"July," Mia says with a wide smile, her hazel eyes dancing and full of light. "We've decided on July."

"Mia!" I exclaim in excitement. "How wonderful! And so close! Wow!"

"I know," Mia admits, beaming, "time is catching up on us, but Thorne and I really want a summer wedding. Besides, we've been together since high school. We're both ready to officially tie the knot."

"Any certain day stand out to you?" I question. Mia and I stand talking together in the kitchen of the apartment she's been sharing with Thorne for quite a while now, and I note that it's been decorated beautifully. There's a few touches of Thorne here and there, though it's clear as day that Mia went above and beyond to make the cozy apartment her own.

Mia smiles to herself, gaze drifting to the stunning diamond decorating her ring finger. It's nice to see her so happy.

"We were thinking the eighteenth," Mia admits. "That's always been Thorne's favorite number."

"Everything is happening so fast," she continues. "I mean, July will be here before I know it. I still have to pick a venue and order the flowers and find a caterer and pick out my dress and find Thorne a tux, because Lord knows he'll forget to. Not to mention that I still have to send out the invites and pick a wedding party. I'm stressed just thinking about it all."

"Hey," I say, "don't worry about it. You know I'll help you with anything you need. I'd love to."

Mia offers me a kind smile. "What would I do without you, Blake?"

I snort as I steal a grape from the fruit bowl in front of Mia, teasing, "Plan your own wedding?"

Mia laughs and rolls her eyes. "That reminds me, actually," she murmurs, "I was hoping you'd like to be a bridesmaid, Blake."

I'm stunned by Mia's question. Mia McHenry has been a big part of my life in the past four years I've known her, yet I'm still surprised that she would want me to be a part of the most important day of her life.

"Mia," I start, shaking my head, "I—"

"Say yes!" Mia cuts me off, flashing me a hopeful smile. "Of course I want you to be part of the wedding party, Blake."

"Then . . . yes!" I exclaim as a grin overtakes my features. "I can't say no to the bride-to-be."

"I'm thinking of Emmie, Charlie, and Violet as the other bridesmaids," Mia informs me. "I know Thorne is going to want Jay, Wells, and Asher as his best men. And Noah." Mia begins to backtrack once she realizes she's brought up Noah, expression turning regretful.

"It's okay," I murmur with a slight laugh. "You can talk about Noah. Of course I'd expect him to be a part of your big day. Besides, it's not like I haven't run into him by now. I'm okay seeing him."

"Still," Mia says, pursing her lips, "that was insensitive of me. I remember what you went through when he left. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay, really. Besides, I ran into him at the café. And he came over to my house last Sunday for dinner. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle seeing him again, Mia."

"I had no idea," Mia says softly, expression sympathetic and curious all at once. "Um . . . how did that go?"

I think for a moment before answering her, trying to come up with a response. With Mia, I can be completely open and vulnerable, not feeling the need to filter my thoughts and feelings. Part of this has to do with the trust I have in Mia, but also because she is naturally intuitive.

"It was harder than I thought it would be," I settle on saying, lost in thought. "I mean, of course I thought being around him again would be hard. But running into him at the coffee shop. . . I don't know, Mia. I tried not to think of what would happen when I saw him again, so I guess I didn't really have any expectations. Then I was just thrown into the situation, so I didn't have time to think about anything. It just . . . happened."

Mia nods as she listens to what I have to say, expression void of her thoughts on the subject.

"But when he showed up at my house . . ." I trail off, shaking my head. "It was just weird, Mia. It was like I went back in time, like nothing had ever gone wrong. You should have seen it. Everyone was acting as if Noah and I were still together. He played soccer with my brothers and talked to my sister and my parents had no problem with having him around. Hell, even Jackie remembered him."

Mia studies me critically. Leaning against the counter next to her, she questions, "Did you have a problem with Noah being there?"

I blink in response to Mia's inquiry, slightly taken off guard. I hadn't expected the question, and my hesitance to answer gives away what I'm feeling. I think it's clear as day that if I had chosen how Sunday was supposed to happen, Noah wouldn't have been in the picture.

Mia nods, taking my silence as an answer. "I see," she murmurs. "There's nothing wrong with that, Blake. However you feel is completely justified. I can only imagine how that must have felt for you . . ."

"I just feel like everyone is making such a big deal out of it," I admit with a sigh. "Noah's back. This is his home. We all expected it. We're going to see each other, right? I might as well just get over it and be cordial."

"You're still allowed to hurt, Blake," Mia says softly. "A broken heart is like a broken arm, if not worse. When you break your arm, it hurts. No matter how much time passes, you're going to remember that pain, even if you can't feel it as strongly as you once did. However, your arm is also going to heal. You're going to move past the injury and be able to do things as you once were. That's what being human is all about, Blake. Breaking and healing, hurting a moving on. It's a cycle we all go through. It's life."

Mia offers me a warm smile along with her words, taking my hand in hers and squeezing gently. I return her smile, squeezing back affectionately.

Before either of us have the chance to say another word, the front door of Mia's apartment opens to reveal no other than Thorne.

Even after all this time, I'd be lying if I said Thorne wasn't one of the most attractive guys I've ever met. It's undeniable, with his dark hair, lean yet muscular frame, sharp facial features, and troublesome smile. To those who don't know him, Thorne's troublemaker demeanor and abundance of tattoos might be considered intimidating. But knowing Thorne, it's easy to tell he's really just a sweetheart.

Thorne wanders into the room, his bright green eyes illuminated by the wide grin that takes over his features as his gaze lands on Mia. Mia perks up the instant she notices him, clearly happier in his presence. I have to admit that their relationship is one I've always been secretly envious of, hoping to find what they have with someone of my own one day.

"Hey," Thorne greets me with a warm smile as he sets his keys down on the counter. I return his smile, watching as Thorne wraps his arms around Mia and plants a kiss on her cheek before murmuring, "Hi, Sunshine."

"Look who's finally home," Mia teases. Thorne rolls his eyes playfully at her jab, shooting me a smirk.

"Sorry," Thorne explains, "I was out with Jay and Wells. I guess we lost track of time."

"That's what you always say," Mia whines as she pulls out of Thorne's grasp.

Thorne shakes his head and wraps Mia in his arms once again, kissing her gently before pulling back and turning to face me.

"So what brings you here, Rhodes?" Thorne asks, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the counter.

I shrug as I admit, "I just stopped by to see Mia. We were talking about wedding plans."

At the mention of their wedding, Thorne visibly perks up. His green eyes brighten as they drift over to Mia, his usual smirk morphing into a grin. His expression is one of pure excitement and happiness as he studies her.

"Wedding plans?" Thorne repeats. "So much to do in so little time, huh?"

Mia sighs as she turns to Thorne, shaking her head. "Tell me about it. I still have to invite all the guests and choose the wedding party and find a caterer and decide on a venue and find a dress and purchase a cake and—"

"Sunshine," Thorne interrupts Mia's rant, taking her face in his hands. "Don't stress, okay? I don't care if our wedding is the two of us wearing jeans in a court house, saying I do in front of a judge. I just want to finally be able to call you my wife."

Mia's lips curl into a smile at Thorne's words. I feel like I'm invading on their privacy as they share a glance, grinning at each other. Thorne ruins the moment by playfully sliding his hands into Mia's back pockets, which causes Mia to roll her eyes and Thorne to laugh at her annoyance.

"You're definitely going to be a part of the wedding, right, Blake?" Thorne asks. He takes a grape from Mia's bowl, returning to leaning against the counter. "I know Mia wants you as a bridesmaid. And I want you there, too."

"If you both want me in the wedding party, then I'd love to," I agree.

"So it's settled then," Mia says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You're gonna be a bridesmaid!"

"And I'm going to be your husband," Thorne murmurs. His expression is distant, as if he's somewhere else entirely as he turns to Mia and smiles down at her. "How did I get so lucky?"

At that moment, the sound of a knock on the front door interrupts the moment. Mia and Thorne stare at each other for a brief moment, seemingly having a conversation without words. I watch as Thorne's shoulders fall and he begins to pout, frowning at Mia.

"I guess I'll get the door, then," he mutters, wandering into the entryway. Mia turns to me with a triumphant smirk, the two of us bursting into laughter.

Mia and I strike up conversation as Thorne answers the door, not thinking much of the sudden guest. Mia and Thorne are rather popular with a well-rounded friend group, so the rotation of people in and out of their apartment is often constant.

I don't pay much attention as Thorne opens the door, hardly noticing him hesitant in the doorway. I'm too busy laughing with Mia to listen as Thorne greets the guest, all too immersed in conversation to notice the person entering the apartment.

Needless to say, I'm taken off guard when I turn around and lock gazes with Noah Reed.

____

a/n: every day feels exactly the same and it's driving me crazy