How I Fell in Love (#3 How I Fell in Love Trilogy)

Five Years Later

Sophie hated spring cleaning.  

It wasn't that she hated cleaning; more that she hated how spring cleaning came with the expectation that everything would be cleaned. At least, that was how her mother felt. 

But she was moving out anyway, so this might be the last time she'd ever have to deal with this version of spring cleaning. 

Sophie was in her room, going through the piles of junk she'd accrued throughout her whole life. She didn't want to take her whole life to her new apartment anyway, just the things she actually needed. Most items she came across were things she definitely didn't need, such as: 

-Biana's costume pearls 

-a cut-out of Dex's head 

-notes on Pride and Prejudice 

-a chunk of Iggy fur 

-a jar of preserved garlic 

Sophie dusted off an ancient looking tome. 

"My yearbook?" She said incredulously. She glanced at the year. Junior. Hmm, that would mean Keefe and Fitz would be in this one. She flipped the cover open and perused the pictures. 

There were a lot of pictures of her group of friends in various classes. She laughed at one picture of her and Dex in the science lab, pretending to be taking meticulous notes while their experiment was bubbling over. 

Sophie landed on the class pictures. The first person in her group she saw was Dex, since his last name was Dizznee. He looked so young. 

Currently, Dex was working as a top employee at a prestigious technology company. He'd landed the job after winning a hacking contest. 

Sophie found Biana's face, which was flawless. She still was. She'd decided at first to go to cosmetology school, but later changed to interior design. Biana was an excellent designer, but the upside to her brief cosmetology schooling resulted in free haircuts for Sophie and her friends. Sophie smiled as she twisted her icy blonde streaks. Biana was really good with hair dye. 

The Song twins looked much the same then as in the present. Sophie saw Linh all the time, since they ran in the same circles. Linh had ended up a preschool teacher, while Sophie had decided to pursue child psychology. They planned to someday work at the same elementary school, since Sophie wanted to work with children in a school setting. She knew from experience how stressful school could be. 

Tam she didn't see as much, owing to the fact that he was studying to become a lawyer. That decision took the group by surprise, but Tam loved his studies. 

Sophie hesitated before turning the next page. She knew what she'd see. 

There, the deceased face of Fitz Vacker, who'd died in a plane crash soon after graduation. 

Just kidding. 

Keefe's face was more boyish in his picture, rounder than how it was now, even though his jawline was pretty defined back in high school. Keefe's current face was familiar to Sophie, mostly because she saw it on t.v. frequently. 

Somehow, Keefe had ended up on a reality t.v. series following a bunch of British people. Sophie recalled t.v. hosts saying something about how he was roommates with one of the members of the family, which was how he got introduced on the show. Originally, the show followed the British family as they learned how to navigate royal life (it was discovered that they were directly related to the last royals of an obscure European throne). They had immediately inherited a bunch of wealth, causing curiosity and ultimately the birth of the show. 

Keefe starred in one episode when he visited the boy (Oliver? Sophie couldn't remember his name), but the ratings went up so much on his episode that now he was a permanent fixture, practically a second son to the family. 

Fitz was doing fine too. He was planning to become a foreign ambassador, so he was constantly up to date with happenings in various countries. His job currently was interning for the state, but he had faith that he would climb the ranks fast. 

Sophie rubbed her tired eyes and glanced at the clock. 

Wow, I've been looking at this book for an hour. 

She shook her head. Ever since the proposal, she'd been running around like a chicken without a head. She frequently lost track of time now, busy creating the venue and organizing tables. 

But the wedding would be fabulous, she just knew it. 

She smiled. 

"What are you smiling about?" Her mom asked, picking her way through Sophie's old room. 

"Just the wedding." Sophie hummed, a contagious smile dawning over her face. Her mom smiled. 

"I can't picture a happier couple." She praised, hugging Sophie. 

Sophie beamed.