Sunny returned to the table quitely.
No one said anything but a few people noticed her red eyes.
A few minutes later, Alejandra emerged from the hallway.
For a brief second, their eyes almost met again.
Sunny quickly looked down at her glass.
The table continued its conversations as if nothing had happened, but the air felt heavier.
People had noticed something. No one dared to ask.
Soon, Mariana clapped her hands excitedly.
"Alright! Cake time!"
The staff dimmed the lights slightly as someone brought out the cake, candles glowing softly on top.
Everyone gathered closer around the table.
"Make a wish!" Diegoe shouted.
Mariana laughed before blowing out the candles while everyone cheered.
"Now presents!" she said excitedly.
One by one, people handed her their gifts.
When it was Sunny's turn, she placed a carefully wrapped package on the table.
"This one's from me."
Mariana opened it eagerly.
The moment she saw the cover, she screamed.
"No way!"
Everyone laughed at her reaction.
"What is it?" Ines asked.
Marina held the book up proudly.
"A limited edition romance novel!"
A few people leaned closer.
"What's it about?" Ines asked curiously.
Marina flipped through the pages excitedly.
"It's about a boss and her employee," she explained.
"The employee is this hardworking young woman who devoted her whole life to the company."
People nodded with mild interest.
"But here's the twist," Mariana continued dramatically.
"The CEO can't express her feelings for her."
"Why?" Ines asked.
Mariana grinned.
"Because it goes against her family's religion."
Ines blinked.
"You read gay novels?"
Mariana shrugged unapologetically.
"It's super interesting." She tapped the book excitedly.
"Especially the part where the CEO struggles between her family and the person she loves."
Mariana suddenly turned to Sunny.
"How did you even get this?" she asked.
Sunny gave a small smile.
"It's a secret."
Mariana hugged the book happily.
"Now I get to find out if they finally end up together… or if they struggle forever trying to find happiness."
At that exact moment—Alejandra looked at Sunny.
Her expression was unreadable. But her eyes were intense.
Sunny felt the gaze immediately. Her chest tightened.
She quickly looked away.
Across the table, the book sat between them and suddenly it didn't feel like a random gift anymore.
It felt like a story that was far too familiar.
By the time the party ended, Sunny felt completely drained.
The laughter, the music, the forced smiles—it had all blurred together.
But one thing stayed painfully clear. Alejandra's kiss and the way she had looked at her after.
Sunny barely remembered saying goodbye before leaving the restaurant.
The music from the birthday dinner still echoed faintly in Sunny's ears as she stepped out into the night.
Laughter spilled from the restaurant doors behind her, warm and carefree, but it felt miles away from the storm brewing inside her chest.
She walked without thinking for several minutes, her heels tapping softly against the pavement.
Her mind replayed the evening over and over again.
Alejandra's gaze across the room. The way it lingered.
Sunny rubbed her temples. Why does she do this to me?
Before she could second-guess herself, Sunny pulled out her phone and sent a message.
Are you home?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Yes. Are you okay?
Sunny stared at the message for a moment before typing back.
Can I come over?
Olivia opened the door only minutes later.
She had been expecting Sunny, but she still wasn't prepared for the look on her face.
Sunny looked… shaken. Not crying, not angry—just deeply unsettled.
"Sunny," Olivia said softly, stepping aside. "Come in."
Sunny slipped inside the house, wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to hold something together inside.
The room was quiet, it had this calm in the air. The type that waits for the to pull yourself together.
Olivia closed the door and turned back to her.
"What happened?" she asked gently.
Sunny exhaled slowly and ran a hand through her hair.
"I didn't know where else to go," she admitted.
Olivia's chest tightened slightly at that.
Sunny gave a tired laugh that didn't reach her eyes.
"The party was fine. Everyone was happy. Mariana was glowing…" She shook her head slightly. "But I couldn't stay there anymore."
Olivia waited.
Sunny began pacing slowly across the living room.
"I just needed to talk to someone. Someone who isn't tangled up in all the chaos around me."
Olivia leaned lightly against the arm of the couch, watching her carefully.
Sunny finally stopped pacing and turned toward her.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said.
Olivia nodded. "Okay."
Sunny hesitated. Her voice lowered slightly.
"Alejandra kissed me."
Olivia's expression didn't change, but the words still landed heavily in the quiet room.
Sunny quickly added,
"Tonight wasn't the first time."
The silence stretched between them.
Sunny looked down at the floor.
"I didn't plan it," she said quietly. "Any of it."
She laughed softly again, bitter this time.
"The first time it happened I thought maybe it was just a mistake. A moment. Something that would never happen again."
She lifted her eyes.
"But Alejandra… she keeps doing this."
Olivia listened without interrupting.
Sunny's voice trembled slightly now.
"She pulls me close. She looks at me like I'm the only person in the room. And then she disappears. Or pretends nothing happened."
Her jaw tightened.
"It's like she's playing with my feelings." The confession hung in the air.
Sunny rubbed her arms slowly.
"And the worst part is… I don't even know what's real with her."
Her voice softened, almost breaking.
"I don't want to be deceived by anyone."
She looked directly at Olivia now, her eyes raw with honesty.
"I'm tired of people being afraid of what they feel."
A long pause followed. Sunny swallowed.
"I just want someone who isn't scared of loving me."
The room grew painfully quiet.
Olivia lowered her gaze for a moment as if gathering courage.
When she looked back up, her voice was calm—but deeply honest.
"Sunny… I told you before that I would wait."
Sunny frowned slightly. Olivia continued slowly.
"And I meant that."
She rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"But waiting doesn't make my feelings disappear."
Sunny's breath caught slightly.
Olivia gave a small, conflicted smile.
"You know my grandmother got me a fiancé," she said quietly, almost like a confession.
"My life is supposed to be simple right now." She looked at Sunny again.
"The truth is… it stopped being simple the moment I met you."
Sunny didn't move. Olivia stepped a little closer, her voice softer now.
"I care about you. A lot more than I planned to."
The honesty in her tone was impossible to ignore.
"I'm not going to pressure you," Olivia added quickly.
"You already have enough confusion in your life."
Sunny's eyes glistened faintly. Olivia reached out slowly, resting a gentle hand on Sunny's arm.
The touch was careful, comforting.
"You're not crazy for wanting someone who chooses you without fear," Olivia said quietly.
Her thumb brushed lightly against Sunny's sleeve.
"You deserve that."
Sunny closed her eyes briefly, leaning into the comfort of the moment.
Sunny sat quietly on the edge of Olivia's couch, her hands wrapped around the glass of water Olivia had given her.
The room was calm, the soft glow of the light casting long shadows across the walls.
It felt like a world away from the noise of the party she had just fled.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Sunny stared down at the water, watching the tiny ripples settle.
"I didn't mean to unload all of that on you," she said quietly. "You probably had a peaceful night before I showed up."
Olivia gave a small smile.
"I was reorganizing the shop inventory," she said lightly.
"So honestly… this is more exciting than my evening was going to be."
Sunny let out a small breath of laughter, but it faded quickly.
"I miss the flower shop," she admitted after a moment. The words surprised even her.
Olivia tilted her head slightly.
"You do?"
Sunny nodded slowly.
"It was simple there," she said. "Quiet. No drama. No people watching every move I make."
Her voice softened.
"I felt… safe."
Olivia's expression warmed.
"You were really good there," she said. "You know that, right?"
Sunny shrugged slightly. "I just watered plants and wrapped flowers."
"You did more than that."
Sunny looked up.
Olivia leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"You made people smile when they walked in," she said gently.
"You remembered customers' names. You picked flowers like you understood them."
She smiled faintly.
"That's not something everyone can do."
Sunny looked down again, touched but unsure how to respond.
After a moment Olivia spoke again, her voice softer now.
"You know you don't have to stay away."
Sunny frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Olivia leaned back against the couch, folding one leg under her.
"The shop door didn't close for you," she said. "Not then. Not now."
Sunny blinked in surprise.
"I thought after everything… after the mess with Juliet showing up and your grandparents… you probably didn't want that kind of chaos around."
Olivia shook her head immediately.
"That wasn't your fault."
Sunny didn't argue, but the doubt lingered in her eyes. Olivia met her gaze.
"Sunny," she said quietly. "If you ever want to come back… even if it's just to sit in the back room and drink tea… you're welcome."
Sunny's throat tightened slightly.
Olivia continued, her tone warm and steady.
"You don't have to work there. You don't have to explain anything. If one day you just wake up and decide you want to be around flowers again…"
She shrugged lightly. "The door will be open."
Sunny stared at her, the sincerity in Olivia's voice impossible to miss.
"And if you need somewhere quiet," Olivia added, "somewhere where nobody is playing games with your heart…" Her voice softened slightly.
"You can come there too."
Sunny's chest tightened again, but this time it wasn't from confusion. It was comfort.
"You'd really be okay with that?" Sunny asked.
Olivia nodded without hesitation.
"Anytime you want to return to the flower shop," she said gently.
Their eyes held for a moment longer than necessary.
The tension between them flickered again—quiet, unspoken—but neither of them pushed it further.
Instead, Olivia reached over and lightly tapped Sunny's glass.
"Now drink your water," she said softly.
"You look like someone who ran away from a party without eating dessert."
Sunny huffed a small laugh.
"Guilty."
For the first time that night, the weight on her chest felt just a little lighter.
Somewhere between the silence, the warmth of the room, and Olivia's quiet promise…Sunny realized she had finally found a place where she could breathe.