Chapter 75: Chapter Seventy-four

“Thrilling? It is. But that’s not the point right now,” Aria defended, her voice half-annoyed, half-playful. She leaned back against the couch, a slight frown between her brows, though her lips twitched like she was holding a smile.

“Yea yea, point taken,” Beverly said, rolling her eyes dramatically and waving her hand as if to dismiss Aria’s attempt at seriousness.

Mirabella was already laughing hard. She was, once again, right in the middle of their banter — her two best friends could argue about anything. Watching them always amused her. But then something crossed her mind, and she tilted her head curiously. “Wait… but really… what was that just now with you and Tobias?”

Aria's face turned pink almost immediately. “It was nothing,” she said too quickly.

Beverly scoffed. “Nothing? Oh please, Ari. We all saw it.” She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Tell us,” Mirabella encouraged, her curiosity winning over.

Aria sighed and looked away. “It was really nothing, okay? We were arguing, and somehow, I was falling backward. He reached out to grab my hand to stop me, but he slipped, and then he landed on his back instead. I… fell on him. It was an accident.”

“Yes? And the kiss?” Mirabella pushed, eyes wide, waiting for the juicy part.

Aria swallowed nervously. She could still feel his lips on hers, even if she tried to deny it. “He started it,” she admitted softly. “But… I couldn’t pull away.” Her cheeks turned bright red as she lowered her face, hiding behind her hair.

“Uuwww,” Beverly dragged the sound teasingly, giving Aria a suspicious look.

“Whatever, Bev,” Aria said sharply, though her blush betrayed her calm tone.

Beverly raised both hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“You say a lot with only your eyes,” Aria retorted, narrowing her gaze.

Mirabella giggled. “You know, it was as if the both of you couldn’t stand each other the whole day, but the second there was contact… boom! Neither of you could pull away. That’s some connection if you ask me.”

Both Beverly and Aria turned to stare at her. Beverly’s lips curved into a grin, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Like a hate-to-love kinda story? Wow, Mira. You got it right.”

Aria groaned loudly and buried her face in her hands. “Nothing is going on between me and that bulky guy. Nothing!”

“Mm-hmm, sure,” Beverly said, winking at Mirabella.

“We’ll see,” Mirabella added with a knowing smile. “Ugh, I need water,” Mirabella muttered, standing up from the couch.

“Me too,” Aria said, rising from the couch as well.

“Likewise,” Beverly added, stretching her arms and following the two girls. They all laughed as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Let’s have a movie night tomorrow,” Beverly suggested suddenly as she opened the fridge. She grabbed three cold bottles and handed one bottle to each of them.

“I don’t see why not. It’s the weekend,” Aria said, twisting the cap off her bottle and taking a long sip.

They both looked at Mirabella.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Mirabella said, smiling softly.

“Yey! It’s settled then,” Beverly cheered, her voice loud and full of excitement. “Cheers to movie night, guys!”

They clicked their water bottles together like glasses and laughed loudly, their laughter echoing through the kitchen.

Just then, Hunter walked in. “I see you girls are having a good time,” he said, his deep voice filling the space. His eyes went straight to Mirabella. “Hey, babe.” He leaned in and kissed her lips briefly.

Mirabella scowled at him, pretending to be annoyed.

Hunter pretended not to notice. He walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water for himself, and left the kitchen without another word.

“Asshole,” Mirabella muttered under her breath, glaring toward the doorway.

“A good-looking one,” Beverly said dreamily, taking another sip from her bottle.

“Yep,” Aria added absentmindedly, her mind still half-stuck on Tobias.

Two heads jerked toward her instantly. Mirabella and Beverly stared at her like she had grown another head.

“What?” Aria asked defensively. “Beverly is allowed to admire but I’m not?”

“None of you are allowed to admire,” Mirabella said firmly. “But that’s not the point. We thought you’d sulk for at least a few days after what happened, but it seems you’ve already accepted everything.”

Aria gave a small shrug. “Well, all I know is that you were miserable when you escaped from him a few years ago. You love him, and I respect that. I respect your feelings.” Her tone was gentle but serious.

Mirabella’s eyes softened instantly. Beverly’s mouth formed a small “aww.”

Aria noticed the look on their faces and groaned. “Don’t do what you’re about to do,” she said, holding her hands out in warning.

Both girls ignored her completely. Within seconds, they threw their arms around her, squeezing her in a tight hug.

“You make me want to cry, Ari,” Mirabella said against her shoulder.

“Me too! You just made me emotional, Ari,” Beverly added dramatically.

“Both of you, let me go now,” Aria said, rolling her eyes but smiling all the same. “Now”

“Just a bit longer,” Mirabella said stubbornly.

“Fair lady,” Aria warned, calling Mirabella by the nickname she’d given her.

Mirabella sighed and stepped back. “Alright, kill-joy.”

“I know, right? She couldn’t even let us have a proper hug,” Beverly complained, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, whatever. You two just stay away from me,” Aria said with a small smile tugging at her lips.

“We’ll try,” they both said in unison, and all three of them burst into laughter again.

They spent the next half hour sitting on the kitchen counter, chatting about everything and nothing.

“You know,” Beverly said suddenly, “I’m picking the movie tomorrow.”

“Absolutely not,” Aria said immediately.

“Yes, I am,” Beverly insisted. “Because the last time I let you choose, we ended up watching some slow-burn historical thing where no one even kissed till the end!”

“That was art, Beverly,” Aria argued, using her words against her. “You just don’t appreciate subtle romance.”

“Subtle?” Beverly said, pretending to gag. “It was torture!”

Mirabella was laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Okay, okay, how about we make a deal? We each get to choose one movie, and we all watch them together.”

“Fair,” Aria agreed.

“Deal,” Beverly said, pointing at her. “But no sad endings.”

“No promises,” Aria teased.

Mirabella smiled at them both, grateful for moments like these. For laughter. For normalcy.

“Hey, Mira,” Beverly said softly, noticing the sudden change in her expression. “You okay?”

Mirabella nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking.”

Aria leaned forward on the counter. “About Hunter?”

Mirabella looked down. “Yeah.”

“What about him?” Beverly asked gently.

“I don’t know,” Mirabella said truthfully. “It’s just… complicated. I hate how much power he still has over me. But then he looks at me and I—” She stopped, her voice cracking. “I still feel everything.”

The kitchen fell silent for a moment. The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound.

Aria reached out, touching her hand. “Love isn’t weak, Mira. It’s just… hard sometimes.”

Mirabella gave her a small, grateful smile.

Beverly cleared her throat. “Okay, enough of the emotional stuff. Let’s eat something before someone starts to cry because of Aria.”

Aria laughed. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“Exactly,” Beverly said, pointing at her. “You never say anything at all.”

They all broke into another fit of laughter.

After that, Beverly began rummaging through the cupboards, pulling out snacks. “Popcorn for tomorrow’s movie night,” she said proudly.

Aria shook her head with amusement. “You’re already planning snacks?”

“Of course. A movie night without snacks is a sin,” Beverly said, tossing a packet of chips to Mirabella.

Mirabella caught it mid-air and smiled. “Then it’s official. Tomorrow night… movie, snacks, and zero drama from you two.”

“Zero drama,” Aria repeated, though something in her gut told her things were never truly drama-free with the big headed Beverly around.