Florence put on her nightgown like she was in a trance and then checked her phone trying to bring some normality back into her life, she heard the door close and her parents giving polite goodbyes to their guests.

She braced herself for her parents reaction to her supposed brushing off of someone she was meant to have invited to her house but it didn't come.

Instead her Mother tentatively knocked the door and came to sit at the corner of her bed.

"Florence, I understand why you went upstairs and so did your Father, Cole confessed to us that you didn't exactly invite them but told us he'd been desperate to see us all, you see he has some extremely exciting news"

Be ready Florence, be ready for whatever is about to come because its going to bad, she had to mentally coach herself, it seemed like time had stopped, her Mother's lips were moving but no sound came out of them.

"He's moving to Spain next year! He has an apprenticeship at a software engineer firm, that's who Krystal was, she got him the job as a favour being an old friend, so isn't that exciting?"

Her Mother trailed off as if she had noticed a lack of enthusiasm on her daughter's part.

But Florence was breathing out deep sighs of relief, she'd thought Cole had announced an engagement to the awful Krystal or even a wedding date, and the thought of that made her want to be sick which was completely irrational as she had no control over his life.

"Yes its really very exciting, I'm happy for him especially after all he's faced..."

She could hear the insincerity in her own voice even as she spoke the words.

"Florence I need to tell you something"

Her Mother's grey eyes had turned serious and she had one arm on Florence's shoulder.

"I like Andrew honey, really I do but don't think we don't see things because we do, you're our daughter and the expression you wear on your face every time Cole walks into the room pulls on my heartstrings, you look so devastatingly sad but hopeful at the same time. You might not think I know what went down at Oakwood with... with Chase and let me tell you right now that breaking off an engagement at this point would be far less painful than waiting it out, Andrew deserves more, you deserve more and it will all just be a whole lot more convenient if you just confront your true feelings at this moment instead of faffing around"

"And what would you do Mum, if you were confronted with a choice between a life of security that you could perfectly picture instead of a reckless choice that could end in disaster, what would you do?"

Her Mother looked highly uncomfortable.

"It's not for me to decide your life Flo sweetheart, but I know your heart is good and true no matter how many times it's been broken, but your right, Andrew does mean security and a life all planned out for you but is that what you really want?"

And there lay the problem, she had no idea what she wanted.

No, that was a lie, she did know what she wanted, she wanted to be happy, to continue writing and build a life that she loved, the only problem was that she didn't know who she loved or what any of her feelings meant whether they were lingering or true.

"Thanks Mum, thanks for caring enough to realise I'm fighting a battle inside of me, there's one thing I'll always be sure of and that is that without you and Dad I wouldn't even be here today, all I ever want to do is make you proud"

Her Mother hugged her close, her fragility making Florence want to hold on even harder.

"Amberly!"

Florence was still pondering her late night conversation as she hugged her goddaughter, not caring that her sticky hands were probably roaming up and down a brand new sweater.

Cooper arrived at the door holding a basket on her hip, the perfect image of a young Mother, her hair scraped back in a bun and a delighted expression on her face.

The transformation of Cooper was one of the biggest wonders of the world from a shaking seventeen year old scared to death of the responsibility of Motherhood to a radiant twenty year old with a beaming toddler in tow.

"Cooper!" Florence held out the tulips to her friend, they were almost crushed by the hug she received from her best friend.

"Flo! Me and Ambs were wondering if our favourite friend was ever going to come visiting weren't we?"

Amberly nodded her head, Florence noticed that she didn't have her gapped teeth anymore, she had two perfect front teeth that frequently widened into a smile.

"Come in, come in"

Cooper's council flat had been made to feel like a home, at first it had seemed cold and so not like Cooper, when Florence had first arrived back from Phillipson it had seemed darker.

Now every wall was a painted cream and it seemed to lift the entire flat into a happier space, Amberly's room was painted a candy floss pink and there was a wide rainbow painted across the width of the room, she showed it off proudly and Florence made the appropriate appreciative noises as she was shown unicorn toys and fluffy pillows.

"She's going to nursery soon, right?"

The two of them flopped down onto the cushions, they'd left Amberly parked in front of a Nickelodeon programme and were both holding cups of coffee that steamed luxuriously in the cold air.

"Yes, my little girl is growing up so fast! It seems like just yesterday that I was bringing her home, my little bundle of joy"

Cooper sighed wistfully.

"What about you Flo, I heard there's been a great turn-out for the tour, and how's Alex getting along in South Africa? Is he saving the children?"

There'd been something nagging at Florence since she'd entered the flat, babies didn't have distinctive looks, at least not in her eyes, if a whole row of babies were lined up in front of her she wouldn't be able to tell who their parents were, she never had been able to distinguish features.

But now that Amberly was three years old her face and her looks were beginning to take shape, she had brown curls like her Mother's but her eyes were so unlike Cooper's dark brown wide ones, they were a sharp blue.

A crystal blue that she had once become so lost in that losing sight of them had destroyed her...

"Cooper"

Her voice was strangled and she recognised alarm on her friend's face, she was already backing away like she was a kid caught with her hand in a sweet jar.

"It's been three years... I'm your best friend and all this time, after all this time you haven't told me exactly who Amberly's Father is, I never pressed you for information because that's not the type of person I am, but soon Amberly might start asking you difficult questions, she doesn't know now that just having a Mother isn't normal, she'll see the dad's picking up their little girls and wonder about her own daddy, where he is"

Cooper looked like she was about to be sick.

"Florence, don't do this, just please don't ask me these questions, your my best friend but there's just some things that can't be said aloud"

"Why Cooper?"

Florence didn't know why she was shouting, because she already knew, the pieces had finally clicked into place and now it all made sense, a completed puzzle of lies and deception.

"Flo... I can't tell you because I can see it in your eyes right now, if I tell you everything we have is over, I can't lose you again"

"If you don't start explaining and start soon this friendship is already over Cooper"

Her heart was beating erratically she felt like clasping her hands over her ears or playing loud music to block out the world around her and the words that she knew were coming because maybe if she didn't hear them it wouldn't be true.

Maybe there would be another reason why Amberly Silverstone shared the same eye colour as Cole Roberts.