Twisted love

Fractured Smiles

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Katherine's POV

present

Chapter ten

The moment Oliver's words sliced through the air, I didn't wait for anything else. I couldn't. My heart, fragile from everything it had endured, shattered all over again. Tears welled up before I could stop them, burning hot trails down my cheeks as I fled from the scene. I didn't care where I was going; I just needed to get away, needed to breathe without the weight of the past strangling me.

His dismissive tone had cut deep. I'd been foolish enough to hope that maybe, just maybe, there was still a piece of the boy I used to know in him—the one who would never have hurt me. But that boy was long gone, replaced by a man I no longer recognized. Or maybe I had never really known him.

As I wiped at my eyes, the world around me blurred in a haze of emotion. I wasn't watching where I was going until I collided with someone—hard.

"Katherine?" A familiar voice pierced through the haze.

I stumbled back, blinking through my tears, and there she was. Sophie. I hadn't seen her in years. Not since... everything fell apart. She looked almost the same, though maybe a little older, a little more polished. But there was that same warmth in her eyes that had always made me feel safe.

"Sophie?" I gasped, completely taken aback.

Her expression was a mixture of shock and concern. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

Her presence was like a balm, soothing some of the ache I carried. Without even thinking, I found myself reaching for her, for the friendship we once had. Before I knew it, she had her arms around me, and for a moment, I let myself sink into the comfort of it.

"It's Oliver," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I... I can't."

She didn't ask any more questions, just held me tighter, and it was as if all those years apart vanished in an instant. In her embrace, I felt like the Katherine from before—the girl who still had her best friend, who still believed in love, who wasn't drowning in heartbreak and lies.

The memories washed over me, pulling me back to a time when everything seemed simpler.

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Flashback

We were inseparable, Sophie and I. I used to tell her everything—every hope, every secret. When I first started falling for Oliver, she was the first person I confided in. I remember the exact moment, sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor, a mix of nervousness and excitement buzzing in my chest.

"I think I'm in love with him," I blurted out, twisting a piece of her blanket between my fingers.

Sophie looked up from her magazine, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oliver? as in, much older Oliver?"

I nodded, feeling my cheeks heat up. "I know it's crazy, but... I can't help it. There's something about him."

Her expression softened, and she smiled. "It's not crazy. You deserve to be happy. He's a good guy, and if you feel that way, you should go for it!"

I smiled, feeling a weight lift. Sophie always knew how to make me feel better about everything. She was my anchor when things felt out of control.

As days turned into weeks, I confided more in her about my feelings for Oliver—how I thought he might feel the same, how I hoped something real would blossom between us. We spent countless afternoons sprawled out on her bedroom floor, laughing and dreaming about the future. I remembered her teasing me, asking if I had kissed him yet, and how I would blush and shake my head, too shy to admit the truth.

"Just wait until he sees you in that dress!" she would exclaim, her excitement infectious. "He won't be able to resist."

We even went shopping together for clothes I thought would impress him, flipping through racks of colorful dresses and debating which would make the best first impression. She was always there, cheering me on, her eyes shining with encouragement.

One day, as we sat in the park, watching the leaves flutter in the breeze, I confided in her about my insecurities. "What if he doesn't like me back?" I whispered, feeling small.

Sophie turned to me, her eyes fierce. "Katherine, you are amazing. You're beautiful and smart and so talented. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. Just be yourself. If it's meant to be, it will happen."

Her unwavering belief in me filled me with warmth. She was right; I needed to trust in myself, and in the bond we shared.

That summer, everything felt like it was coming together. I finally gathered the courage to tell Oliver how I felt. I remember that day vividly—my heart raced as I waited for him at our usual spot, the little café down the street. I had rehearsed my words a thousand times, and when he arrived, I was determined not to chicken out.

"Hey, Katherine," he said, flashing that charming smile that made my heart skip a beat. "What's up?"

I took a deep breath, my hands trembling slightly. "I need to talk to you about something important."

He looked concerned, his brows furrowing slightly. "Sure, what is it?"

"I... I think I might be falling for you," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.

He paused, and for a moment, time stood still. The world around us faded away, and all that existed was his gaze locked on mine. My heart pounded in my chest, half in fear and half in hope.

"I've been feeling the same way," he finally said, a grin spreading across his face. "I just didn't know how to tell you."

I couldn't believe it. Joy exploded in my chest, and suddenly the world seemed so much brighter. Sophie had been right. I didn't even care about anything else; all that mattered was that we were together, just as we had both hoped.

But as the months passed, I began to notice something different in Sophie. Her enthusiasm started to wane, and I couldn't help but feel that she wasn't as genuinely happy for me as she had been at the beginning. Small comments slipped out of her mouth, casual jabs about Oliver that made me pause.

"Are you sure he's right for you?" she'd ask, her voice light but her eyes clouded. "I mean, he's not really... the best, you know?"

At first, I brushed it off. I told myself it was just Sophie being protective, a friend looking out for me. But the more she questioned my feelings for him, the more my heart sank. It felt like jealousy—jealousy over what I had, over the happiness that seemed to elude her. Yet, it couldn't be that; we were best friends. So I convinced myself she just didn't think Oliver was good enough for me.

Then came the fallout—the day everything crumbled. After the video leaked and my world shattered, I reached for her, hoping she'd be there for me like she had always been. But Sophie had disappeared. It was as if the ground had swallowed her whole. I sent text after text, each one more desperate than the last, but the silence was deafening.

Where was my best friend when I needed her the most? I felt abandoned in a way that cut deeper than any betrayal.

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Back in the present, as Sophie held me, the warmth of that memory clashed with the bitter reality of where we stood now.

I pulled back slightly, studying her face. For a moment, I was that girl again, trusting her without question. But then, a shadow crossed her expression. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but there was something... off.

I brushed it aside. This was Sophie, after all. My best friend. Maybe I was just imagining things because of everything that had happened.

But even as I tried to ignore it, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between us. I just didn't know what.

"I missed you," I whispered, trying to hold onto the warmth between us, trying to believe that nothing had changed.

Sophie smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I missed you too."

There was a fracture in that smile, something I couldn't quite name. But I didn't want to dig too deep. Not yet. We had been through too much for me to let my own doubts taint this reunion.

Still, as we began walking together, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between us. I just didn't know what.

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