Belle Whitmore, daughter of the dowager Viscountess Whitmore, is about to turn 18 and thus will finally be able to enter the matchmaking market of London society. Not that this is something she's actually looking forward to. Graceful, funny, competitive, and with an unusual intelligence, Belle has always stolen hearts. But what if one of those stolen hearts belongs to one of her childhood friends, son of her godparents and heir to the Bridgerton family fortune: Anthony Bridgerton? What if Belle isn't the only thief in the story? But with fate conspiring against these two lovers, will they finally live their happily ever after? "Sometimes friendship can be an excuse; a cover when there's something more you don't want to admit, or you're too scared to explore." A Bridgerton Fanfic Anthony Bridgerton x OC * I do not own the Bridgerton Universe, they are owned by the Talented Julia Quinn