Ella’s POV:
The night was a whirlwind of emotions. Even after we’d returned to the penthouse, I couldn’t stop staring at the ring on my finger, a symbol of sothing I never thought we’d reach, a real engagent. My mind replayed Arec’s words over and over, each one sinking deeper into my heart.
I glanced over at him as he loosened his tie and set it on the kitchen counter. He looked relaxed, a faint smile still lingering on his face. The thought that he had planned everything tonight, all for , made my chest tighten with gratitude and sothing deeper, sothing that scared and thrilled at the sa ti.
"You’re staring," Arec said, smirking as he caught my gaze.
"Can you bla ?" I shot back, holding up my hand so the ring caught the light. "You’ve officially ruined for any other proposals."
"Good." He walked over, his hands finding my waist as he pulled closer. "Because there won’t be any other proposals. Just this one."
The morning after, I woke up to the sound of Arec moving around the penthouse.
Sunlight stread through the windows, and for a mont, I lay there, letting everything sink in. The ring still felt foreign on my hand, but every ti I looked at it, my heart swelled.
"Arec?" I called, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"Good morning, real fiancée," he called back, his voice teasing.
I laughed, slipping out of bed and wrapping myself in a robe. When I walked into the kitchen, I found him frying eggs, still in his pajama pants and a plain T-shirt.
"Cooking breakfast again? You’re going to spoil ," I said, leaning against the counter.
He turned, spatula in hand, and grinned. "You deserve it."
I felt my cheeks warm at his words. It was still strange, this new side of Arec, the one who looked at like I was his whole world.
We sat down together, and ate in comfortable silence.
---
The days after Arec’s proposal flew by in a whirlwind of plans, calls, and fittings. It was almost impossible to keep track of everything. The closer we got to the wedding, the more it felt like my life was moving at double speed.
Each day brought new challenges, new tasks to tackle. Whether it was finalizing the seating arrangents or making decisions about floral arrangents, my to-do list never seed to end. It wasn’t until late one evening, as I was flipping through a stack of RSVPs, that I realized how much ti had passed since I’d had a real conversation with Kate, or anyone else, for that matter.
And then there was Joanne.
I hadn’t heard from her since I turned down her invitation to that exclusive social gathering weeks ago. At first, I thought she’d call back, as she always did, but as the days stretched into weeks, the silence between us beca harder to ignore.
Was she upset? I couldn’t help but wonder. Joanne had always been... sensitive about things like this. Still, I’d thought we were past that phase of our friendship. Now I wasn’t so sure.
I’d thought about calling her so many tis, just to check in, to see if everything was okay, but sothing else always ca up. The wedding, work, life. It felt like there was never enough ti, and yet the thought of her silence lingered at the back of my mind like an unfinished sentence.
---
One morning I woke up and Arec has already left for work, his side of the bed neatly made, a little sticky note left on my nightstand:
"Good morning real fiancée. Don’t forget to eat sothing before your eting today. I love you. – A"
I smiled, running my thumb over the note. He’d been leaving little reminders like this every morning, and each one made fall for him a little more.
But as I made my way to the kitchen, my thoughts drifted back to Joanne. Should I call her? Or has he gone back to her formal self?
By late afternoon, I finally escaped the chaos of wedding planning and found Kate waiting at our favorite coffee shop. She spotted before I even made it through the door, waving dramatically like she was trying to flag down a rescue helicopter.
"There she is! The elusive bride-to-be!" she called, standing up with open arms. "I was starting to think you’d ghosted ."
"Ghosted? You?" I laughed, stepping into her hug. "Not in this lifeti. I’ve just been neck-deep in color swatches and seating charts."
Kate pulled back, giving an exaggerated once-over. "Mmm, and yet you still manage to look fabulous. Share your secrets."
I rolled my eyes as I slid into the chair across from her. "Trust , it’s all caffeine and stress."
She smirked, tilting her head. "Speaking of caffeine, are you sure coffee is good for the baby?"
I snorted, waving her off. "I’m craving it, okay? If it’s not good for the baby, they shouldn’t be demanding it."
Kate grinned, leaning closer. "Oh please, using the baby as an excuse already? You’re going to be a fun mom. So, how’s my little godchild doing?"
I smiled, sipping the steaming coffee the barista had just delivered. "We’re fine. Just tired. Wedding planning is no joke. And then there’s... Joanne."
Kate’s expression darkened instantly, her teasing edge replaced with a groan of exasperation. "Joanne? What now? Don’t tell she’s pulling her poor- act again."
"Calm down, Kate." I rolled my eyes, amused by how protective she got when it ca to Joanne. "I get it, you don’t trust her. But she’s been trying to be nice lately."
Kate leaned back, crossing her arms with a skeptical arch of her brow. "Trying to be nice? That’s like saying a cat’s trying to be a dog. Doesn’t an it’s gonna happen."
I couldn’t help but laugh, though I shook my head. "It’s just that she hasn’t called since I turned down her invite to that exclusive party she was raving about. I think she’s upset, but I don’t know for sure. I keep aning to call her, but..."
Kate cut off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Ella. Stop. If she’s upset, that’s on her. Not you. You’ve got bigger things to deal with, like, I don’t know, getting married and growing a human.
If she can’t understand that, maybe she’s not as good a friend as you think. And her true self is back, maybe for good. This ti."
I don’t know why, but sohow Kate’s words stung, even though I knew she didn’t an them to.
The thought of Joanne reverting to her old ways, of losing what little progress we’d made, was hard to accept.
"I just don’t want there to be bad blood," I said quietly, tracing my finger along the rim of my coffee cup.
"Oh stop it Ella," Kate sighed exaggeratedly. "We’re here to chill and not to talk about Miss Bimbo.
I sighed, my chest tightening with a familiar sense of guilt. Kate was only trying to spend ti with , and here I was dampening the mood with my endless worries about Joanne. She didn’t deserve that.
"I’m sorry, Kate," I said, my voice soft but sincere. "You’re right. This is supposed to be a relaxing ti, and I keep dragging us into drama that doesn’t belong here."
Kate raised an eyebrow, a flicker of concern breaking through her mock annoyance. "Ella, I didn’t an to..."
"No, it’s okay," I interrupted gently, offering a small, apologetic smile. "I know you’re just looking out for . I appreciate it, really. I just... I can’t help feeling likeI’m not doing enough for us."
Kate reached over, her hand brushing mine in a brief, reassuring gesture. "You’ve done more than enough for our friendship, Ella.
You just have to stop worrying over people that doesn’t matter." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand and continued.
"And you’re too nice for people like Joanne. She’s not worth this ntal energy. She’s like a bad penny, she’ll turn up when she wants sothing, trust ."
I sighed, and give Kate a small, apologetic smile. "You’re right. I’m sorry for bringing it up, let’s just relax, hangout and chill like old ti."
Kate’s teasing smirk returned. "Damn right. We’re here to have fun, not analyze Miss Bimbo’s tantrums. Now," she said, leaning back with a glint of mischief in her eyes, "tell more about this ’craving coffee’ excuse. Because I swear, if I catch you blaming my god child for eating cake, I’m calling you out."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Oh, trust , you won’t have to. You’ll probably find at the bakery with frosting on my face."
Kate grinned, raising her cup in mock salute. "That’s the spirit. Welco back to the fun side of life, Ella. Leave the drama at the door. In fact kill it, bury it and I will even help you keep the secret."
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