Chapter 52: Leo

The café was cozy and warm, the perfect spot for a Christmas treat. Sofia had been all smiles, dipping her spoon into the Christmas log cake, and it was impossible not to feel lighter in her presence.

We walk through the village, the lights twinkling overhead, but before I can really enjoy it, Danny steps up next to Sofia, leaning down to whisper something in her ear. She grins up at him, and before I know it, he’s pulling her toward a small bookstore tucked between two other shops.

“Let’s check this out,” Danny says, not waiting for any of us.

“What the—” Nate starts, but before any of us can protest, Danny and Sofia have already disappeared inside.

Riley looks pissed, his jaw tight. “What the hell is he doing?”

I shrug, though I’m irritated too. “He didn’t even say anything. Just took her.”

We stand there for a few moments, and I can feel the unease growing. We’re protective of Sofia, all of us, and Danny knows better than to take her off without saying something.

Minutes pass, and I can’t help but keep glancing at the bookstore door. Where the hell are they?

Nate lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m going in.”

Just as he moves toward the door, Sofia and Danny walk out, laughing about something. Danny has a small bag in his hand, and whatever he’s bought has her grinning from ear to ear. But I can’t shake the irritation. He didn’t need to sneak her off like that.

Sofia looks at the rest of us, still smiling. “Can we check out the little shop across the street? I saw something cute in the window.”

Danny gives her a quick nod. “Go ahead. We’ll meet you there.”

She glances at us but eventually turns and walks off, crossing the street. As soon as she’s out of earshot, I turn to Danny.

“What the hell was that?” I snap, keeping my voice low so she can’t hear.

“What do you mean?” Danny says, his expression calm, too calm. “We were just looking at some books. She wanted something, so I took her.”

“Without telling us?” Riley cuts in, his eyes narrowed. “You know we’re all supposed to stay together.”

Danny shrugs, clearly unfazed. “I knew she was safe with me. You guys are overreacting.”

Nate steps forward, his face dark. “You can’t just run off with her without telling us, man.”

It’s subtle, but I can feel the air shift between us. This isn’t just about the bookstore. This is about something bigger.

“She likes spending time with me,” Danny says, his voice sharper now. “It’s not like I’m keeping her away from you.”

Riley takes a step closer, his fists clenching. “Yeah, well, maybe she’d like to spend more time with the rest of us if you weren’t constantly swooping in.”

And there it is. The real issue.

I can feel my own frustration bubbling to the surface. “This isn’t about who she spends more time with. It’s about being smart, Danny. We’re all trying to figure out how this is gonna work, and pulling her aside like that isn’t helping.”

Danny scoffs, crossing his arms. “You’re acting like I stole her away. She can make her own choices.”

“You’re not listening,” Nate growls. “This isn’t about control. It’s about the fact that we’re supposed to be a team. And it feels like you’re trying to cut us out.”

Danny’s face hardens, and he throws his hands up in frustration. “Oh, so that’s what this is? You all think I’m trying to take her for myself?”

Riley steps up, his face flushed with anger. “Aren’t you? She’s been glued to your side since we got here.”

“That’s not my fault!” Danny snaps. “Maybe she just likes me better.”

There’s a split second of silence, and then Nate shoves Danny in the chest, hard enough to make him stumble back a step.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Nate’s voice is deadly calm, the kind of calm that makes me tense.

Danny’s not backing down, though. He steps right back into Nate’s face. “You heard me. Maybe she likes me more.”

The tension is thick, and I can feel my own frustration boiling over. “That’s not the point, Danny. We’re supposed to figure this out together.”

But it’s too late. The argument has escalated past logic. Nate’s fist clenches, and Danny looks ready to swing back. Riley’s about to step in too, his expression dark with jealousy and anger. It’s like everything we’ve been holding back is spilling out all at once, and we’re all too stubborn to back down.

And then I hear it.

“What’s going on?”

Sofia’s voice cuts through the chaos, and we all freeze. She’s standing a few feet away, her eyes wide, her expression torn between confusion and hurt.

“Why are you fighting?” she asks, her voice shaky. “Is it because of me?”

None of us speak at first, and the guilt hits me hard. This was the last thing she needed to see.

She shakes her head, her hands trembling slightly. “I knew this was going to happen. You’re all fighting over me. Maybe... maybe I shouldn’t be in your lives at all.”

Her voice cracks at the end, and I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. The hurt is evident, and it kills me.

“No,” Nate says quickly, stepping toward her, his hands up as if to calm her. “No, Sof. We don’t want that. It’s not like that.”

Riley, Danny, and I nod in agreement, the fight instantly forgotten. We’re all scrambling to fix this.

“It was just a stupid argument,” I add, my voice softer now. “We were being idiots. Don’t think for a second that we don’t want you in our lives.”

Sofia looks between us, her tears still glistening. “You guys were fighting over who I like more.”

Danny lets out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. We were. But we don’t want to fight. We all just... we all care about you. And we got caught up in our own egos.”

“We’re not going to fight like that again,” Riley promises, stepping forward and gently taking her hand. “We’ll figure it out. Together. We just want you with us.”

She looks uncertain for a moment, and I can’t blame her. We’ve been idiots. But then she lets out a shaky breath and gives a small nod. “Okay. Just... don’t fight over me, please. I care about all of you.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She cares about all of us. I glance at Nate, Riley, and Danny, and I can tell they’re thinking the same thing. We’ve been so caught up in trying to figure out how to handle our feelings that we forgot the most important thing—she’s here because she wants to be.

Danny reaches out and gently wipes a tear from her cheek. “We’re sorry, Sof.”

She smiles a little, though her eyes are still red. “It’s okay.”

And just like that, the tension lifts. We’ve got a lot to figure out, but for now, we’re back on the same page.