The living room buzzed with anticipation as Sophia, Emily, Freya, and Evelyn primped and preened for their New Year’s Eve bash. The air was thick with hairspray and perfume, mingling with the tangy scent of lime from the cocktails.
Emily grimaced as she took another sip of her alcohol-free wine. “This tastes like fermented grape piss,” she grumbled, setting the glass down with a clunk. Her green eyes flashed with annoyance.
Sophia snorted, nearly choking on her mojito. “Well, what did you expect, Em? It’s basically fancy juice.”
“I expected it to not taste like ass,” Emily retorted, eyeing Sophia’s cocktail with envy. She ran a hand through her chestnut locks, huffing in frustration. Why did being pregnant have to be so damn inconvenient?
Freya leaned against the fireplace, nursing her whiskey sour. “Look at it this way,” she said, her voice laced with dry humour, “at least you won’t wake up tomorrow feeling like your head’s been put through a wood chipper.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Small mercies,” she muttered, but couldn’t help cracking a smile. Trust Freya to find the silver lining in sobriety.
Evelyn perched on the arm of the sofa, sipping her gin and tonic. “You know,” she mused, her teacher voice creeping in, “there are some interesting non-alcoholic alternatives we could try. I read about this one that’s supposed to mimic the burn of spirits…”
“Christ, Ev,” Sophia interrupted, laughing. “It’s New Year’s Eve, not a chemistry lesson. Let’s focus on getting our faces on and our tits out, yeah?”
Emily’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned to Sophia. “Speaking of tits out, are you looking forward to seeing Surfer Boy tonight, Soph?”
Sophia’s cheeks flushed, clashing with her auburn curls. She rolled her eyes and shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “If he’s working, he’s working, if he’s there, he’s there,” she said, her voice a touch too casual.
Emily wasn’t buying it. She knew her best friend too well. Sophia’s fingers were fidgeting with her colourful scarf, a telltale sign of her nerves.
Freya, ever the blunt one, grabbed a makeup brush from the coffee table and threw it at Sophia. It bounced off her shoulder, leaving a smear of bronzer on her shirt.
“Oi!” Sophia yelped, brushing at the powder.
“Oh, come off it,” Freya said, her pixie cut bobbing as she shook her head. “You clearly like him, and feelings aren’t all that bad, Soph.”
Sophia’s mind raced. Did she like him? The way his salt-crusted hair fell over his eyes, how his laugh seemed to rumble from somewhere deep in his chest, the gentle strength in his callused hands… Fuck. Maybe she did.
“I don’t do feelings,” Sophia muttered, but even to her own ears, it sounded weak.
Emily leaned forward, her voice softening. “Soph, honey, you’re allowed to like someone. It’s not a crime.”
Sophia downed the rest of her mojito, welcoming the burn.
Sophia set her glass down with a clunk, her hazel eyes glinting with a mix of defiance and pain. “You know why feelings are bad, Em. You know exactly why.”
Emily reached out, her warm hands enveloping Sophia’s. The gentle pressure grounded Sophia, anchoring her against the tide of memories threatening to pull her under.
“Not everyone is as much of a scumbag as your step dad or your ex, Soph,” Emily said, her voice low and fierce. “There are still good guys out there.”
Sophia snorted, but didn’t pull away. “Yeah, right. And I’m the Queen of fucking England.”
Just then, the door swung open with a bang, making them all jump. Lucas strode in, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Speaking of good guys,” he announced, gesturing dramatically behind him.
Two men followed him in, and Sophia’s eyebrows shot up. Well, hello there.
“Ladies, meet Dan and Mac,” Lucas said, grinning like the cat that got the cream.
Sophia’s gaze flicked to Freya, watching her friend’s eyes widen as she took in Dan’s tall, athletic frame and the intriguing scar above his right eyebrow. Then to Evelyn, whose smile could’ve lit up all of Seabridge as she locked eyes with Mac.
A smirk tugged at Sophia’s lips. Well, well, well. This night just got a whole lot more interesting.
Sophia bit back a laugh as she watched Freya fumble with her drink, her eyes never leaving Dan’s face. Evelyn wasn’t much better, practically glowing as Mac flashed her a dimpled smile.
“Jesus,” Sophia muttered under her breath. “You’d think they’d never seen a man before.”
Emily leaned in close, her breath tickling Sophia’s ear. “Speaking of men,” she whispered, a hint of teasing in her voice, “you missing your surfer boy, huh?”
Sophia rolled her eyes, fighting the warmth creeping up her neck. “Shut it, Em,” she hissed, but there was no real heat behind it.
Her mind flashed to Jake his sun-kissed skin, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. She shoved the image away, scowling.
“I don’t miss anyone,” Sophia said, more to herself than Emily.
Emily snorted. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, hon.”
Sophia elbowed her friend, hard enough to make Emily yelp. “Shouldn’t you be busy not drinking or something?”
But as the others laughed and chatted, Sophia couldn’t quite shake the memory of Jake’s crooked grin, or the way her heart had skipped when he’d called her ‘trouble.’
Emily’s expression softened, her green eyes searching Sophia’s face. She leaned in close again, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Hey, Soph,” Emily murmured, squeezing Sophia’s hand. “It’s okay, you know. It’s okay to be scared and want to hold back.”
Sophia tensed, her jaw clenching. “I’m not scared,” she said, but the words felt hollow even to her own ears.
Emily pressed on, undeterred. “But it’s also okay to give it a chance. Not everyone’s out to hurt you.”
Sophia’s chest tightened, memories of her stepdad’s betrayal and her ex’s lies flooding back. She took a long swig of her cocktail, relishing the burn.
“Yeah, well, forgive me if I’m not exactly jumping at the chance to get fucked over again,” Sophia muttered.
Emily’s thumb traced soothing circles on Sophia’s palm. “I get it, I do. But Jake… he seems different.”
Sophia snorted. “They all seem different at first.”
“True,” Emily conceded. “But maybe it’s worth finding out for sure?”
Sophia glanced around the room, at Freya’s shy smiles and Evelyn’s animated chatter. For a moment, she let herself imagine what it might be like to just… let go.
“Maybe,” Sophia whispered, surprising herself.