The evening stars

Everything has become clear

Sophie stood on the porch, feeling the anxiety building up inside her. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. In a few moments, a smiling Rachel opened the door, her arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture.

— Sophie, you finally made it! We've all been waiting for you, — Rachel said joyfully, hugging her.

— Is that all? — Sophie asked in surprise, as she had only expected to see Alex and Rachel.

Rachel pretended not to notice anything and leaned towards Sophie, lowering her voice to a whisper:

— Oh, I invited Oliver. He asked me so earnestly to help him meet you that I couldn't refuse. I hope you don't mind?

Sophie's heart stopped. Oliver was the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

— You could have asked me first, Rachel," she said, trying to hide her irritation.

Rachel shrugged and smiled:

— I thought your heart was free and I wanted to help. Is that bad?

Sophie looked at her seriously, trying to speak calmly:

— Next time, it's better to ask me. — She walked into the house, feeling the excitement rising within her.

Entering the living room, Sophie felt a tense atmosphere. Oliver sat on the couch, absentmindedly looking around, while Alex sat across from him with a grim expression, gripping his glass of whiskey so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Oliver immediately got up upon seeing Sophie.

— Hello everyone, — she said, trying to sound cheerful despite the awkwardness of the moment.

Oliver stepped towards her, joy in his voice:

— Hi, Sophie! I'm so glad to see you! — He tried to hug her, but Sophie pulled away reservedly, casting a brief glance at Alex.

— Oliver, what an unexpected meeting... — she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. — I didn't know you would be here.

Oliver smiled, as if he didn't notice her cold demeanor:

— Yes, Rachel invited me. When she said that you would be there too, I couldn't not come.

Sophie glanced at Alex again and immediately noticed how tightly he was gripping the glass. His face expressed hidden rage, and it seemed that just a little more and he would explode. The atmosphere was heating up with every second, and Sophie felt that this evening would be much more challenging than she had anticipated.

Rachel entered the room, breaking the tense silence, and with a smile invited everyone to the table. The space was instantly filled with the aromas of delicious food: shrimp in spicy sauces, appetizing lasagna, and several fresh salads adorned the table. In the center stood a bottle of wine, drawing Sophie's attention. It was that very wine they drank in the country cottage. Her heart stopped for a moment, as if it were too blatant a reminder of their secrets. Alex also noticed this and, as if reading her thoughts, looked at the bottle.

Rachel raised the bottle of wine with a slight smile:

— Oh, would you like some wine? This is the one we drank at Sophie's over the weekend. "Do you remember?" she said, almost casually, but there was a hidden provocation in her voice.

Sophie and Alex locked eyes, as if trying to read each other's thoughts. Rachel, although she didn't say anything directly, was clearly trying to figure something out by checking their reactions.

— Red dry, — Oliver suddenly added, looking at the bottle. — Excellent choice.

Alex, trying to distract himself from the growing tension, looked at Oliver and unexpectedly asked,

— How long have you known Sophie?

Oliver, seemingly oblivious to the underlying current of the question, casually replied:

— We met at a bar some time ago. But, to be honest, we didn't have the opportunity to truly get to know each other. — He looked at Sophie and continued with a smile: — By the way, how did your weekend in Miami go?

Sophie nearly choked at the sudden question, her hand nervously reached for the glass of wine. Taking a sip, she replied briefly: