STARRY EYES ⎯ BRIDGERTON

023. Gossip

~Gossip~

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

"It feels like I haven't seen you girls in ages." Daphne announced, thrilled to see her two best friends sitting across from her.

After the Vauxhall celebration, the girls haven't seen each other. Each one has their own problems and issues. It didn't take long for Daphne to invite her two best friends for some tea. And as always, the girls quickly accepted her invite, wanting to get away from all the stress the social season had brought them.

"I know, the social season has really drifted us apart." Naomi grabbed a cookie from the tray and took a bite. "But I'm sure we all have our reasons. Good and bad."

"You can say that again." Persephone spoke, staring at two friends. "It feels like a roller coaster."

All girls could agree. They didn't believe the social season would be this stressful and this hectic. It had brought a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Picking the right husband but also having so many obstacles in their way. Hidden love that some had yet to acknowledge. Feeling like they are out of options.

"So..." Daphne looked at them, folding her hands. "Who wants to go first?"

There was a slight silence. The girls looked at one another to see who would go first. Expose what was going on with their lives. See if the other would help them find the solution they so desperately needed. But as each girl kept their mouth shut, Naomi took it upon herself to go first.

"I'm having bad luck in the social season. I haven't found anyone that I am interested in." Naomi stared down at the table not wanting to see their faces.

"But I thought you had options?" Persephone looked at Naomi confused. She believed that out of all the girls, Naomi would have a better chance of having a good social season.

"I did—I do. The problem is that I feel like I'm settling. I feel like I'm lowering my standards." Naomi admitted, leaning back towards her chair. "I'm having an inner battle with myself. In a way, I know what I want and the options that I have aren't what I want. But then again I think about how little by little people are leaving the social season with someone they want to marry. I feel like time is slipping by and I'm not going to find the person who I really want to marry if I wait."

There were very few times where Naomi would become vulnerable. Few times you would see her without a smile on her face or a positive outlook on life. Persephone knew more than anyone how low Naomi would feel and this was one of those insistences. Naomi had a way of feeling like her life was over when it was just beginning. Like she was losing time on things and this was one of them.

In a way, there was something true in her statement. The girls were right in the middle of their social season and one by one people were leaving with a partner to spend their life with. People, already settling down. It was always something the girls dreaded. Leaving the social season with nothing but memories. No husband. No marriage. Just to start all over again and not have the same momentum they once had.