The rain confession between Sophie and Ethan had changed everything. Ethan D'Angelo, once her composed and sometimes insufferably logical best friend, had transformed overnight into a lovesick puppy. Scratch that—a clingy, overly affectionate, and perpetually kissing lovesick puppy.
Sophie wasn't prepared for this side of Ethan.
"Do you have to kiss me every five minutes?" Sophie grumbled as Ethan pressed another kiss to her temple while they walked into the office.
"Yes," Ethan said, his tone annoyingly smug. "It's in the boyfriend handbook. Clause three: Show affection at all times."
She shot him a glare. "Boyfriend handbook? Did you write that yourself?"
"Maybe," he teased, grabbing her hand.
Her phone buzzed, and Sophie seized the opportunity to distract herself. It was Mia, her ever-curious and hilariously unlucky-in-love coworker.
"You're giddy," Mia said the second Sophie answered. "What happened? Did Ethan finally grow a pair?"
"Mia!" Sophie hissed, trying to escape Ethan's earshot. Too late.
"Oh, I grew them, all right," Ethan called out smugly. Sophie slapped his arm, her cheeks blazing.
She ducked into an empty conference room to recount the rain-soaked confession. Mia listened with rapt attention, interjecting with occasional squeals of delight and over-the-top commentary.
"He kissed you? In the rain? What is this, a rom-com? Please tell me he tripped or slipped in a puddle. That would've been perfect."
"No, he didn't trip, thank God." Sophie rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips. "But now he's—ugh—so clingy. Mia, he kissed me on the elevator this morning! In front of Mr. Grayson!"
Mia cackled. "Okay, but... you like it, right?"
Sophie hesitated. Did she? Ethan's constant affection was overwhelming, but it was also... nice. Warm.
"I don't know," she muttered. "It's just—Ethan's family invited me to dinner. Again."
Mia gasped dramatically. "Dinner at the D'Angelos? Are you ready for the Ethan Marriage Ambush Special?!"
Sophie groaned.
Dinner at the D'Angelos
Ethan's family dinners were always an event, a blend of chaos, comedy, and the occasional roast. Tonight, however, felt different.
Ethan held Sophie's hand as they approached his parents' sprawling estate. "Relax. It's just dinner."
"Dinner with your overbearing mother, your meddling sister, and Grandma Vivian, who I'm pretty sure moonlights as Cupid," Sophie deadpanned.
"I call it a warm welcome," Ethan quipped.
The chaos began the moment they walked through the door.
"Ethan! You're late! And why haven't you proposed to Sophie yet?" Mrs. D'Angelo greeted them with her usual dramatic flair, completely ignoring Sophie's mortified expression.
Zoe appeared next, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Sophie, you're glowing. Is that a love glow?" She elbowed Ethan. "Finally figured out she's out of your league, huh?"
"Zoe," Ethan warned, though his ears turned red.
Grandma Vivian shuffled in, her cane tapping rhythmically. "Sophie, darling! Let me look at you." She studied Sophie like an appraiser evaluating fine art. "You'll make beautiful grandbabies."
"Grandma!" Ethan groaned, while Sophie choked on air.
Dinner was no less chaotic. Mrs. D'Angelo grilled Sophie on her relationship with Ethan, Zoe tossed out wildly inappropriate jokes, and Grandma Vivian kept winking at Sophie every time Ethan so much as reached for the breadbasket.
The pièce de résistance came during dessert.
"So, Sophie," Mrs. D'Angelo began sweetly, which was always a bad sign. "When are you two getting married? I have a lovely wedding planner on speed dial. Or should we plan a surprise engagement party?"
"Mom!" Ethan buried his face in his hands.
Sophie, caught between laughter and horror, blurted, "We're not even officially dating!"
Dead silence.
"You kissed her in the rain, and you're not dating?" Zoe burst into laughter. "What kind of idiot—"
"I'm working on it!" Ethan snapped, his face crimson.
The table erupted into chaos. Grandma Vivian cackled, Mrs. D'Angelo started strategizing wedding venues, and Zoe teased Ethan mercilessly. Sophie could only laugh, because, well, this was the D'Angelo family.
And maybe, just maybe, she didn't mind being part of it.