Chapter Eight Sophie
Chapter Eight
Sophie
Tonya and Parker pick back up where they left off, going back and forth about the book Parker's holding. Only then do I get a good look at the cover and feel a twinge of delight.
I've already read it, last summer during a day trip to the beach.
Thankfully, that memory is very happy and very Paul-free.
He had been locked up on a big project with his boss Joe, the City Manager, so I had decided to use my rare alone time for a beach day.
It was early June, and the weather was gorgeous, not too hot and not too windy. I can still feel the soft breeze and smell the boardwalk fries as I read. I felt so at peace.
Now, watching Parker and Tonya animatedly debate over the same book that left me with a brutal hangover for a solid week, I can't help but smile.
"The time apart was essential for them!" Parker insists, waving the paperback in his hands.
He speaks like a lawyer delivering his closing argument.
"It gave Matthew time to figure himself out.
That month allowed him to process whether he could actually be the man Riley needed—and if he was even ready for a real relationship. "
"He folded and booked it after one misunderstanding!
" Tonya fires back, jabbing her fresh coffee stirrer in his direction like it's a blade.
"Matthew's confirmation bias ran wild the second he saw Riley hugging Jonah because of his ex.
Instead of, oh, I don't know, communicating like an adult, he bailed on her.
I give them a year before she's filing for divorce. "
My lips twitch at Tonya's sharp words. Parker lets out an indignant squawk in protest. I glance at Callum, who laughs into his coffee mug, shaking his head at the playful argument.
When he catches my eye and winks, my smile widens.
"I kinda agree with Tonya," Atticus adds, scratching at his beard in thought.
"I think Matthew does love Riley, but he should've stayed and let her explain the situation with Jonah.
That would've been a five-minute conversation—'he had feelings, I let him down gently, I love you, the end.
' Instead, he just dipped and tanked the whole relationship before it even started. Not exactly a good omen for them."
"But his declaration of love scene was so romantic," Bailey sighs dreamily, pressing the book to her chest like it's a love letter.
Her entire outfit is a celebration of pink—sweater dress, heart-shaped earrings, and glittery bubblegum nail polish.
"He talked to Jonah and realized how wrong he was and was willing to do whatever it takes to win Riley back!
I think his thoughts showed true regret and remorse, and a determination to never do it again. His speech made me cry."
I smile despite myself. It's impossible not to—she's a walking lover girl rom-com protagonist.
Jane takes a deep breath, clears her throat, and looks a little hesitant as she chimes in in a whisper-soft voice, "I didn't really like how he made her listen to his apology," she says, adjusting her sleeves over her hands and fidgeting with the silver ring on her thumb.
"He paid off the ride operator and trapped her on the rollercoaster with him. It felt... a little creepy."
"It's romantic, Janie-girl!" Bailey teases with a cotton candy sweet smile, and the nickname elicits a small but real smile out of Jane. Atticus nearly drops his mug at the sight.
My lips quirk up in amusement. Huh, interesting...
Bailey presses on, passion rising in her voice. "Matthew needed her to hear his apology. The rollercoaster was symbolic of their relationship!"
"I'll tell you what it meant," April mutters without looking up from the lightning-fast crochet hook zipping through her fingers. "It meant Matthew needs about eight more years of therapy before he's relationship-ready. Tonya's right, but I give it six months, tops."
"Ugh," Bailey throws her hands up, fondly exasperated with the group laughing at her antics. "You guys are such cynics!"
Bailey tries to look put out with the group, but she's grinning, hugging her book tighter.
Parker is dodging another of Tonya's coffee stirrer attacks and yelling, "I yield, Ton, I yield! Ow! That one actually hurt!"
Jane wraps her hands around her mug and partially hides behind it, a shy grin appearing on her face. Atticus watches her with intent, as though she's just done something extraordinary. His gaze is full of gentle admiration, absorbing her happiness with quiet reverence.
It's warm. Not temperature-wise, but in the feelings in this room of personalities that don’t match so much as they complement.
I look over to Callum, but his eyes are already on me. He looks a little unsure, as if I'm going to suddenly sprint out of here, put off by the passionate chaos between the group.
He couldn't be more wrong.
"I've actually read it," I say, my voice trembling slightly, as nerves set my heart racing and my hands fidget in my lap.
I hate public speaking. Back in school, when I was called on to answer a question at random, my mind would just go blank. It always felt like someone snatched my thoughts right out of my skull and replaced them with static.
But Callum's looking at me now, his gaze full of encouragement. He nods once as if he's saying: go on, you got this.
"I, uh... I really liked the character arc for Riley," I say, voice still shaking at the edges.
"I really liked it when she and Matthew were on the rollercoaster, and she pointed out his issues, and she set her firm boundaries.
She told him all the ways he hurt her and how he was going to have to prove to her that he was serious.
She wasn't mean about it, just... clear.
Strong. She told him she wasn't going to let herself be treated like just an option for him; she was going to be his only choice. "
Chancing a glance at the room, I realize no one's interrupting me or laughing at me. Rather, the group is paying attention, and all look like they're actually hearing what I'm saying. This gives me some more courage to continue with my thoughts.
"I think that was the big moment for Matthew," My voice is a little stronger, the words coming a little easier now.
"He knew he loved Riley, wanted to be with her, and he finally had to sit with what he was about to lose.
What he almost lost completely from his actions, and he made the choice to actually show up for Riley, instead of just disappearing like he wanted to do, like his ego demanded him to. "
"Agreed," Callum says, smiling at me and my words.
Everyone else is smiling too, nodding, and Bailey looks like she's practically vibrating in her seat, that smile almost splitting her face.
I return her smile until Callum’s voice catches my attention again, "I think sometimes, when we lose something important, it puts things into perspective for us.
So, we stand at the crossroads, and we have to decide—are we going to take the path of least resistance, or are we actually going to fight for the one we love and choose happiness? "
Parker and Bailey gesture to Callum like they're saying 'exactly' and Parker grins smugly at Tonya, who sticks her pierced tongue out at him.
Callum grins at them before he continues, "Matthew had been burnt before.
He developed these patterns in his past. He could have just fallen into running—because that was familiar—but he chose happiness.
He chose Riley, even though it was something new and scary.
I think I can understand and empathize. I think he'll show up for her every day from now on. "
My eyes mist over as I listen to Callum’s thoughtful words. I watch as red creeps from his ears to his cheeks, his expression turning sheepish from the vulnerability of what he just shared.
"I hope he does, at least," he shrugs.
"That was... really lovely," I whisper, meeting his eyes as the reddish color lingers on his ears and cheeks. His lips curve into a grin. "... and I agree. I think the best things happen to us out of our comfort zone."
This moment, and my words, feel charged.
Our eyes connect and hold, for a moment, it feels like we're the only two people in this room. I feel safe and happy and warm, and every genuinely good feeling that I've been missing. His brown eyes crinkle at the corners, his smile widening just a bit more.
Until we're reminded by Tonya that we're not the only people in the room.
"Rhodes, you're a hopeless romantic," Tonya's smoky voice teases, snapping us both out of our moment.
I glance down at my lap, cheeks burning, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Callum's broad shoulders rise in an unbothered shrug.
"I think if you really love someone, you'll do anything for them. You'll show them that you're not going anywhere, not just with words, but through action.”
"Romantic," Bailey singsongs, breaking the seriousness with a much-needed burst of levity. It feels like an exhale as the tension breaks and the group laughs, placing their books on the table or back in their bags.
"And Matthew and Riley live happily ever after," Parker says, grinning at Tonya, who rolls her eyes at the younger man. "I liked that one."
Atticus reaches for Jane's mug, and they walk over to the coffee machine in the corner, chatting softly with each other. Parker stands and leers over April's shoulder to watch her crochet at the speed of light, and Bailey turns to me.
"Sophie, tell us a little about yourself," I meet her kind brown eyes, her expression curious.
"Oh, uh... well, I'll be 30 in a couple of weeks…"
There's that static in my brain again, and I'm just glad I remember my age. What else is there about me?
"I'm originally from New York, and I have an older sister named Tess. She's in the military, stationed in Germany."
"What do you do for work?" April asks, glancing up quickly from her crochet, which looks like it's going to be a blanket? A scarf? Whatever it is, the cranberry color yarn she's using is gorgeous and screams Autumn.
"I'm a Senior Financial Analyst at an investment firm called Hanson Capital," I supply, when I see a mix of different facial expressions—some confused, some impressed.
Jane frowns as she and Atticus walk back to their seats, "That's in the Financial District, right?"
Her voice is soft and shy, and she's fidgeting with the ring in her hand again. From my angle, I can see Atticus gently place his foot next to hers, a steadying weight. Atticus seems like the person she feels comfortable and safe with.
"Yes, it is,” I nod. “Do you know it?"
"No, but I recognize the name. I work down the street," she says, looking slightly over my right shoulder again. "I work at the Boston Museum of History. I'm an archivist."
"You commute like Jane?" Atticus asks, nodding to the woman next to him. He shares a quick warm look with her before looking back at me.
"Yes... well I used to," I shrug, looking down at the wooden table in front of me. "I'm going to be working remotely for the foreseeable future."
"How come you didn't move to Boston? That commute is a nightmare,” Bailey says, her tone curious..
It's like the record scratch noise just went off in my brain, and my stomach drops to the ground.
For a moment, I forgot...
I stutter my answer, "Oh, well, I... I-I moved here because it's my fiancé—" I cut myself off, the reflexive word escaping.
It took me so long to get used to calling Paul my fiancé instead of my boyfriend after we got engaged, and now I have to get used to a new title.
Maybe I should change it completely.
Maybe Judas.
Or Brutus might fit better.
My stomach does a weird drop when Callum's head snaps to me, his face a mix of surprise and... disappointment?
"Well, he's my ex-fiancé now," I amend quickly. "He's... from here, so we moved here after grad school."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Bailey winces a bit at bringing up a bad topic, and the embarrassed look on her face has me reaching out and laying a hand over hers.
"No, it's okay. The breakup was very—very—recent, but he's..." I glance up, looking at each of their faces and the kind, caring, and genuine looks they’re giving me break me wide open.
"I got diagnosed with breast cancer, and I start chemotherapy next week."
Dead silence.
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
The only face I'm brave enough to meet is the man next to me. All the color has drained from it, and his expression is a devastating mix of sad, sympathetic, and concerned.
There's an ache building in my chest, and the silence becomes too heavy. I feel the need to fill it for some reason, so I power on and here comes the word vomit—one continuous sad monologue about my mess of a life.
"Paul couldn't deal with the fact that I'm going to have to get my breasts cut off, and that I'll have to go through chemotherapy for the next three months and then radiation after that so he decided the best way to deal with it would be to sleep with his coworker and leave me—after I moved to this town where I didn't know anyone except his friends and his family, and now I have cancer, and no friends, and no fiancé so. .."
Again, silence.
I'm breathless for some reason, like I just ran a mile even though I haven't moved from this seat.
Oh God.
I just word vomited to a group of people who I don't really know, who don't really know me. They're absolutely going to ask me to leave…
"Paul?" Tonya cracks through the silence like a sledgehammer. "That's his name?"
I nod, cautiously.
"Last name?"
I frown and tilt my head, "O'Connor... ?"
Callum straightens at that, recognition flashing across his expression. I'm about to ask him about it when Tonya pulls my attention away once more. She's got her phone out now, fingers flying as she types away.
"Last known address?"
"Uh... why?"
"I need to know where I can find him," Tonya deadpans, her face completely serious. "Because I'm going to skin him alive.