Then gave her a light pat there.

Exactly the way he had countless times before.

A smile escaped him.

“You’re a menace.”

Marcela started laughing softly.

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck.

Then discreetly glanced down at the front of his pants.

An awkward laugh slipped out.

“I have no idea how I’m supposed to go back downstairs now.”

Marcela finally turned around.

Still laughing.

“Sounds like your problem.”

Joshua shook his head.

“You planned this.”

She pretended to consider the accusation.

“Innocent until proven guilty.”

A brief pause.

“But you still haven’t told me what you think of the dress. It’s new.”

They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds.

There was affection.

There was history.

There was desire.

All of it was still there.

Except...

Something had changed.

Joshua smiled slightly.

Then opened the door.

“It’s the prettiest one I’ve ever seen you wear.”

He looked at her one last time.

“You’re unreal. Enjoy the party, Cela.”

Marcela smiled.

“You too.”

He left before any impulse had the chance to overpower his better judgment.

Marcela remained alone in the middle of the room for a few seconds.

She lifted a hand to the zipper he had just closed.

And smiled to herself.

Maybe...

There was still a chance.

Maybe she had given up too soon.

She took a deep breath.

Looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Then left the room.

Never imagining that, at the exact moment she closed the door behind her...

Another door, just a few feet down the same hallway, was opening too.

Late Friday afternoon, Scott walked into the kitchen holding a sheet of paper covered in notes. Sarah was organizing the final shopping list while Sunset had already opened a bag of chips before they had even started putting the groceries away.

— Alright. Before I forget... how many people confirmed?

Sunset raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused.

— Confirmed...

She frowned at her phone.

— Quite a few people.

She looked back at the screen, her confusion slowly turning into concern as she scrolled through the list.

Scott narrowed his eyes.

— Quite a few... how many, Sunset?

She kept scrolling.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.

The names didn't seem to end.

Her expression shifted little by little.

First confusion.

Then doubt.

Then quiet panic.

Scott noticed immediately.

— Sunset...

She bit her lip.

— So...

Sarah stopped organizing the groceries.

— What did you do?

— I...

Sunset checked the screen one more time before slowly turning the phone toward them.

— I think I sent the invitation to the wrong list.

Silence.

Scott took the phone from her hand.

He kept scrolling.

And scrolling.

And scrolling.

He took a slow breath.

— Sunset.

— Yeah...

— There are sixty people on this list.

— I know.

— We invited twenty.

— I know that too.

Jennie walked into the kitchen at that exact moment, casually eating an apple.

— Why does everyone look like someone died?

Scott held up the phone.

— Sunset invited the whole town again.

Jennie grabbed the phone, skimmed through the list, and immediately burst into laughter.

— Sunset... YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER!

She looked far more excited than concerned.

Sunset rubbed the back of her neck.

— I think I forgot to switch to the new list... or maybe I forgot to save it.

She lifted both hands dramatically.

— BUT I MADE THE NEW LIST! I KNOW I DID!

Sarah closed her eyes for a few long seconds.

Took a deep breath.

Then looked back at Sunset.

— I spent two days planning a small party.

— I know...

— I made a grocery list FOR TWENTY PEOPLE, SUNSET.

— I knoooooow.

— Food. Drinks. Chairs. I even reorganized the living room.

— If you're gonna hit me, just do it already. It'll hurt less.

She laughed at her own disaster, fully aware she deserved it.

Sarah started pacing around the kitchen.

— You invited sixty people! WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO FIT SIXTY PEOPLE?

She threw both hands into the air.

— They're going to think this house is a mess. That we're completely unorganized. That we don't know how to host people!

Sunset slowly raised both hands in surrender while watching Sarah spiral into a full-blown organizational crisis.

She tried to keep a straight face and sighed.

— I really thought I was using the new list. I swear.

Jennie was laughing so hard she had to lean against the counter.

— The worst part is...

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

— I completely believe you.

Scott rubbed a hand over his face.

— I believe you too.

He sighed.

— That's exactly the problem, Sunset.

Sarah let out an unwilling laugh.

She tried to stay serious, but gave up the moment Sunset made the guiltiest face imaginable.

She grabbed her purse and slipped in her keys, wallet, and phone, already calculating everything she'd need to buy to feed sixty people.

Without saying a word, Sunset stood up and moved to follow her.

Sarah looked at her and shook her head.

— I honestly don't know how you'd survive living on your own.

Sunset smiled with complete sincerity.

— Neither do I.

The entire kitchen burst into laughter.

Scott simply let out one last exhausted sigh before taking his phone back.

— Alright.

He slipped it into his pocket.

— If chaos is coming...

He shrugged.

— ...it might as well get here early.

The house started filling up long before the official start time.

Sarah wandered from one side of the room to the other, making sure everything remained exactly where it belonged. She straightened cushions no one but her would ever notice were crooked, adjusted glasses that were already perfectly aligned, and refolded napkins that clearly didn't need folding again.

Joshua walked past carrying a box of sodas and stopped for a moment, watching her slide one of the napkins less than half an inch to the left.

— If you straighten those napkins one more time, they're going to quit.

Sarah didn't even look up.

— The one on the left is three millimeters too far forward.

Joshua looked at the table.

Then looked again.

— You made that number up.

— I did.

She adjusted the napkin one last time.

— But now it actually is.

Joshua laughed.

— I love your brain.

— I hate it.

Laura walked in carrying a large tray of appetizers.

— She complains, but if anyone moves one of those napkins, she'll notice in five seconds.

Sarah answered automatically.

— Four.

Joshua and Laura laughed together.

It was completely instinctive.

Their eyes met at the exact same moment.

The laughter lingered for a heartbeat...

...before quietly fading.

Laura looked away first.

— Where do you want this?

Joshua took a second to answer.

For a brief moment, all he could think about was how much he missed laughing with her like that.

Without thinking.

Without wondering if he'd looked at her for too long.

Without feeling as though something as simple as sharing a joke might reveal everything neither of them could understand.

— Uh...

He pointed toward the counter.

— You can leave it there.

— Okay.

Laura stepped closer to set the tray down.

Joshua reached out to help her.

Their fingers touched.

It wasn't the kind of accidental touch either of them could simply ignore.

The sensation ran through both of them like electricity.

Laura immediately looked up.

Joshua was already looking at her.

Both of them froze.

For one brief second, neither remembered to pull away.

Joshua felt his heart race with absurd intensity over something so ridiculously small.

Laura held her breath, as though her body had recognized something before her mind had the chance to.

She was the first to come back to reality.

She pulled her hand away as if she'd actually been shocked, nearly dropping the tray in the process.

Joshua instinctively caught it before it hit the floor, but the feeling remained in his fingertips.

Laura lowered her eyes to the tray, pretending to check whether everything was still in place.

She let out a nervous little laugh, trying to play off what had just happened.

But...

What had that been?

No one had noticed.

And even if they had, nobody would have thought twice about two friends accidentally touching hands while carrying a tray.

Except Scott.

He had noticed.

From the other side of the room, he pretended to check whether there was still enough ice in the cooler.

He saw the touch.

He saw the way Joshua looked at her.

He saw how quickly Laura pulled away.

He saw the completely innocent tray nearly lose its life for no reason whatsoever.

He took a slow breath.

Yeah.

It happened.

He didn't say anything.

Not yet.

Joshua wasn't getting away with this for much longer.

Laura picked up an empty wooden board from the counter.

— I'll go finish the charcuterie board.

She disappeared like a whirlwind before Joshua even had time to nod.

— Alright.

She walked away without looking back.

Joshua waited until she disappeared through the dining room doorway before glancing down at his own hand, opening and closing his fingers as if trying to shake the feeling away.

He couldn't.

It felt as though every emotion he'd ever experienced as a teenager had suddenly come rushing back.

A few minutes later, Marcela walked in carrying two flower arrangements.

She greeted the guests who had already arrived before finding Sarah near the sliding glass doors.

— Sarah... where do you want these?

Sarah smiled immediately.

— Thank you. One on the patio table and the other next to the grill would be perfect.

Marcela nodded and headed outside.

Joshua crossed paths with her near the glass doors, carrying several bottles.

— Hey, Cela.

She smiled.

There was still a strange ache every time he called her that.

Little by little, though, the nickname had started to feel familiar again.

Comforting.

Marcela didn't know whether she should allow that comfort to become hope again...

...or how to stop it if she wanted to.

— Hey.

She looked around.

— Everything looks beautiful.

Joshua glanced around the backyard.

— That's Sarah's doing.

— And Sunset's?

He laughed.

— Sunset helped...

He grinned.

— She accidentally doubled Sarah's workload.

— And Sarah accepted the challenge anyway.

Marcela laughed.

— Well...

She looked around.

— Unlike the last party, which started out great...

This one already started as a disaster.

Hopefully it'll end better.

Joshua nodded.

— Rule number one...

He lifted his beer.

— Never say things can't get any worse.

They both laughed.

It was a simple conversation.

But Marcela felt something inside her loosen.

Joshua no longer seemed to weigh every word before speaking to her.

Maybe that meant something.

Maybe he really had forgiven her.

Maybe there was still a way back for them.

Laura watched the entire exchange through the dining room's glass doors overlooking the pool and barbecue area.

She noticed Joshua's smile.

The way he still called Marcela by her nickname.

How relaxed Marcela looked around him.

Laura smiled faintly.

There was sadness behind it.

She was happy they could talk again.

That was what she was supposed to want.

Marcela was her friend.

Joshua had loved her for years.

Any reasonable person would think seeing them reconnect was a good thing.

Even so...

Something tightened inside her chest.

Laura lowered her eyes to the charcuterie board she was arranging.

She absentmindedly adjusted a slice of cheese that had already been perfectly placed.

She tried convincing herself it was guilt.

Just guilt.

Nothing more.

She didn't believe that for even a second.

But she desperately wanted it to be true.

Maybe she was feeling something she'd never experienced before.

Maybe that was exactly why she couldn't recognize it.

Couldn't control it.

Couldn't explain it.

Truly falling for someone was something entirely new to her.

The unknown is always frightening.

And for the first time in her life...

Laura was afraid she wouldn't be able to walk away before it destroyed her.

Outside, Scott had already circled the pool at least ten times.

He never actually needed a reason.

He simply invented a different one every lap so he could stay close to the front gate.

He checked whether the speakers were still working.

Peeked inside the cooler to see if there was enough ice.

Moved a chair a couple of inches to the side...

Then casually wandered right back toward the gate.

Joshua had been watching him for quite a while.

He waited for Scott to make another lap.

— She's not going to get here any faster.

Scott kept walking.

— Who?

Joshua took a sip of his beer, unable to hide a smile.

— Megan.

He chuckled.

— I love how you think you can fool anyone.

Scott pretended to think about it.

He knew Joshua knew.

Joshua knew Scott knew.

Still, he committed to the bit.

— I wasn't even thinking about her.

Joshua nodded dramatically.

— Right.

— You've only been staring at the gate since six-thirty for security reasons.

Scott glanced at his watch.

— It's only been fifteen minutes.

Joshua burst out laughing.

— I love that you just confirmed the exact time.

Scott realized what he'd just done and rubbed the back of his neck.

— Alright...

Maybe I'm a little nervous.

It's been a long time since I've felt like this.

— A little?

— Fine.

Very.

Joshua smiled.

— I'm not even going to comment on emotional intensity.

He raised his beer toward Scott in a mock toast, silently acknowledging that, ironically, they were both dealing with exactly the same problem.

— I've been trying to ask her out for months.

— You've been trying for months without actually asking her.

— Exactly.

Joshua frowned.

— That made absolutely no sense.

Scott laughed.

— It made perfect sense in my head.

He shrugged.

— I still don't know how you managed to ask a different girl out every week.

Joshua took a much longer sip of his beer.

His eyes drifted toward the pool for a few quiet seconds before a humorless chuckle escaped him.

— I think that version of me is gone.

Scott raised an eyebrow.

— Already?

Joshua shrugged.

— Whenever I really like someone...

He smiled to himself.

— I become useless.

Scott turned to face him.

— Useless?

— Yeah.

I get distracted.

I miss their scent.

Everything reminds me of them.

Feels pretty useless to me.

Scott studied him for a few seconds.

— Damn.

Joshua smiled faintly.

— Yeah.

Scott took another sip of his beer and asked with the casualness of someone who had absolutely no idea he was about to crack the ground wide open.

— So...

Who are we talking about?

Joshua went silent.

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

The answer should've been Marcela.

It was Marcela.

It had always been Marcela.

Then why...

Why, the very moment Scott asked, did Joshua suddenly remember Laura's perfume from earlier that morning?

Why did he remember her head resting against his chest?

Her smile in the kitchen?

The feeling of her fingers brushing against his only minutes ago?

Joshua frowned, startled by the direction his own thoughts had taken.

Scott was still waiting.

— Josh?

Before he had to answer, the front door opened.

Scott looked over immediately.

Joshua followed his gaze and smiled to himself.

— Well...

She's here.

Scott took one slow, deep breath, as though that alone might calm his heart.

It didn't.

If anything, it only made him realize he'd never felt more alive.

Megan walked in alone, closing the front door behind her.

She looked beautiful, as always.

But something felt different that night.

Maybe it was her loose curls.

Maybe it was the outfit.

Or maybe he'd simply spent the entire week waiting to see her again.

She walked toward the backyard with an easy smile.

Scott had imagined this moment so many times that, when it finally happened, he completely forgot everything he'd planned to say.

He simply stood there.

Watching.

Megan slowed her pace when she noticed.

Her smile widened, amused.

— Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to say hi?

Scott blinked a couple of times.

— I...

He scratched the back of his neck.

— I forgot.

She laughed.

— Forgot what?

— How to talk.

He smiled sheepishly.

— I've always been terrified of beautiful women.

Megan laughed even harder.

The sound alone seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders.

Scott finally walked over to her.

— Hey, stranger.

She tilted her head, immediately recognizing the callback to their last conversation.

— Hey.

Scott glanced around dramatically.

— You didn't bring my best friend Dusty to enjoy the party?

Megan pretended to think about it.

— He said he already had plans.

Scott placed a hand over his chest, deeply offended.

— He chose another commitment over me?

— Apparently he couldn't cancel.

She smiled.

— But he told me to say hi.

— After everything we've been through together?

— He's a very busy dog.

— I played fetch with him for almost an hour.

Megan smiled.

— Maybe that's exactly why.

She laughed, remembering Dusty sleeping belly-up for hours after Scott left.

— You completely exhausted him.

Scott sighed dramatically.

— Ungrateful.

He shook his head.

— The only one who actually wins at throwing things is Josh.

He literally threw solid gold into a lake.

Can you believe that?

She laughed again.

Scott found himself watching her for a second too long, distracted by the way her eyes narrowed whenever she laughed.

Megan noticed.

She simply didn't mention it.

— So...

He smiled.

— Enjoying the chaos?

She looked over his shoulder at the crowded house.

Far more people than anyone would reasonably call a "small party."

— I'm still deciding.

— Fair enough.

He nodded.

— You got here too early.

The real chaos starts after Sunset tries to cook.

Megan blinked.

— She cooks?

— Technically.

He shrugged.

— And somehow... against all odds... it's actually really good.

At worst, she'll leave spices in the bathroom, store random things inside the oven, or spend two hours looking for something that's already in her hand.

They both laughed.

He had described Sunset perfectly.

— I don't know whether that was supposed to be a compliment...

She smiled.

— ...but it was incredibly adorable.

Scott grinned.

— It definitely wasn't.

I don't have life insurance.

Megan laughed again before looking back at him.

— At least this time nobody abandoned me halfway through the party.

Scott smiled immediately.

The tease landed exactly where she'd intended.

The two of them couldn't seem to stop smiling whenever they talked.

— I promised I'd make it up to you.

— You did.

— And I'm a man of my word.

She glanced around at the packed house.

— You also promised this would be a smaller party.

Scott looked around.

Then sighed.

— I don't control Sunset.

— Apparently nobody does.

She laughed.

— Not even Sunset herself.

I definitely need to become friends with her.

— That's the spirit.

Scott gestured toward the makeshift bar beside the pool.

— Come on.

I'll make you a drink.

Megan raised an eyebrow.

— You know how to make drinks?

Scott started walking beside her.

— Don't let my complete lack of experience shake your confidence in me.

She looked at him.

— That sentence did exactly the opposite.

Has nobody ever told you confidence is half the job?

Scott cleared his throat dramatically.

— Forget everything I just said.

He straightened his posture.

— Megan...

I'm the best bartender you'll ever meet.

She laughed.

— That's a little hard to believe after your first speech.

Scott burst into laughter.

— Relax.

He pointed at himself proudly.

— I'm the emotional leader of this house.

Megan stopped walking for a second.

— The emotional leader?

Scott nodded with complete seriousness.

— Exactly.

— Who decided that?

— Me.

She laughed.

— Of course it was you.

— Somebody had to take the position.

— And what exactly are your responsibilities?

Scott pretended to think while they reached the bar.

— Making drinks.

Throwing unnecessary parties.

Giving advice nobody asked for.

And pretending I have control over my friends whenever they're completely out of control.

— Do you actually have any control over them?

— None.

— Sounds like a pretty useless job.

Scott nodded proudly.

— It's mostly symbolic.

Megan leaned against the counter, smiling at him.

— I see.

Scott stepped behind the bottles and opened his arms dramatically.

— So...

As your emotional leader...

What would you like to drink?

— What do you recommend?

Scott looked at the bottles.

Then back at her.

— Do you trust me?

Megan held his gaze for a few quiet seconds.

— Should I?

Scott smiled before answering.

— I think that smile already answered my question.

He pointed at her triumphantly.

— Confidence.

Remember?

She laughed softly.

— Right...

How could I possibly doubt the emotional leader of the most chaotic house I've ever visited?

Scott grinned.

— That was a rhetorical question, obviously.

She crossed her arms.

— Oh?

And what's the strategy, Captain?

Scott leaned casually against the counter.

— I needed to evaluate your tolerance for bad decisions.

He looked into her eyes.

The conversation felt effortless.

Easy.

Comfortable.

How could talking to someone feel this natural?

How could she fit so perfectly into his sense of humor?

Megan tilted her head, curious.

— And?

Did I pass?

She gave him an exaggeratedly hopeful look before smiling again.

Scott grabbed a random bottle, mostly to buy himself a few extra seconds.

— Well...

According to my professional evaluation...

He smiled.

— You clearly enjoy making dangerous decisions.

She laughed.

— Dangerous?

Really?

Like what?

Scott didn't hesitate.

— Coming back to a party hosted by Sunset.

Megan laughed.

— Fair enough.

I don't think I have any arguments against that.

Their laughter blended together effortlessly.

The connection between them couldn't have been more obvious.

While Scott started gathering fruit, ice, and a few bottles, Megan quietly watched him.

It was funny.

Whenever he was doing something with his hands, he looked completely confident.

But the moment he had to talk...

...he stumbled over his own words.

Preparing a drink, though, seemed to come naturally.

— You sure you don't want any help?

she asked, genuinely curious.

— I've got everything under control.

Megan smiled.

— "Under control" worries me.

She laughed.

— That's the exact phrase people say right before everything goes horribly wrong in every movie I've ever seen.

She watched his hands for a moment before meeting his eyes again.

Scott grinned.

— That's because you've never tried my drinks, madam.

— Well...

She tilted her head dramatically.

— I didn't exactly check your Google reviews first.

She smiled.

— I swear it's not lack of interest.

It's just...

I happen to enjoy making risky decisions.

Remember?

Scott placed a hand over his chest in mock offense.

The dramatic gesture was fake.

The arrow she'd just shot straight into his heart wasn't.

— You offend me way too easily.

— So far...

She smiled.

— I'd give you five stars.

And I'll even leave a written review.

Scott smiled before he could stop himself.

— I like that side of you.

...

The words slipped out before he realized it.

His eyes immediately dropped back to the glass he was preparing.

Megan noticed too.

Her smile softened just a little.

Not because she felt uncomfortable.

Because she liked hearing it.

Still...

She pretended she hadn't.

She didn't want to ruin the moment.

— So...

She looked at the drink.

— Does it have a name?

Scott looked down at the glass.

— Not yet.

She blinked.

— What do you mean, "not yet"?

— I usually come up with the name after I taste it.

Megan laughed.

— That feels incredibly disrespectful toward the drink.

Scott shrugged.

— It works.

He looked at her.

— People usually don't decide their baby's name until they're expecting one, right?

She thought about it for a second.

— I mean...

Maybe I'd already have a few names in mind...

She smiled.

— But you're right.

Nine months is a pretty generous deadline for something that important.

She sighed dramatically.

— Once again...

The emotional leader has defeated me with logic.

Neither of them noticed how effortlessly the conversation had wandered from one subject to another.

Scott blinked.

Then laughed.

— Anyway...

He pointed at the glass.

— If this drink turns out good...

Its name is going to be...

Meganificent.

Megan burst into louder laughter.

— Scott...

I can't.

I'm sorry.

Scott pointed triumphantly at the glass.

— THAT'S AN AMAZING NAME!

— Absolutely.

She nodded with fake seriousness.

— The best one I've ever heard.

Scott laughed.

— I'll ask another highly respected expert in questionable drinks as soon as I find one.

— Fair enough.

She smiled.

— Every masterpiece deserves a second opinion.

Scott handed her the glass.

— Go ahead.

Megan lifted it first, smelling it before taking a careful sip.

Scott watched her like he was waiting for the results of the most important exam of his life.

She stayed silent.

On purpose.

Scott immediately grew nervous.

All that confidence disappeared astonishingly fast.

— Is it... terrible?

he asked, already sounding worried.

Megan kept the same serious expression, secretly enjoying the fact that he genuinely cared about what she thought.

— Megan...

He almost laughed nervously.

— Please.

Finally...

She looked up at him.

— It's really good.

Scott let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

— You absolutely did that on purpose.

He laughed, completely relieved.

— I did.

She smiled back at him.

Looking straight into his eyes.

Completely amused.

— That was cruel to my poor heart.

— Just a little.

— I almost had a heart attack.

— Drama queen.

Scott pointed at her.

— No.

You took way too long to answer.

She took another sip.

— I thought emotional leaders were supposed to have self-control.

Scott nodded solemnly.

— The position is purely symbolic.

Remember?

She laughed again.

Scott discovered he genuinely liked that sound.

Far more than he probably should have.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pool, Joshua found himself watching them without really meaning to.

Not because he was curious.

Because Scott seemed different.

Lighter.

More spontaneous.

Laura walked over carrying a tray of mini sandwiches and set it down on the table beside Joshua, who was quietly nursing a beer.

— What are you looking at?

she asked, trying, once again, to sound perfectly casual.

Joshua subtly nodded toward the other side of the yard.

— Scott.

She followed his gaze.

Megan was smiling.

Scott was enthusiastically waving his hands around as he talked.

The two of them laughed together as though they'd known each other for years.

Just like Joshua and Laura used to.

Laura smiled, quietly committing the image of Scott's happiness to memory.

— I think she likes him.

She kept watching them.

— It's so good seeing him happy.

Joshua nodded.

— I think so too.

The two of them remained silent for a few moments.

The tension that had settled between them over the past few days lingered quietly in the air.

Laura took a slow breath.

— Do you think he'll ever ask her to be his girlfriend?

She smiled to herself.

— Scott always likes to be completely sure... but somehow he never really is.

Joshua chuckled softly.

— Knowing Scott?

He let the suspense linger for a second.

Romantically, Scott had always been cautious.

He'd only ever had one serious relationship, and somehow that experience had made him both wiser... and even more careful.

Laura looked at him expectantly.

— Exactly knowing Scott.

Joshua smiled.

— He will.

— You're that sure?

— I am.

Laura looked back toward Scott.

Something about seeing him like that made her heart feel warm.

— How can you be so certain?

Joshua took another sip of his beer before answering.

— Because when someone loves him...

He smiled without taking his eyes off his brother.

— It's hard not to love them back.

Laura slowly turned toward him.

Joshua was still watching Scott.

He had no idea how much weight those words carried.

Laura smiled softly.

She had always admired how much love Joshua carried inside him.

For the few people he truly let in, he loved with everything he had.

He wasn't cold.

Just careful.

Reserved.

And anyone lucky enough to earn a place in his heart...

...was incredibly lucky.

— Does that apply to you too?

Joshua finally looked at her.

Completely caught off guard.

For a moment...

The music disappeared.

The party disappeared.

The voices around them disappeared.

Only her eyes remained.

He took much longer than he should have to answer.

A few months ago, he would've answered immediately.

Laura had always been gentle with her words.

Honest.

Transparent.

Talking to her had never made him nervous before.

Now...

He couldn't find a single word.

— I...

He smiled awkwardly.

— I don't know.

Laura held his gaze.

Then smiled.

— I think it does.

She gave him a playful little shove with her shoulder.

— You dork.

She tried to say it as naturally as possible.

Tried to be nothing more than Laura.

Joshua's best friend.

But over the past few days...

For both of them...

Even a simple "good morning" seemed charged with something impossible to ignore.

Being just Laura and Joshua was becoming harder every single day.

Joshua's heart pounded so violently it echoed inside his chest.

He realized he needed to answer her.

He wanted to.

Just as he finally opened his mouth—

— JOSH!

JOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Scott's voice echoed across the backyard.

Both of them turned their heads at the exact same moment.

Then smiled at the exact same moment.

They would have recognized Scott's ridiculously enthusiastic call anywhere.

Anytime.

Joshua let out a slow breath, still smiling.

He owed Scott after what had happened at the last party.

And Laura understood that perfectly.

— What?

he called back, loud enough for Scott to hear.

Scott cupped his hands around his mouth.

— Get over here!

Joshua looked back at Laura.

The two of them exchanged the same awkward smile.

Maybe...

Neither of them was ready to hear what would've come next.

— I'll be right back.

Laura simply nodded.

— Okay.

She smiled gently.

— Then you have to tell me everything.

Joshua smiled.

He knew.

And so did she.

Laura wouldn't still be standing there when he came back.

Joshua walked toward the makeshift bar, still trying to understand why such a simple conversation had left his legs feeling strangely light... and his heart racing.

The moment he got closer, Scott immediately noticed the dazed look on his brother's face.

Trying to snap him out of it, he held out a glass.

— Try this.

Joshua accepted the glass and immediately took a sip.

Now that was confidence.

His eyes shifted from Scott...

...to the drink.

He considered it for a moment.

— It's good.

Scott grinned proudly.

— I knew it.

Confidence.

Joshua nodded thoughtfully.

— But it's sweet.

He glanced back at the glass.

— You know I usually drink my whiskey without even ice.

Scott laughed.

— And for you, putting sugar in coffee is practically a life sentence.

He nodded toward Megan.

— My very demanding customer approved it.

Joshua glanced toward Megan, offering her a warm smile before looking back at Scott.

— Ah...

He lifted the glass slightly.

— Then this drink wasn't made for me.

Scott nodded proudly.

— If you'd liked it too...

He pointed dramatically at the pitcher.

— I promised her I'd call it...

Meganificent.

Joshua burst into laughter.

— Scott...

He shook his head.

— That is unbelievably bad.

He had to pause for a second before continuing, still laughing.

— ...which somehow makes it absolutely perfect.

Scott started laughing too, finally realizing just how painfully cheesy Meganificent actually sounded.

Megan couldn't help laughing along with them.

Joshua gave Scott a light pat on the shoulder.

— It worked.

He raised his glass slightly.

— She officially has her own signature drink at Sunset's parties now.

Scott smiled proudly while pouring Megan another glass.

He had made an entire pitcher.

Enough for at least eight drinks.

If it had turned out badly...

...it would've been an incredible waste.

— So...

He looked at both of them.

— Is it officially approved?

Joshua and Megan answered at exactly the same time.

— It is.

— Meganificent!

The three of them looked at each other...

...and immediately burst into laughter.

Scott closed his eyes for a brief second.

Placed a dramatic hand over his chest.

— I'm honored.

Joshua took another sip.

— It really is good.

He paused before adding:

— And...

Congratulations.

Scott frowned.

— For what?

Joshua glanced toward Megan with a subtle smile before looking back at his brother.

— For the drink...

A brief pause.

Then he smiled.

— And for having excellent taste...

He nodded toward Megan.

— ...both in company and in terrible jokes.

Scott froze.

Slowly turned toward Megan.

She was already looking at him.

This time...

She didn't look away.

She was smiling.

She had finally realized that Scott wasn't the kind of man who did things like this for just any girl.

She'd judged him before she'd truly gotten to know him.

Giving him that chance...

Had been worth it.

She didn't answer Joshua.

She didn't need to.

The silence answered for her.

She quietly appreciated that Joshua had shared something so simple...

...yet so meaningful.

And for the first time that night...

Scott allowed himself to believe that maybe...

Just maybe...

Those months of anxious waiting hadn't been for nothing.

Finally, Marcela slowly made her way downstairs, carrying the plate Sunset had brought to her room. She returned it to the kitchen before quietly walking into the dining room and taking a seat with everyone else.

The conversation died instantly.

No one planned it.

It just... happened.

Jennie stopped in the middle of her sentence. Scott froze while chewing on a piece of cheese he had shamelessly stolen from the kitchen. Laura lowered her gaze, and Joshua looked up almost instinctively.

Their eyes met for only a few seconds.

Marcela looked away first, ashamed of everything she had done.

She sat at the end of the table, taking a deep breath as though she still needed to convince herself to stay.

The silence was becoming painfully uncomfortable.

As always, Jennie was the one who saved them.

"So... did you guys know Jin ended up sleeping in my room because she literally gave up halfway up the stairs?"

Everyone turned to Youn Jin.

She shrugged, trying not to laugh.

"I got halfway up and thought, 'I don't actually need my bed that much... and Jennie probably isn't using hers anyway.'"

The entire table burst into laughter.

"It was strategy," Jennie joked.

"It was survival. Honestly, I'd survive natural selection."

Scott shook his head.

"I've never seen someone give up climbing a staircase."

"I've never seen a straight staircase spin that much."

She laughed, remembering just how drunk she had been the night before.

"I met Chad."

Jennie immediately raised her hand.

"And I met Matthew."

The two high-fived like excited teenagers. They had more sisterly chemistry than Jin had ever shared with her own sister.

"In the end, somebody had to actually enjoy that party. My flawless decorations were quite the contrast to the absolute chaos."

Sarah chuckled.

"True," Sunset smiled.

"Because the rest of you... congratulations on surviving."

She looked around the table, laughing at everyone's miserable hangover faces.

Before making lunch, Sunset had already gone for a run, finished a protein shake, watered the plants, cleaned up a little more of the mess, and somehow looked like she hadn't spent the previous night drinking as if there were no tomorrow.

For everyone else...

Tomorrow had arrived with a vengeance.

For some, for one reason.

For others, for another.

But it had arrived all the same.

Even Marcela managed a small smile at her own misery.

Scott took the opportunity.

"Speaking of that..."

Everyone looked at him.

"I think we should throw another party."

Silence immediately returned.

"What?" Laura was the first to react.

"Scott... did you hit your head? Or are you being sarcastic?" Jennie asked, laughing.

Joshua stared at him in disbelief.

"My brother... look at the disaster that happened yesterday."

"I know!"

Scott laughed too, clearly excited to explain himself.

"But I promised Megan I'd make it up to her."

Sarah rubbed her forehead.

"So you want us to relive a collective trauma just so you can work up the courage to ask Megan out?"

"I promised! And I told her our parties are usually fun... and that we're actually nice people."

"Scott!"

Laura pointed toward Marcela and Joshua, both still wearing expressions of complete disbelief.

"Look around this table!"

"I am!"

He laughed at his own stubbornness.

"But think about it. If any of you asked me to do the same thing... I'd do it."

The entire table fell silent.

Because it was true.

Scott would.

Joshua smiled to himself.

"Unfortunately... he would."

"He absolutely would."

Sarah agreed.

Sunset crossed her arms.

"Alright..."

Everyone looked at her.

"But this time, we're not inviting half the city."

Jennie immediately added,

"Just us... and our closest friends."

"Lower music... maybe some board games, cards..."

"Less alcohol," Laura suggested.

Joshua laughed and looked at her.

"I think the 'less alcohol' part is impossible. The only one who never ends up drunk is Scott, and the only one who wakes up happy the next morning is Sunset."

"You definitely won't."

Scott shot back immediately, teasing him now that Joshua had more than enough reasons to drink himself unconscious.

The entire table laughed again.

Joshua included.

In the end, without anyone needing to vote, everyone quietly agreed.

The following weekend, they would throw another party.

Smaller.

Calmer.

Just enough to erase the memory of the last one.

The conversation finally settled back into its usual rhythm.

Between one topic and another, Joshua passed the salad bowl to Laura before she even asked for it.

She thanked him with a small smile.

A few moments later, she reached for the hot sauce and handed it to him without asking whether he wanted it.

It was automatic.

Little habits built over years of sharing the same home.

Marcela watched everything in silence.

Had they always been like this?

Or had she simply never noticed before?

Joshua poured Laura a glass of water while filling his own.

Without thinking, Laura stole a bite from his plate before reaching for the serving dish to help herself.

No one commented.

No one even noticed.

Because it was natural.

It always had been.

Marcela lowered her eyes.

She tried to convince herself she was imagining things.

They had always been like this.

Laura's room was the only bedroom upstairs with its own bathroom.

Scott had been there too.

Joshua and Laura had been best friends forever.

None of it meant anything.

So why did it suddenly feel like it did?

Laura, on the other hand, had noticed Marcela watching.

Without saying a word, she began avoiding every automatic gesture.

When Joshua reached out for her empty plate, just as he had done for years so he could carry both of them to the sink, Laura held onto it before he could take it.

"No... it's okay. Thanks."

She gave him a small smile.

Joshua frowned, confused.

"Okay."

Laura quickly stood and walked into the kitchen.

Joshua remained seated for a few seconds, completely puzzled.

Scott watched the entire exchange in silence.

He looked at Joshua.

Then at Laura.

He let out a slow breath.

There it was.

Now it was a problem.

The days that followed were strangely peaceful.

Not because things had gone back to normal, but because no one seemed willing to bring any of it up.

The house remained as noisy as ever. Sunset still kept forgetting where she had left her phone. Jennie and Youn Jin still argued over the smallest things. Scott was still trying to convince everyone that another party would somehow erase the disaster of the last one.

But for the first time in years, Joshua and Laura had to think before doing things that had always happened naturally.

The following morning, Joshua was playing video games in the living room when he lost a ridiculously easy match.

"Oh, come on..."

Without even thinking, he called out.

"Laura!"

Her voice came almost instantly from upstairs.

"Yeah?"

Joshua kept staring at the television.

Silence.

Only then did he realize...

He hadn't called her for any reason at all.

Because before...

She would simply appear, sit on the arm of the couch, grab the second controller, and start playing without asking.

He let out a quiet laugh to himself.

"Never mind..."

Upstairs, Laura remained standing in the doorway of her room for a few seconds, still looking toward the hall.

"...Okay."

Neither of them could explain why that hurt so much.

Another morning, Laura was making coffee while the rest of the house slowly woke up.

Automatically, she grabbed two mugs.

She added sugar to both.

Poured coffee into both.

Then stopped.

She stared at the second mug for several long seconds.

She sighed.

Poured the coffee back into the pot and quietly returned the mug to the cabinet.

Joshua walked into the kitchen at that exact moment.

He looked at her.

Then at the single mug sitting on the counter.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Only one today?"

Laura smiled back, slightly embarrassed.

"I decided to be selfish today."

He chuckled.

"Fair enough."

He grabbed a bottle of water and walked away.

Both of them knew it was a lie.

The next day, Joshua walked past Laura's bedroom and noticed the door was open.

Without thinking, he leaned inside.

"What are you—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Laura was lying on her bed reading.

She looked up.

They smiled at the exact same moment.

Joshua took a step inside.

Then stopped.

"Nothing."

He turned and walked back into the hallway.

As soon as he rounded the corner, he leaned against the wall.

Ran a hand over his face.

Why did I leave?

Because before...

He had never asked permission to come in.

He simply walked inside.

Took the book from her hands.

Collapsed across her bed.

Started talking about whatever happened to come to mind.

Now it felt as though he needed permission just to exist in the same room.

Laura watched the empty hallway for a few more seconds.

Then looked back at her book.

She realized she had no idea what the last page she'd read had been.

One afternoon, Joshua grabbed his car keys.

He was heading to the grocery store.

He walked upstairs and entered Laura's room without knocking, just like he always had.

Without thinking, he called her name.

"Laura."

She looked over at him.

Something that used to be ordinary suddenly felt new again.

"Yeah?"

She was organizing her bookshelf.

"I..."

The words disappeared.

No...

They hadn't disappeared.

He had simply realized he was doing exactly what he did every single week.

Asking whether she needed anything from the store.

Or if she wanted to come with him.

"What is it?"

Laura asked with a warm smile.

For one brief second, Joshua stopped filtering himself.

He took two slow steps toward her.

Close enough to feel her breathing.

Without realizing it, his eyes drifted to her lips.

Laura noticed.

Both of their hearts began racing.

For a fleeting moment...

She did exactly the same thing.

Neither of them moved.

Long enough for the silence to say far more than any conversation ever could.

Laura was the first to come back to reality.

She cleared her throat, took a slow breath, closed her eyes, then crouched in front of the bookshelf, pretending to sort through a random box.

"Were you going to ask me something?"

Joshua blinked a few times.

Then took a step back.

His pulse was still racing.

"Oh... do you need anything from the grocery store?

Want to come with me?"

She almost answered something else.

She almost said what she truly wanted from him.

"No.

Thanks."

"Alright."

He smiled.

Turned around and quietly left her room, closing the door behind him.

Laura closed her eyes as soon as he was gone.

Trying to steady herself.

She rested her forehead against the bookshelf in front of her and took a slow, deep breath.

She wanted to go with him.

Joshua wished she had asked for anything.

Neither of them had the courage.

They had promised to act normally.

The problem...

Was that their normal had always been being together.

Scott noticed it before anyone else.

Not because either of them had changed completely.

Quite the opposite.

They were still constantly looking for each other.

They just never made it all the way anymore.

Joshua would walk into a room looking for Laura.

The moment he found her, he'd invent some excuse to leave.

Laura did exactly the same thing.

Sometimes they'd run into each other in the hallway and spend several minutes talking about absolutely nothing...

Simply because neither of them wanted the conversation to end.

But it always did.

One afternoon, Joshua watched Laura walk upstairs.

He kept watching until she disappeared from sight.

Scott closed the refrigerator door.

"You two are acting really weird."

Joshua looked away.

"Weird how?"

"You.

Both of you.

Weird."

Joshua pretended not to understand.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Scott laughed.

"You two used to just... exist in the same place."

"Now it feels like you rehearse saying good morning."

Joshua lowered his head.

"We just..."

He never finished the sentence.

Because he didn't know how.

Scott let out a slow breath.

"It looks like you both want to talk to each other all the time..."

"...but spend the whole day finding reasons not to."

Joshua let out a quiet laugh.

"Yeah..."

"I think that's exactly it."

While Joshua and Laura were trying to figure out how to keep being themselves, Marcela carried a guilt she shared with no one.

In her mind, everything traced back to that same night.

Joshua had bought new rings.

She had turned him down.

She had kissed Harry right in front of him.

She had started drinking again.

She had made a scene.

How could he possibly act the same way after all of that?

She had no idea there was just as much confusion inside him.

She genuinely believed she was the only reason everything had changed.

A few days later, she found Joshua and Scott sitting in the chairs by the barbecue area, sharing a couple of beers while the sun slowly disappeared behind the lake.

"Mind if I interrupt for a minute?"

Scott smiled.

"Of course."

She sat down.

Took a deep breath.

"I wanted to apologize to you...

For real."

Joshua looked up.

"Cela..."

"No... let me finish."

He nodded.

"I ruined everything that night.

I ruined your proposal.

I ruined the party.

I ruined us...

And I needed to apologize while actually remembering everything... not while I was drunk."

Joshua remained silent.

She offered him an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry."

After a few seconds, he answered with the same calm voice he always had.

"I accept your apology."

"I already had before, sweetheart."

She let out a quiet breath of relief.

Hearing him call her sweetheart sent a small shiver through her.

The silence no longer felt heavy.

Then she asked softly,

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can."

"The rings..."

She smiled faintly.

"I got curious...

Can I see them?"

Joshua looked at Scott.

Then at the lake.

He scratched the back of his neck before answering.

"So...

Drunk Joshua decided the lake deserved an offering."

Marcela frowned.

Scott laughed, taking a second to understand.

Then his eyes widened.

"Hold on...

You did WHAT?"

Joshua pointed toward the lake with his beer bottle.

"They're all in there."

Scott stared at him in complete disbelief.

"YOU THREW TWO SOLID GOLD RINGS INTO THE LAKE?"

Joshua burst out laughing.

"At the time, decorating the lake seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea."

"Joshua!"

"I was emotionally devastated."

"So you decided to become financially devastated too!"

Marcela covered her face, laughing as she tried to hide the tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

She shook her head.

"You're an idiot."

Joshua shrugged.

"Very much so."

He stood up, walked over to her, and placed a long, gentle kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay, Cela."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

It wasn't okay.

She hadn't really been curious.

She had wanted to know whether there was still any chance those rings could one day belong to her.

Now she had her answer.

There wasn't.

Even so...

She smiled.

"Thank you."

She turned around and walked back inside.

Joshua returned to his chair.

Picked up his beer.

The two of them sat quietly, staring out across the lake.

Scott took another sip.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Joshua didn't answer right away.

He watched the water reflecting the evening sky.

Then he raised the bottle to his lips.

"No."

Marcela! Download here! ❤️

When Joshua and Laura woke up, neither of them knew how to start a conversation—or even whether anything needed to be said at all. The kiss had already spoken for them. They were both still confused, trying to make sense of feelings they had never imagined they could have. They had never looked at each other that way before, and now that everything had finally changed, it felt impossible to put any of it into words.

Joshua walked over to her, gently took her hand, and placed a soft kiss on it.

"I’m going back to sleep before my head kills me."

Laura simply smiled and nodded.

He headed back to his room.

The moment Joshua stepped inside, he was greeted by the mess left behind from the night before. One glance at the bed was enough to remind him that Jennie and Matthew had slept there.

Or rather... they hadn't just slept there.

His eyes widened. He immediately walked back out and knocked on Jennie's door.

She opened it a few seconds later, her hair still an absolute mess.

"What?"

Joshua crossed his arms.

"Jennie... did you guys have sex in my bed?"

She stood there in silence for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Josh..."

"Don't even try to change the subject."

She laughed even harder.

"Okay... yeah, it happened."

Joshua rubbed a hand over his face.

"That's disgusting!"

"Oh, come on..."

"No, Jennie! You could've used the couch, the floor, literally anywhere else in this house! Why my bed?"

The more annoyed he became, the harder she laughed.

"Alright, alright. My bad."

The two of them ended up changing the sheets together, joking and laughing the entire time. Once they finished, Jennie went back to her room, promising never to do that again. Joshua finally threw himself onto the freshly made bed, and before he could even process everything that had happened the night before, he had already fallen asleep again.

Laura took a little longer to drift off. Too many thoughts were running through her mind all at once. Eventually, though, exhaustion won. The only person who seemed to have made it through the party relatively unscathed was Scott. Then again, at nearly two meters tall, knocking over their golden retriever of a friend wasn't exactly an easy task. Laura always joked that her biggest mistake was trying to keep up with his drinking despite standing at a very modest five feet tall.

Scott slept for a little while longer, but by around eleven in the morning he was already up. He took a shower, changed into something comfortable, and walked over to Megan's house next door. Before he even had a chance to ring the doorbell, Dusty started barking excitedly the moment he spotted him, immediately catching his owner's attention.

Megan appeared at the window, still wearing her bathrobe. She smiled as soon as she recognized Scott and opened both the front door and the gate for him.

"Hey, stranger."

Dusty practically exploded with excitement while Scott happily returned all the dog's affection.

"Megan... I'm really sorry about yesterday."

She let out a small laugh.

"I don't even know how to ask about the three of you disappearing together."

Scott burst out laughing.

"Whatever you're imagining... you're completely wrong."

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Joshua proposed to Marcela before that kiss with Harry you saw. After that, he completely lost it. Laura and I spent most of the night trying to take care of him, and this morning Marcela was the one crying her eyes out. Honestly, I don't even know if she'll remember half of what she did."

Megan's eyes widened.

"Are your parties always this... peaceful?"

"I promise I'll make it up to you next time... assuming you don't decide to stop hanging out with us after all this."

She smiled.

"I'll think about it."

Scott smiled back, completely oblivious to the flirting.

"I have a feeling there'll be another party in a few days to help everyone forget this one. I'll let you know... or maybe I'll just show up here again without warning."

"I'll be waiting. And I'll decide whether all this chaos scared me away... or made me even more interested."

Scott simply laughed.

"You were an amazing friend yesterday."

She smiled warmly.

"So were you."

-

He stepped closer, kissed her forehead, and headed home completely satisfied. In his mind, that visit had been a huge step forward.

Little did he know... for Megan, it had been an even bigger one.

Their golden retriever was still completely oblivious.

A little after two in the afternoon, Sunset had taken over the kitchen, preparing lunch. The smell of food slowly filled the house while almost everyone else was still resting. Scott took advantage of the quiet to catch up on some club business on his computer. Joshua and Laura were still asleep in their respective rooms, and the only real activity came from Jennie's bedroom.

She and Youn Jin were lying on the bed, laughing nonstop as they tried to piece together the previous night's events in chronological order.

"So... I actually kissed him?" Jin asked, sounding almost excited.

"You did!" Jennie replied, laughing. "But after that I went to bed. Matthew slept with me in Josh's room. I had no idea you'd passed out in here."

"There was no way I was climbing another flight of stairs."

The two burst into laughter.

"So... did you guys just listen to music?"

Jennie put on the most innocent face she could.

"Of course..."

Youn Jin narrowed her eyes.

"Uh-huh..."

They immediately broke into laughter again.

"Alright... something happened."

"So? How was it?"

Jennie covered her face with both hands.

"He's so sweet. It was amazing. He even texted me this morning to ask how I was doing. I honestly didn't think men like that existed in Josh's club."

"I don't think he's even part of the club. From what I heard, he was Sunset's friend... or maybe a friend of one of her friends."

"Well... that explains it."

Youn Jin sighed.

"Chad and I didn't even exchange numbers. I barely remember what we talked about. I just remember wanting to kiss him so badly. I don't even know if I said goodbye."

Jennie smiled.

"Relax. You'll definitely get another chance to see him. Or maybe he'll come looking for you before that."

-

While one bedroom echoed with laughter, the other woke up in complete silence.

Marcela slowly opened her eyes and pressed a hand against her forehead, feeling as though a truck had run over her.

"My head is going to explode..."

Sarah was already half awake beside her. She had decided to sleep in Marcela's room again to make sure she wouldn't sneak off in the middle of the night.

"I can imagine."

Marcela closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to organize the few flashes she still remembered from the night before.

"I barely remember anything... I remember Josh coming to talk to me, but I have no idea what it was about. Then I remember drinking, talking to a bunch of people, dancing... and waking up just to drink again. That's it. I don't remember anything that happened in the bathroom this morning. Why were you all there? Was it really that bad?"

Sarah took a deep breath.

"It was... but nothing that can't at least be fixed."

Marcela immediately turned toward her.

"What did I do?"

Sarah hesitated for a few seconds. She didn't want to dump everything on her all at once.

"The conversation Josh wanted to have with you..."

She took another deep breath.

"He had bought new rings. He wanted to try again."

Marcela's eyes widened in a way Sarah had never seen before. She shot upright in bed.

"Oh my God... did I say yes?"

Sarah gave her a small grimace.

"Marcela... I'm sleeping in your room."

The color immediately drained from Marcela's face.

"I... turned him down?"

Sarah simply nodded.

Marcela ran both hands through her hair in complete disbelief.

"How could I say no? Oh my God... if he was willing to try again, I... I should've at least talked to him. We spent months saying we wanted to make this work. I couldn't just..."

She stopped herself and lowered her head.

"Oh my God, Sarah... I ruined everything."

Sarah gently took her hand.

"You told him you weren't ready yet. You didn't mean to hurt him."

Marcela stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to process everything.

"Okay... okay... that's all?"

Sarah looked away.

"No."

Marcela immediately felt her stomach drop.

"After that..."

"You kissed Harry."

She froze.

Blinking a few times.

As though her brain had completely stopped working.

"...Which Harry?"

"Harry."

"The blond one?"

Sarah nodded.

Marcela collapsed back onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

"No..."

Sarah almost laughed at the reaction.

"Yes."

Marcela's voice came out muffled.

"I kissed him?"

"You did."

She lowered the pillow just enough to look at Sarah.

"Did Josh see it?"

Sarah slowly nodded.

"Right in front of him. Pretty much in front of the entire party."

Marcela buried her face again.

"Oh my God... I want to die."

Sarah waited a few moments before continuing.

"After that, he practically drank the entire bar dry. Scott and Laura almost had to carry him upstairs."

Marcela took a shaky breath.

"I did that to him..."

Sarah simply nodded.

"And somehow... this morning you managed to make it even worse."

Marcela slowly lowered the pillow again.

"No..."

"Yes."

Sarah let out a small laugh.

"You woke up before the rest of us, snuck out of the room, found the leftover beers in the cooler... and started drinking again."

Marcela's eyes widened.

"I started my day drinking?"

"You did."

She covered her face with one hand, utterly defeated.

"I'm a disaster."

Sarah smiled faintly.

"We're not done yet."

Marcela groaned.

"Sarah... please..."

"Joshua walked into the bathroom without knowing you were in there. He found you passed out inside the shower, surrounded by empty beer bottles. Since you wouldn't wake up, he turned on the shower to wake you."

Marcela closed her eyes.

"I remember cold water..."

"Then that memory is real."

Sarah continued.

"You woke up completely drunk. Said you needed to talk to him... told him you loved him..."

Marcela hid her face in her hands again.

"I said that?"

"Mhm."

"Oh my God..."

"Then you tried to kiss him."

Marcela went completely still.

"He..."

She couldn't even finish the question.

"No. He moved away."

Sarah smiled softly.

"He actually panicked. When you started taking your clothes off, he turned around and started yelling for me and Sunset."

Marcela's mouth fell open.

"I TOOK MY CLOTHES OFF?"

"You did."

"Oh my God..."

"By the time Sunset and I got there, he was already soaked, trying to keep you from falling over. He wouldn't even look in your direction out of respect. Honestly, he looked terrified of giving in, like you were some kind of forbidden fruit."

Sarah laughed.

Marcela had absolutely no idea what to say.

"At least... he didn't have to go through that alone."

Sarah nodded.

"While we were helping you get dressed again, you kept repeating that you loved him. Then you started asking for the rings back. You kept saying you wanted the ring."

Marcela's eyes slowly filled with tears.

"I remember that... vaguely..."

"Then Jennie showed up saying she'd slept in Josh's room with Matthew."

Marcela frowned.

"...Okay."

"You asked where Joshua had slept. When you found out he hadn't been in his room, you immediately assumed he'd slept with Laura."

Marcela closed her eyes.

She already knew what was coming.

"I fought with him..."

Sarah took a deep breath.

"You started yelling at him. You said a lot of things that honestly aren't even worth repeating. Scott heard everything from Laura's room, ran over, and explained that the three of them had slept there because he and Laura had spent the night taking care of Joshua after everything that had happened. Then he grabbed Josh by the arm and got him out of there."

The room fell silent once again.

Marcela stared at the ceiling for a long time.

She felt ashamed.

Ashamed for turning down the proposal.

Ashamed for kissing Harry.

Ashamed for confessing her love like that.

Ashamed of her jealous outburst.

But beneath all that shame...

One thought kept forcing its way back into her mind.

Laura.

Always Laura.

She tried to push the thought away.

Laura's room was the only bedroom on that floor with its own bathroom. It made perfect sense that they had taken Joshua there. Scott had been with them too. There had never been anything romantic between any of them.

They had been friends since they were children.

She knew them both.

Knew them?

Or at least she thought she did.

If it had been any other woman, she probably wouldn't have questioned it. She would have simply felt jealous and assumed the worst. But with Laura... doubt lingered. There were too many reasons why things might be different. After all, Laura was her best friend.

She was Laura.

The woman who had always been by Joshua's side.

The woman who knew him better than anyone else.

The woman who, years ago, had already made Marcela feel a quiet sense of discomfort she never dared admit—even though all she'd ever seen between them was respect and not the slightest hint of romance.

Or had it always been there, and she'd simply never noticed?

Had something changed while she was away?

Or was this nothing more than guilt speaking after everything she had done?

Had those feelings existed while they were married?

No...

Joshua would never have cheated on her.

She believed that.

She had to believe that.

Even so...

For the first time since returning home, the thought that Laura might one day become more than just his best friend crossed her mind.

And no matter how hard she tried to push it away...

The doubt refused to leave.

Joshua slowly woke up as the smell of food drifted through the house.

It was familiar.

He didn't even have to open his eyes completely to recognize Sunset's cooking. She had always been the one with the most energy after parties. While everyone else spent the morning trying to survive their hangovers, Sunset seemed to come back to life with every sunrise. Her joy was contagious—the kind of person who made everyone around her remember that life was worth enjoying.

Still lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling for a few moments.

The first thing that came to mind...

The kiss.

The kisses.

First, Marcela kissing Harry.

Then, almost as if his mind were trying to erase that memory, came the kiss he'd shared with Laura outside the bathroom.

He remembered her perfume.

The way she'd held his hand.

The water running over both of them beneath the shower.

The comfortable silence they had shared.

What the hell did I do?

He sat up and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

It wasn't regret.

Regret would mean wishing none of it had happened.

And he definitely didn't want to erase that moment.

His fear was something else entirely.

His fear was that he had ruined the one relationship in his life he couldn't bear to lose.

Until the night before, Joshua had always believed that whatever existed between them was nothing more than desire.

The kisses.

The nights they somehow always ended up together.

The intimacy.

Everything fit neatly into that comfortable little box where neither of them ever had to put a name to it.

But something had changed.

It wasn't exactly the kiss.

It was everything that came afterward.

The way Laura held his hand.

The way she stepped into the shower without saying a word.

The way she simply stayed because he needed someone.

Had she felt the difference too?

Or was it just the hangover clouding his thoughts?

He got to his feet, took a deep breath, and finally gathered enough courage to leave his room.

The moment he opened the door, he nearly bumped into Scott, who was walking back from the kitchen.

Scott smirked.

"Sleep well?"

"I did."

"Feeling better?"

"No."

They stood there in silence for a moment before laughing at their own misery.

"At least you remember what happened. You remember promising to buy Marcela a castle so she'd move out too, right?"

Joshua let out a tired laugh.

"Scott... shut up."

"Alright, alright..."

Scott paused.

"So... are you going to talk to her?"

Joshua answered automatically.

"Marcela?"

Scott simply held his gaze.

It took Joshua a few seconds to understand.

"Oh..."

He sighed.

"I don't know... I don't even know what we'd talk about. I've been thinking about it since I woke up, and I can't stop. There's nothing to fix..."

He hesitated.

"...At least not yet."

Scott remained silent.

Joshua spoke again, almost as though he were thinking out loud.

"It's not a problem...

Not yet.

But I know Laura.

If this becomes a problem for her...

I'll lose her."

Scott simply rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Then don't let it become one."

The two headed toward the kitchen.

As soon as they walked in, Sunset held out a spoon toward Scott without even turning around.

"Taste it."

Scott obediently took a bite.

"It's perfect."

"I know."

She smiled.

"I just wanted confirmation."

The three of them laughed.

Joshua and Scott leaned against the kitchen island while Sunset finished preparing lunch. Every now and then they'd hand her a spice, reach for a pot on the top shelf, or make small talk about absolutely nothing.

Talking about anything else was much easier than talking about the night before.

A few minutes later, Laura wandered into the kitchen, still half asleep.

"Good after..."

She stopped mid-sentence the moment her eyes met Joshua's.

He looked up almost at the same time.

Neither of them spoke.

For a few long seconds.

"Good afternoon."

Laura was the first to look away.

Sunset noticed immediately.

The jokes about Joshua and Laura being a couple had been part of the house's routine for months.

Everyone teased them about it.

The two of them always laughed, denied it, and played along.

For a long time, neither of them had seen any reason to answer differently.

After all...

They were just best friends.

And nobody needed to know they kissed.

The problem was...

Those kisses didn't feel so meaningless anymore.

Ever since Marcela had returned home, both Joshua and Laura had begun to notice an absence they had never felt before.

Somehow, without realizing it, they'd become dependent on one another.

Neither of them knew how to explain it.

And because they couldn't explain it...

They kept insisting they were still just best friends.

Laura blamed herself for kissing a man who was still in love with another woman.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was only making an already broken story even more complicated.

Joshua, on the other hand, was convinced Laura would never see him any differently.

She had always joked that any girl who fell for him would simply become "the next victim of a broken heart."

In his mind...

Laura would never choose the biggest walking disaster she knew.

The silence was becoming awkward.

Sunset decided to break it.

"So..."

She glanced between them.

"What happened?

Did you two fight?"

They answered at exactly the same time.

"No."

Sunset narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Hmm..."

She decided not to push it.

"Lunch is ready."

She served a generous portion of lasagna alongside a fresh salad.

Without saying who it was for, she picked up the plate and headed upstairs.

Joshua watched her go, smiling to himself as the smell of the food filled the house.

Lasagna.

She had made Marcela's favorite meal.

He didn't need to ask.

He knew Sunset well enough to understand that the plate wasn't just lunch.

It was her way of taking care of the people she loved.

A few moments later, Sunset gently knocked on Marcela's bedroom door.

Sarah told her to come in.

When she opened the door, she found Marcela sitting on the bed, her eyes still swollen from crying.

Without saying a single word, Sunset placed the plate on the desk, walked over to the bed, and sat beside her.

First came the hug.

Only after several quiet seconds did she speak softly.

"I made lasagna."

That was all it took.

Marcela broke down all over again, wrapping her arms tightly around Sunset as the tears came back even harder.

Sarah watched quietly from across the room.

Sometimes...

Sunset knew exactly how to take care of people without saying another word.

She simply showed up.

She hugged them.

And somehow reminded everyone that even on the worst days...

There would always be a safe place to come home to.

Bonus Scenes

Hidden Scene +18

An alternate timeline. This scene is not canon and exists only as a "what if" scenario.

Alternate continuation.

Next post.

Even surrounded by people, nobody had the slightest idea what had just happened.

Not that Marcela had turned down Joshua's proposal.

Or why the host of the party had mysteriously disappeared for so long.

Youn Jin, meanwhile, had far more important things to worry about.

Winning a game of Beer Pong.

She and Chad were up against Jennie and Matthew, who were just discovering a completely different side of her.

Wildly competitive.

Loud.

And surprisingly accurate.

Chad spent most of the game laughing.

Matthew wasn't doing much better.

Half because of her hysterical cheering.

The other half because her victory screams were somehow even louder.

If Youn Jin lost this game, it genuinely looked like she might pass out on the spot.

Matthew, on the other hand, had an entirely different reason to be nervous.

He wanted to impress Jennie.

Every single throw suddenly felt like it determined the fate of humanity.

Chad, meanwhile, was doing everything he could to keep Youn Jin's excitement alive. The two of them had surprisingly similar personalities.

Outgoing.

Social.

The only real difference was that Chad could speak without alerting the entire neighborhood.

The last ping pong ball left his hand.

It bounced once.

Twice.

And dropped into the final cup.

Silence.

For exactly half a second.

"I TOOOOOOOOOOOOLD YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Youn Jin immediately jumped into his arms.

"WE'RE THE PERFECT TEAM! WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER!"

To be fair...

Alcohol probably deserved at least half the credit for that sentence.

Chad just laughed.

Then looked over at Jennie with an expression that clearly asked,

"Is she always like this?"

Matthew burst out laughing and wrapped his arms around Jennie from behind.

She was much more sober now.

Sober enough to notice that Matthew looked a whole lot cuter than he had twenty minutes earlier.

Matthew, on the other hand...

After drinking for both himself and Jennie through almost the entire game...

Was starting to feel the world spin.

"I think somebody's about five minutes away from getting abducted by aliens."

Chad laughed as he handed Matthew a bottle of water.

"If you wanna crash here tonight, you're more than welcome to. I'll even get you a towel."

Chad and Youn Jin exchanged a glance at exactly the same time.

Then they both looked at Matthew, waiting for his answer.

"I'll stay... as long as I don't throw up."

He laughed before taking a sip of water.

"I'd rather my first night at your place not be me passed out and completely unable to move."

All four of them burst into laughter.

Honestly...

That was, by far, the most likely outcome.

Meanwhile...

Scott had finally worked up the courage to talk to Megan.

He took a deep breath like he was about to march into battle, thought of a conversation starter...

And somehow managed to pick the absolute worst one possible.

"Hey, Megan... did you know octopuses have three hearts?"

She smiled immediately.

"Is that why that coffee brand is called Three Hearts?"

Scott laughed.

In that moment...

He knew.

She was the one.

"Honestly? An octopus probably came up with the name."

She didn't miss a beat.

"Do you think they can love more, too?"

She paused dramatically.

"Does every octopus automatically become polyamorous with three wives?"

Scott burst out laughing.

Her kind of weird matched his perfectly.

Then a voice echoed across practically the entire backyard.

"SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTT!"

Scott closed his eyes.

He knew that voice.

"I NEED YOU! RIGHT NOW!"

He took a deep breath.

Looked back at Megan.

For the first time in a very long time...

The conversation was actually flowing.

"Megan..."

He smiled apologetically.

"I swear this happens way more often than it should."

He paused.

"And somehow... always at the worst possible moment."

She let out a warm laugh.

"Go save your Batman, Robin."

Scott laughed.

"The funny thing is..."

He sighed.

"...'save' is exactly the right word."

He pointed toward Joshua.

"Guess I'm saving the day... again."

He made his way up the hot tub steps toward the house.

The first thing he noticed...

Joshua was smiling.

They got back together.

That was his first thought.

It lasted less than a second.

Laura appeared at the top of the stairs.

Just as drunk as Joshua.

Her hair was a complete mess.

Her clothes looked hastily straightened.

And she wore the unmistakable smile of someone who had definitely done something she wasn't supposed to.

Scott looked at Joshua.

Then at Laura.

Laura caught his glance.

Quickly wiped the smile off her face.

Looked at Joshua.

Joshua looked at Scott.

Then back at Laura.

The two of them were trying way too hard to pretend absolutely nothing had happened.

The problem was...

Scott had known them for years.

Long enough to know he didn't need an explanation.

Something had happened.

And it hadn't been something small.

The only question was...

What?

Before he could come up with a single theory, his eyes drifted toward the dance floor.

Marcela.

Harry.

Holding each other.

Then...

A kiss.

Scott froze.

His brain immediately jumped to the most ridiculous conclusion possible.

Joshua proposed to Laura?

It was completely wrong.

But at that moment...

It made perfect sense to his panicked brain.

Their golden retriever friend remained unbelievably adorable.

And unbelievably clueless.

The real problem started when Joshua walked toward the sliding glass door.

Scott instinctively stepped to the side, trying to block his view of the dance floor.

It was a nice attempt.

A completely pointless one.

Laura saw it first.

Her eyes went wide.

Joshua followed her gaze.

And saw it.

Marcela.

Kissing Harry.

Right there.

In front of everyone.

He didn't say a word.

He just felt a chill run through his entire body.

Like every ounce of strength had suddenly left him.

She had every right.

He knew that.

But seeing it...

That was a different story.

Everything he'd said upstairs about emotional responsibility still stood.

Right up until this moment.

Anything beyond that...

Would've made him a hypocrite.

Scott rubbed a hand over his face.

He glanced toward Megan on the other side of the pool.

She gave him a small wave.

She'd seen everything too.

And now she understood exactly why Joshua had needed his best friend.

Scott sighed.

"I just wanted to ask that girl out."

He looked at Joshua.

"You owe me a family-sized stuffed crust pizza."

Then pointed at Joshua.

Then at Laura.

"You two..."

He took a deep breath.

"Upstairs."

They both looked at him in silence.

"I'm talking to both of you."

"Upstairs."

Bonus Scenes

Youn Jin & Chad

Joshua & Laura

Jennie & Matthew

Follow me here! ❤️! 

Now that he was closer...

He was even more attractive.

Friendly smile.

Relaxed posture.

And he clearly had no intention of letting her escape this interaction.

"Hey."

She opened her mouth.

She tried to think of literally anything remotely intelligent to say.

Her name.

A compliment.

Ask how he knew Joshua.

Anything.

But her brain had officially clocked out for the day.

"Hi!... Wanna play Beer Pong?"

...

She closed her eyes for a second.

That.

That was genuinely the best sentence she'd managed to come up with.

The guy let out a quiet laugh.

"Sure."

She let out a relieved breath.

At least he hadn't walked away.

As they headed toward the Beer Pong table, where another game was already getting started, they finally covered the basics.

Introductions.

"I'm Chad."

"Youn Jin."

She smiled awkwardly.

"I probably should've started with that."

"I was thinking the same thing."

She lightly shoved his arm.

"Hey!"

He laughed.

"I'm kidding."

...

On the other side of the house, Joshua subtly motioned for Scott to follow him.

"Come grab a beer with me."

Scott looked at the cooler sitting right next to them.

Then at Joshua.

Then back at the cooler.

"Joshua..."

"Hm?"

"The beer is literally right next to you."

"I know."

"So why are we walking all the way to the grill?"

Joshua simply started walking.

Scott sighed.

"Here we go..."

The two of them stopped in front of the cooler by the barbecue.

Scott cracked open a beer and took a long sip straight from the bottle.

"So..."

He pointed the bottle at Joshua.

"What kind of disaster are you planning today?"

Joshua looked offended.

"Me? Nothing."

Scott took another sip.

"If I didn't know you, I might actually believe that."

They stood there in silence for a few seconds.

Then Scott smiled to himself.

"I think today's finally the day I'm asking Megan out."

Joshua raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"

"We spent forever talking about makeup, celebrity gossip... a thousand things I know absolutely nothing about."

Joshua chuckled.

"And you liked it?"

"I did."

Scott smiled to himself again.

"She's adorable when she gets excited. She just keeps talking like the rest of the world stopped existing."

Joshua watched him for a moment.

"I still think you should give Sarah another chance."

Scott grimaced.

"Joshua..."

"What happened between you two barely even counts as a thing."

"We're talking about you right now."

Joshua took a deep breath.

"I bought new wedding rings."

Scott kept drinking.

"For me and Marcela."

Scott nearly choked on his beer.

"You what?"

Joshua slipped a hand into his pocket.

His fingers brushed against the ring box.

"I'm giving them to her today."

Scott went completely still.

"Today?"

"Today."

"Don't you think you should wait a little longer?"

Joshua shook his head.

"I've already waited almost a year."

"You two haven't even had a proper conversation about... you know..."

Joshua stayed quiet.

Scott narrowed his eyes.

He knew that silence.

Way too well.

"Joshua..."

No answer.

"Joshua..."

Scott sighed.

"Don't tell me..."

Joshua kept staring out toward the pool.

"...you're starting to have feelings for Laura."

Joshua answered so quickly it almost sounded rehearsed.

"No."

Scott just stared at him.

"Joshua."

"What?"

"You answered way too fast."

"Because no."

Scott pointed a finger at him.

"JOSHUA..."

Joshua looked away.

Scott's eyes went wide.

"Oh my God..."

He dragged a hand down his face.

"Oh my God!"

He started pacing back and forth.

"The world is ending."

Joshua laughed.

"Stop being dramatic."

"I AM NOT BEING DRAMATIC!"

Scott turned back to him, completely horrified.

"I'm more scared of this conversation than you are."

Joshua didn't say a word.

Scott pointed at Joshua's pocket.

"Don't give her those rings..."

He paused.

"...unless you already know exactly what her answer is going to be."

Joshua took a deep breath.

"That's the point."

Scott frowned.

"What do you mean, 'that's the point'?"

"Her answer will tell me everything I need to know."

Scott closed his eyes for a second.

"How many beers have you had?"

Joshua looked down at the bottle in his hand.

"I don't know..."

He took another sip.

"But definitely not enough."

In the past few days, Joshua had found himself missing Laura.

He missed their conversations that had quietly become part of his routine. The way she'd always stop by to ask him something, only to end up staying for half an hour. The scent of her hair—that same shampoo she'd been absolutely furious about when she found out Scott had been secretly using it. He missed having her around.

Marcela was back.

But she'd come back different.

Distant.

Careful.

And honestly...

She had every right to be.

She didn't even seem to know what she wanted herself. Maybe she'd mistaken loneliness for missing him. Maybe she just wanted to believe that this time things would finally work out. Or maybe she was still trying to figure out whether she truly wanted to rebuild a life with Joshua.

Everything felt uncertain.

...

After the fourth...

Or maybe the fifth beer...

Joshua and Scott were still sitting beside the hot tub, watching everyone else enjoy the party while each of them got lost in their own thoughts.

Scott had already chewed what was left of his fingernails.

He looked at Joshua.

Then at his beer.

Then back at Joshua.

He sighed.

"Alright."

He stood up.

"I'm gonna go get Marcela."

Joshua simply nodded.

Scott took two steps before stopping.

"And after that... I'm finally asking Megan out."

Joshua smirked.

"Good luck."

"You're gonna need it more than I do."

Scott walked away before Joshua could say anything else.

...

Marcela was talking to Harry, one of Sunset's friends.

Scott slowed his pace.

He frowned slightly.

There was nothing wrong.

But...

There was something.

She looked comfortable.

She was laughing.

Holding eye contact.

Scott decided not to overthink it.

"Hey, Marcela... got a minute?"

She turned to him right away.

"Of course."

"Josh needs a hand over by the grill. Mind going over there?"

It was the best excuse he could come up with.

"No problem."

She smiled at Harry.

"I'll be right back."

Then headed toward the barbecue area.

...

Joshua was leaning against the counter when she arrived.

The moment he saw her, he held out his hand.

Marcela took it gently.

"What is it?"

She smiled softly as she leaned against the counter, turning to face him.

"I need you."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

Then she smiled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Since when?"

The tease was light.

But it still carried traces of wounds they'd both been pretending weren't there.

Joshua smiled.

"Always."

His hand slipped into his pocket.

When it came back out...

He was holding a small ring box.

Marcela looked at it.

Then at Joshua.

Her smile slowly faded.

"Josh..."

She took a deep breath.

"I..."

She looked down for a few seconds.

"I think it's still too soon."

Joshua didn't say a word.

"It's not that I don't want to..."

She gently squeezed his hand.

"I just don't think this is our moment yet."

...

Joshua stayed silent.

Inside...

It hurt.

A lot.

To him, it would always be the right moment.

He had waited almost an entire year.

For months, all he'd done was imagine what this reunion would be like.

And now that it had finally happened...

His heart had filled with hope.

Only for a few words...

To make it all come crashing down again.

He simply stepped closer.

Kissed her forehead.

Smiled.

A small smile.

A tired one.

Then quietly walked back toward the house.

Marcela watched him leave.

She felt awful.

But she didn't follow him.

She knew Joshua.

She knew this was how he dealt with pain.

Silently.

After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.

Then returned to the party.

The music kept playing.

People kept laughing.

As if nothing had happened.

...

Joshua walked into the house without really knowing where he was going.

That's when he crossed paths with Laura at the bottom of the stairs.

She smiled the moment she saw him.

"Is everything—"

Before she could finish, Joshua gently took her hand.

Laura blinked in surprise.

"Josh?"

Without saying a word, he started walking upstairs.

She simply followed him.

The two of them stepped into the upstairs bar lounge.

As always during parties, every room on the second floor had been locked.

Joshua closed the door behind them.

Turned the key.

Silence settled over the room.

He took a deep breath.

Looked Laura straight in the eyes.

"Laura..."

He paused.

"I miss you."

She didn't move.

"I miss talking to you."

Another pause.

"I miss having you be part of my everyday life."

"Laura... you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember."

She didn't say a word.

"You can't just... separate yourself from me."

He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Just because you got ridiculously hot doesn't mean this has to become a problem between us."

Laura started laughing before he even finished.

Joshua pointed at her.

"Don't laugh."

She tried to hold it in.

She failed.

"Josh..."

"I'm serious!"

He took a deep breath.

"We've always known how to separate things."

Laura raised an eyebrow.

"Have we?"

Joshua thought about it for a few seconds.

"...Okay, that's a lie."

She burst out laughing.

"I was literally about to say that."

Joshua laughed too, shaking his head.

"But why is this so weird now? Weren't we supposed to just... keep living our lives? Should one kiss really affect anyone besides the two of us?"

Laura simply listened.

"You've always been emotionally mature."

He pointed at himself.

"I've always been emotionally mature."

She grimaced.

"Are you sure about that part?"

"I am."

She just looked at him.

Joshua sighed.

"...Okay. Mostly."

She laughed again.

"Josh..."

"Laura, we've known each other for years. Years."

He spread his arms.

"Fine, there's chemistry now."

He paused.

"Very inconvenient chemistry."

She nodded.

"But we're both single. So what exactly changed?"

Silence.

"I get that, with Marcela here, we need to avoid... certain things."

His voice softened.

"But that shouldn't destroy our friendship."

Laura crossed her arms.

"Or..."

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"...were you starting to catch feelings?"

Laura completely lost it.

It took her several seconds before she could answer.

"Joshua..."

She wiped a tear from laughing so hard.

"I think you know me well enough to know that if there's one person in this world who convinced me relationships were a complete waste of time..."

She pointed at him.

"It was you."

Joshua placed a hand dramatically over his chest.

"Ouch..."

A crooked smile appeared.

"That phase is over."

He started counting on his fingers.

"After Sunset..."

One finger.

"After Marcela..."

Another finger.

"I've learned a lot about emotional responsibility."

Laura hummed.

"Mhm."

Joshua shrugged.

"Honestly, all it did was screw me over."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Because now I'm the only one who actually has emotional responsibility."

Laura slowly shook her head.

"Joshua..."

She walked over to the couch and sat sideways, tucking one leg beneath her.

"Please shut up."

Joshua opened the cooler tucked away in the corner.

He grabbed two beers.

Handed one to her.

Then sat beside her.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

The music from the party downstairs drifted faintly through the closed door.

Joshua looked at Laura.

Smiled.

"You remind me of this song..."

She already knew something stupid was coming.

"Oh?"

He started singing softly, completely off-key.

"Your lips are a maze that awakens all my worst instincts..."

Laura covered her face.

"Oh my God..."

Joshua kept going.

"...and somehow your eyes fool me every single time..."

She laughed harder than she had in a long time.

That effortless kind of laugh.

No filter.

No worries.

When she finally caught her breath, she looked back at him.

"You're unbelievably drunk."

Joshua stared at the beer label for a few seconds.

Then looked back at her.

The smile slowly disappeared.

His voice came out quiet.

Almost serious.

"You're my best friend."

Laura nodded.

"And I'm never giving up that title."

She smiled softly.

Joshua took a deep breath.

"But..."

He paused.

Looked straight into her eyes.

"I want to kiss you right now."

Two girls. One mission. Zero dignity.

While Jennie was enjoying one of the few quiet afternoons she'd had all week, finally catching up on her reading, her bedroom door flew open without the slightest warning.

"JENNIE!"

She jumped so hard her book nearly flew off the bed.

"Jin! Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"We don't have time for manners."

Jennie blinked, completely caught off guard.

"...What?"

Youn Jin stormed into the room like a hurricane, a towel slung over one shoulder, her hair tied up in the messiest bun imaginable, and wearing a determined expression Jennie knew all too well.

Whenever Youn Jin looked like that...

...it meant she had come up with another completely ridiculous idea.

"Enough."

"Enough of what?"

"Our love lives."

Jennie slowly closed her book.

"Our love lives?"

"Exactly. We're only young once. Life's way too short to spend it fantasizing about things that are probably never going to happen. A Prince Charming... or the mysterious owner of a nightclub nobody has ever seen suddenly showing up to ask us to marry him..."

She paused dramatically before adding, clearly amused.

"Although I still think that's a much better theory than admitting Joshua actually works there."

Jennie let out a quiet laugh.

"You're still hung up on that?"

"It was an example."

"A terrible example."

"Today, we're going to meet someone."

"...Someone?"

"People, Jennie. We're going to meet people. Give life a chance."

Jennie rested her chin on one hand.

"Jin... you're always saying half the people who hang out at Joshua's club are walking red flags."

Youn Jin fell silent for a few seconds.

**"..."

"..."

"We think Joshua's a decent guy."**

Jennie raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough."

"So statistically, there has to be at least one more."

Jennie couldn't hold back her laughter.

Unfortunately...

That actually made perfect sense in Youn Jin's mind.

And, as ridiculous as it sounded...

...she might actually have a point.

The truth was, they simply didn't know many people outside their own circle. Joshua and Sunset hosted practically every major event in town, and whether they liked it or not, they were the best-connected people around. If you wanted to meet someone new, chances were you'd meet them at one of their parties.

Officially, that night's gathering had no special occasion. It was simply another pool party, another excuse to get everyone together. Unofficially, however, everyone knew the real reason. Marcela was back home, and Joshua seemed determined to make one thing perfectly clear to anyone paying attention: he was a committed man again. After spending nearly a year throwing himself into work, he looked like someone trying to convince the entire town—and maybe even himself—that he could finally breathe again.

The only problem was that, compared to Sarah, Laura, and even Sunset, Jennie and Youn Jin still felt like two teenage girls trying to figure out how the world worked.

Youn Jin crossed her arms and looked her friend up and down.

"Today, we're dressing like grown women."

Jennie glanced down at her outfit.

"I am a grown woman."

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

"No sneakers."

Jennie immediately looked down at her feet.

"What do you have against my sneakers?"

"They're way too comfortable."

"That's literally the entire point of sneakers."

"Exactly."

Youn Jin walked over to the closet, now fully committed to her mission.

"And none of that oversized shirt you keep wearing."

"It's comfortable too."

"I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that tonight you're going to make at least a tiny effort to look like you're actually interested in meeting someone."

Jennie let out a laugh.

"Jin..."

"Hm?"

"You're treating me like a Golden Retriever on its way to the groomer's."

Youn Jin paused for a second, looked at her, and broke into a satisfied smile.

"Exactly."

She grabbed a clean towel and headed for the door.

"I'm going to take a shower. When I get back, we're picking outfits, doing our makeup, fixing our hair... everything."

Before leaving, she pointed a finger at Jennie.

"And don't even think about putting those sneakers back on."

The door clicked shut.

Jennie looked at the open book lying on her bed, then down at her sneakers, and let out a long sigh.

She had a strange feeling that the night ahead held all kinds of possibilities.

Finding a boyfriend...

...probably wasn't one of them.

Compared to Sarah, Laura, and even Sunset, Jennie and Youn Jin—despite being around the same age—still felt like two kids trying to figure out how the world worked. Every now and then, that thought got to Jennie.

It never got to Youn Jin.

And because of that, she never let Jennie dwell on it either.

As they finished getting ready, Laura noticed the unusual amount of activity coming from their room and gave the door a light knock before stepping inside.

"Hey, girls... you ready?"

The moment she peeked in, her eyes traveled from head to toe between the two of them.

"Wow..."

She smiled, genuinely impressed.

"You both look gorgeous."

Jennie and Youn Jin exchanged a quick glance, clearly pleased by the compliment.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, Laura smiled.

"Waiting for someone tonight?"

Unlike the two of them, she was already dressed to welcome the guests. She wore one of her signature sequined dresses, the tiny sparkles catching the light with every movement, paired with a pair of high heels Jennie would never understand wearing inside your own house.

Jennie glanced discreetly at her own feet.

Without a doubt...

...this was the worst part of the plan.

But she'd promised Youn Jin.

"Something like that," Jin replied, holding back a laugh. "We're waiting for someone. The only problem is... we have absolutely no idea who."

Laura burst out laughing.

Jennie simply shook her head.

"I honestly don't know why I keep going along with her crazy ideas."

"Because they always turn into great stories afterward," Laura replied with a grin.

"Unfortunately... she does have a pretty solid track record."

Laura laughed again before remembering why she'd come upstairs in the first place.

"Oh... don't forget to wear your swimsuits under your clothes. It's supposed to be really hot today, and knowing Joshua, somebody's going to shove half the party into the pool before sunset."

She paused for a moment.

"People should start showing up around three. I think they invited... what, fifty people?"

Laura closed her eyes for a brief second and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Lord, have mercy on this kitchen when it's all over."

All three of them laughed.

Before leaving, Laura pointed at them like a mother reminding her daughters of something important.

"Oh—and lock your bedroom door."

Jennie frowned.

"Do you really think someone would come in here?"

Laura raised an eyebrow.

"It's a party hosted by Joshua."

A knowing smile spread across her face.

"I wouldn't rule out anything."

Meanwhile, tucked safely inside the pocket of Joshua's swim trunks, the two new wedding bands had been there since that morning, feeling far heavier than a few grams of gold ever should.

He still didn't know if he'd have the courage to give them to Marcela... or how she'd react.

Maybe she'd refuse.

Maybe she'd cry.

Maybe she'd simply tell him it was too late.

Even so, he had to try.

After almost a year apart, all Joshua wanted was to believe there was still room for a new beginning.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Youn Jin and Jennie had decided to tackle the night's real problem.

Their shyness.

Long before the first guest even walked through the front gate, the two of them were already halfway through their second round of drinks.

"It's strategy," Youn Jin declared, raising her glass. "After the third one, I become an excellent conversationalist."

Jennie laughed.

"After the third one, you'll start having conversations with lamp posts."

"Exactly. I'm just hoping today's conversation partner is a little better-looking."

Jennie simply shook her head before clinking her glass against Youn Jin's.

Youn Jin smiled, completely convinced she had come up with the perfect plan.

And, judging by the track record of her ideas...

...it was almost guaranteed to go horribly wrong.

Up until that moment, no one knew Joshua had bought new wedding bands.

Not even Scott.

They had been sitting in the pocket of his swim trunks since that morning, feeling far heavier than a few grams of gold ever should.

He still didn't know whether he'd have the courage to give them to Marcela, let alone how she'd react.

Maybe she'd refuse.

Maybe she'd cry.

Maybe she'd simply tell him it was too late.

Even so, he had to try.

After nearly a year apart, all Joshua wanted was to believe there was still room for a fresh start.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Youn Jin and Jennie had decided to tackle the night's real problem.

Their shyness.

Long before the first guest even walked through the front gate, the two of them were already halfway through their second round of drinks.

"It's strategy," Youn Jin declared, raising her glass. "After the third one, I become an excellent conversationalist."

Jennie laughed.

"After the third one, you'll start talking to lamp posts."

"Exactly. I'm just hoping today's conversation partner is a little better-looking."

Jennie simply shook her head before clinking her glass against her friend's.

Youn Jin smiled, utterly convinced she had come up with the perfect plan.

And considering the success rate of her previous plans...

...it was almost certain to end in disaster.

When Youn Jin disappeared toward the bathroom for the third time that afternoon, Jennie decided to wait by the poolside bar.

Or, at least, that had been the plan.

In reality, she was simply leaning against the counter, holding the same drink she'd been nursing for several minutes while trying to convince herself that the ground wasn't actually moving.

By then, the party had completely taken over the house. Loud music, bursts of laughter, people jumping into the pool for absolutely no reason, while others danced as if no one else existed. After a few drinks to "calm her nerves," Jennie could barely tell who was who anymore. From where she stood, everyone around the pool had blurred into colorful shapes drifting back and forth.

That was when Matthew showed up.

A friend of Sunset's, he'd only stopped by the bar to grab another drink when he noticed the petite redhead concentrating with remarkable determination as she tried to drop an ice cube back into her glass.

She missed.

The ice cube landed on the counter.

Jennie stared at it for several long seconds.

Then shrugged.

Matthew couldn't help but smile.

"Everything okay over here?"

Jennie slowly looked up at him.

"Yep."

She paused.

"Absolutely."

The moment the words left her mouth, she swayed sideways and had to grab the counter to keep herself upright.

Matthew instinctively caught her by the arm.

"I think you've had a little more to drink than you meant to."

Jennie frowned, looking genuinely offended.

"I'm... not drunk."

She pointed at him with complete seriousness.

"You're the one who's... doubled."

Matthew laughed.

"Yeah... I think that confirms my theory."

Without giving it another thought, Jennie stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.

Matthew froze.

She was unbelievably tiny compared to him.

"You smell nice..."

she mumbled, still hugging him.

Matthew looked around as if silently asking someone to rescue him.

Apparently, no one had noticed.

Well...

Almost no one.

A few feet away, Sunset and Laura were watching the whole thing unfold, thoroughly entertained.

Jennie tilted her head back to look at him.

"You're handsome."

Matthew smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you."

"I think I should kiss you."

She had already started leaning in when Matthew gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Why not?"

"Because you're drunk."

Jennie pouted so dramatically that Laura had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"But... just one little kiss..."

Matthew chuckled and shook his head.

"Tomorrow you probably won't even remember this."

Jennie seemed to consider that very carefully.

A second later, her eyes filled with tears.

"...Are you rejecting me?"

Matthew's eyes went wide.

"No! Of course not!"

"Then just one little kiss..."

Sunset, barely holding back her laughter, looked over at Laura.

Laura shrugged.

"She'll remember every second of this tomorrow."

Sunset laughed.

"Go on... she's adorable."

Matthew looked back at Jennie, who was still staring up at him with the saddest puppy-dog eyes imaginable.

He sighed.

"...Okay."

Gently cupping her face, he gave her a quick, soft kiss.

The second he pulled away, Jennie's smile lit up her entire face, like a child who had just gotten exactly what they'd wished for.

"I knew you were nice."

Matthew laughed.

"I really hope I still think that tomorrow."

...

On the other side of the house, Youn Jin finally walked out of the bathroom.

She was still fixing a few loose strands of hair when her eyes landed on Jennie.

Kissing a complete stranger.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

Blink.

Another blink.

She looked again.

"No way..."

Her best friend had been on her own for five minutes.

Five.

And she'd already found someone.

Youn Jin crossed her arms.

"Traitor."

Well...

It was officially every woman for herself now.

That was when she noticed him.

Standing on the opposite side of the pool.

Tall.

Tattooed arms.

An open shirt.

The unmistakable look of someone who probably kept therapists in business.

Youn Jin smiled to herself.

"Perfect..."

She took a deep breath.

Worked up the courage to walk across the pool and introduce herself.

The only problem...

...was that she'd spent so long staring at him that he noticed.

The moment their eyes met, Youn Jin froze.

He raised an eyebrow.

A crooked smile spread across his face.

And before she could pretend she'd been looking at literally anything else...

...he started walking straight toward her.

"Hey."

Youn Jin swallowed hard.

Suddenly...

...her perfect plan felt a whole lot scarier than it had five minutes earlier. 

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Sometimes, relationships don't end the day someone packs their bags. Sometimes, they end months before that. In broken promises. In dinners that grow cold on the table. In text messages that simply say, "I'm on my way," while the clock keeps moving.

That's what happened to Joshua and Marcela.

When they first met, it was impossible to imagine they would ever be apart. Joshua had the kind of personality that could make any place feel alive. Marcela carried an effortless elegance, a quiet confidence, and a gaze that always seemed to see beyond words. They fell in love quickly, got married, and for a while, they truly believed love would be enough.

But life rarely asks whether we're ready for it.

When Joshua lost his parents, the Club stopped being just a business. It became the last place where he could still feel close to them. Every wall held a memory. Every employee reminded him of another chapter of his family's story. Every problem felt like a responsibility only he could carry. He kept telling himself it was temporary. "Once things settle down." "Once I get everything organized." "Just one more month."

Marcela believed him.

At first, she stayed awake waiting for him. She prepared dinner. She texted asking when he'd be home. His answer almost always came.

"I'm leaving now."

But he never did.

From the balcony of their house, Marcela could see the Club right across the street. The lights stayed on. Sometimes she watched Joshua laughing with employees after solving another problem. Other nights he was outside talking to customers while the dinner table inside the house remained set for two.

The hardest part wasn't wondering where he was.

She already knew.

She only had to look out the window.

Maybe that was what hurt the most.

She never felt like she was competing with another woman. She was competing with a place. With a building. With a part of Joshua's life she could never replace.

And no one wins against someone else's memories.

They argued. They made promises. They tried changing routines. They tried spending more time together. They tried pretending everything was fine. But there was always one more phone call. One more problem at the Club. One more night Joshua promised he'd be home early. And one more night Marcela fell asleep alone.

Until one day she realized she was still deeply in love with him.

And that was exactly why she had to leave.

Because loving someone doesn't mean accepting a life spent waiting.

She packed her bags without anger. Without shouting. Without slammed doors. She left while still loving the man she was walking away from.

Joshua never stopped loving her either.

But at that point in his life, he simply couldn't put anything above the weight he carried on his shoulders. The Club had become more than work. It was the last connection he still had with his parents, and walking away from it—even for a few hours—felt like betraying them.

Eventually, they followed different paths. Marcela built a life where she no longer had to wait for anyone. Joshua kept opening his home to people who needed a safe place, perhaps offering others the comfort he couldn't give his own wife.

Time passed. New people entered their lives. New feelings appeared.

But there's a difference between forgetting someone... and learning how to live without them.

Joshua and Marcela never forgot each other.

They simply understood that sometimes two people can love each other deeply and still be unable to walk the same road.

Because love can bring two lives together.

But love alone cannot change priorities.

Some goodbyes don't happen because love disappears.

They happen because love remains... while everything else stops working.

To this day, Marcela remains the only person who ever convinced Joshua to put a wedding ring on his finger. And maybe that's why, even after everything, they still look at each other the same way they always did. Some things survive a breakup. The way they look at each other is one of them.