Ten minutes before Birthday Gathering

Text Message: Hey man, when are you and the birthday girl coming over? Roxanne just got here with the cake. Where are you guys?

Liam Schaffer hit send and leaned back against the couch, stretching out his legs. He had been best friends with Chase Blackwood since grade school, but tonight, he was feeling less than friendly.

A few seconds later, his phone buzzed.

Text Message: Can't do it tonight. Hallie isn't feeling good and has nobody to take care of her, so I'm going to be here all night.

Liam groaned audibly and held up his phone for Travis Michaels to see.

Travis took one glance at the screen and scoffed. "You've got to be shitting me."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Dude, I know."

They both knew Chase had a habit of dropping everything for Hallie, but this? Blowing off his fiancée's birthday to play nursemaid? Even for Chase, it was a new low.

Liam fired back a response, frustration bleeding into his words.

Text Message: But it's your fiancée's birthday. How the fuck are you not going to celebrate it?

The reply came almost instantly. A photo of Hallie curled up in bed, looking pitiful, with Chase lying beside her, his arm slung over her shoulder like some lovesick fool.

Text Message: Emilia understands. She's going to have another birthday next year. It's fine if I just miss one.

Travis swore under his breath and snatched his own phone from the table. "He really doesn't fucking deserve her." Without another word, he shot off a text to Emilia.

Text Message: Get dressed. We're celebrating your birthday. No arguments.

Liam exhaled heavily, shaking his head. He wasn't even sure he wanted to speak anymore. If he did, he might just admit how much he was starting to resent his best friend.

Instead, he grabbed his jacket. "Come on," he muttered. "Let's go pick up our birthday girl."

________________________________________

The night air was crisp as Emilia slid into the backseat of Travis's sleek black Audi. She looked effortlessly gorgeous in a fitted black dress, a denim jacket draped over her shoulders, and her dark curls cascading down her back. But despite the killer outfit, there was something distant in her expression-like she was trying to convince herself tonight was going to be fun.

"Damn, Em," Liam said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "You look like you're about to break hearts tonight."

Emilia gave a soft chuckle. "I doubt that."

Travis smirked. "Then they're going to be in for a surprise." He tapped the steering wheel as they pulled onto the main road. "Alright, birthday girl, we're getting you drunk tonight."

Emilia laughed. "You both know I'm a lightweight. Two drinks, and I'm done."

Liam grinned. "Perfect. Less expensive that way."

She rolled her eyes playfully before leaning back. "So, how's life in the land of trust funds? You two still pretending to work?"

Travis scoffed. "Excuse you, I do work. I run a business."

"Buying up bars and letting other people do the work doesn't count," Emilia teased.

Liam snickered. "Yeah, but you can't deny he picked a good one. The Tipsy Tortoise is a solid spot."

Travis feigned offense. "Excuse you, I personally oversee operations."

Emilia smirked. "Uh-huh. From your private office while drinking the inventory?"

Travis pointed at her in mock warning. "I don't have to sit here and take this slander."

Liam snorted. "Yes, you do."

Emilia laughed, feeling lighter for the first time all evening. She glanced out the window before sighing. "Honestly, I needed this night. My last shift before vacation was insane."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Hospital drama?"

She nodded. "Mostly. But there was this one patient-a first-time mom. The sweetest woman. She had a really rough labor, but she pulled through like a champ. Right before I left, she came back with a gift for me."

Travis glanced at her in the mirror. "What'd she give you?"

"A bracelet." Emilia held up her wrist, showing the delicate silver chain with a tiny, engraved charm. "She said I was the first doctor who made her feel like she wasn't just another patient. That I actually listened."

Liam let out a low whistle. "That's because you do listen, Em. You're probably one of the few doctors who actually gives a shit."

Emilia smiled softly, her fingers brushing over the charm. "She said she wanted me to have something to remember her by. It was sweet."

Travis's tone was lighter, but sincere. "That's because you're good at what you do, Em. You care."

For a moment, the car was silent, the weight of their words settling between them.

Then Liam cleared his throat, steering the conversation back into safer waters. "Alright, enough heartfelt moments. Let's get to the real questions."

Emilia arched an eyebrow. "Like?"

Liam smirked. "Like how drunk do we need to get you before you start singing bad karaoke?"

She laughed. "There isn't enough alcohol in the world for that."

                                                                          **************

The bar was buzzing with energy when they walked in, the warm lighting casting a golden glow over the crowd. A group of familiar faces called out birthday wishes, and Emilia felt an odd mix of appreciation and sadness.

Travis led the way to a reserved table, and as Emilia sat down, she tilted her head at her two best friends.

"So," she said slowly, "did either of you know Chase wasn't coming tonight?"

Liam and Travis exchanged a brief glance-too quick, but just noticeable enough to make Emilia narrow her eyes.

"Nope," Liam said smoothly, taking a sip of his drink. "Total surprise to us."

Travis nodded. "Yeah. Completely blindsided."

Emilia folded her arms, unconvinced. "Mmhmm. And I'm supposed to believe that?"

Liam sighed dramatically. "Em, it's your birthday. Let's not talk about him."

She let out a soft huff, swirling the straw in her drink. "You both suck at lying."

Travis shrugged. "Maybe. But we're good at making sure you have a great night, so... pick your battles."

She let out a reluctant laugh, shaking her head. "Fine. One drink in, and you're already winning."

Liam grinned. "Damn right."

Emilia sighed, sipping her cocktail. Fine, she thought. If Chase wasn't here, she wasn't going to waste her night thinking about him.

With just in a few hours just as Emilia was starting to settle into the evening, the bar doors swung open, and the sound of off-key singing filled the air.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU-"

Emilia groaned as Roxanne Rivera, Ben Thompson, and Lucas Farwell made their grand entrance, belting out the song dramatically. Roxanne led the charge, a sparkling tiara in one hand and a ridiculous feather boa in the other.

"Oh no," Emilia muttered, shaking her head.

"Oh YES," Roxanne corrected, plopping the tiara onto Emilia's head. "You are the queen tonight."

Lucas draped the boa around Emilia's shoulders with a flourish. "And every queen needs a little flair."

Ben snorted. "Or a lot of it, apparently."

Emilia laughed despite herself, shaking her head. "You guys are ridiculous."

"And yet, you love us," Roxanne said with a wink, sliding into the booth next to her.

Liam raised his glass. "To our glorious birthday girl. May she drink irresponsibly, regret nothing, and never, ever settle for less than she deserves."

The last words hung in the air for a second too long. Emilia smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"To Emilia," Travis added, clinking his glass against hers.

They drank, they laughed, and for a while, the weight on Emilia's heart felt a little lighter. Drinks flowed, the music pulsed, and conversation moved between teasing banter and genuine moments of warmth.

By the time 11:45 rolled around, it was time for gifts.

Emilia unwrapped a stack of books from Lucas, earning an approving nod. "Thought you might need a distraction," he said with a wink.

Ben got her a sleek leather jacket, which she immediately tried on. "Okay, I love this," she admitted, running her fingers over the material.

Roxanne, naturally, had gone all out-presenting Emilia with a small velvet box. Inside was an elegant necklace, a delicate silver chain with a small sapphire pendant.

Emilia gasped. "Roxanne, this is too much."

"Nonsense," Roxanne said, waving a hand. "You deserve something beautiful."

The night was full of warmth, love, and the kind of friendships that made life bearable. But despite the laughter, despite the drinks, despite her friends' efforts, Emilia couldn't shake the nagging weight in her chest.

Every so often, when the noise died down and she wasn't engaged in conversation, her mind drifted. Her fingers curled around the pendant on her new necklace, but it wasn't the jewelry she wanted.

It was him.

Chase.

She had spent all night pretending she didn't care, pretending she wasn't waiting for him to walk through the door with that stupid, lopsided grin. But as the minutes ticked by, as the realization settled in that he really wasn't coming, the ache in her heart deepened.

She missed him.

God help her, she missed him.

                                                                                       *****

Chase sat beside Hallie's hospital bed, his hand resting over hers as she gave him a weak smile.

"I hate hospitals," she muttered.

"I know," Chase said softly. "You scared me, Halls."

Hallie sighed dramatically. "It's not that serious. They're just running some tests."

Chase squeezed her hand. "Still, you should've called me sooner."

She hesitated, then looked up at him with those deep, familiar eyes. "You were the first person I thought of."

Something shifted in the air.

Hallie took a slow breath, her fingers tightening around his. "Chase..." She swallowed, eyes glistening. "I need to tell you something."

His brow furrowed. "What is it?"

She looked away for a moment, as if gathering courage, then met his gaze. "I never stopped loving you."

Chase's heart stilled.

"I regret everything," Hallie whispered, voice thick with emotion. "Leaving you, choosing him-God, Chase, it was the worst mistake of my life."

The name she refused to say hung in the air between them like a ghost. But Chase didn't care about that. He didn't care about him.

He only cared about her.

"You mean that?" he asked, voice hoarse.

A tear slipped down Hallie's cheek. "I do. I should have never let you go."

That was all it took.

Chase cupped her face, his lips crashing against hers in a desperate, fevered kiss. The past, the pain, the years apart-none of it mattered anymore. All that mattered was that she was here, that she still wanted him.

He barely registered the beeping of the machines, the sterile scent of the hospital. Nothing existed beyond the heat between them, the way her body melted into his as he reached up to pull the curtain around the bed.

He didn't think about Emilia.

Not even once.