Page 55 of Try Hard

Eve

“Y ou’re such a tryhard,” Soph said, standing at the door of Mum’s guest bedroom.

I grinned, glancing at her in the mirror where I was checking my suit. “I mean, obviously, but how so this time?”

She scoffed, letting herself into the room and flopping down on the bed. “Because I know you’re not putting this much effort in for Kieran and Kim.”

“Gotta look nice for their wedding.” I paused and shot her a look over my shoulder. “But yeah, I’m just trying to look worthy of Ophelia.”

“You could show up in a bin bag and she’d be all over you. It’s fucking ridiculous.”

I laughed. The fact that she was probably right was, frankly, unbelievable. After all this time, I couldn’t believe I finally got to love Ophelia, got to be the one she loved in return.

I’d loved her for so long, listened to a million love songs, watched movies and read books and thought I understood the depths love could reach.

But… actually being with her? It kept going forever, deeper and richer, and more blissfully overwhelming than I could have ever understood. It was the best thing.

I turned to look at Soph. “And you’re telling me that’s not similar to how you feel about your mystery person?”

She harrumphed, folding her arms as she looked at me. “I don’t remember that being the topic of conversation.”

“Correct. It wasn’t. Now, it is. Join me here. Maybe even tell me their name…”

She studied me for a minute before her shoulders slumped. “I almost ruined it.”

“What?”

“With the whole… Fia thing.”

“Oh, right. Shit. Sorry.” I sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Is it going to be okay?”

She nodded slowly. “I think so. I’m just going to feel like a fucking fool for the rest of time.”

“Hey, we’re all fools in love.”

“I didn’t say love!”

I laughed. “Did you have to?”

“If you keep that up, I actually won’t let you meet them.”

“Oh, because meeting has definitely been on the table so far?”

She looked at me and I suddenly realised why she was here. It wasn’t to give me a hard time. It was to give me an invitation.

I worked hard to keep my expression neutral.

After a moment, she looked away, down at her nails like she couldn’t care less what was happening.

The stiffness in her muscles gave her away, though.

“So, I was thinking that, maybe, you know, if you’re not too busy or whatever, it might be…

okay… if we all got dinner together. They really want to try that new restaurant, Elixir, in town, and I was thinking that if they saw you and Fia together—and, you know, me not drooling all over her—then it might… make things more… solid.”

I tried not to be patronising with Soph—or anyone—and it wasn’t anything to do with me, but I was proud of her.

She really cared about someone and she was putting herself out there.

Not just in a flirty way like she had with Ophelia, but in a real, emotional way.

Whoever her person was, they were good for her.

“We’d be delighted,” I told her.

“Ugh. You’re both going to be so insufferable all night, aren’t you?”

“Do we come in another setting?”

“No. You’re perfect for each other. Nobody else would be able to stand either of you.”

I laughed around the happy sigh threatening to escape me, just like every time I thought of Ophelia. “Wouldn’t matter. I wouldn’t love anyone else the way I love her.”

Soph studied me. “I can’t believe it took you so long to actually get with her. You’re famous. You could have looked her up whenever you wanted.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t know she felt the same way.”

“Hm. She was better at hiding her feelings than you were.”

“Hey! You didn’t know. I was doing fine.”

She laughed. “Yeah, because I was busy thinking about how hot she was, and I didn’t think we’d ever be into the same person.”

“Yeah. Makes sense.”

“Don’t worry. The person I’m dating isn’t your type.”

I stifled a laugh at the way she almost tripped over dating. I was happy for her. “I think my type is Ophelia Pendrick, and that’s me done for the rest of time, so yeah, I’m not worried.”

“Ugh. Gross,” she said without malice as she stood up. “Now, you’d better get going because—ah, there she is now.”

I grinned at Soph’s apparent supernatural skills as the doorbell sounded through the house and we heard Mum and Herc bolting for the door to let Ophelia in.

We were looking forward to when we were back in London, back in our regular lives—or, rather, building our new regular lives—but there was something so fitting about the fact that we were getting our first few dates while in Eddlesworth, calling on each other at our parents’ homes, just the way we’d both been wishing for all those years ago.

I paused only momentarily to tell Soph to send me the time for dinner and we’d be there.

“Tomorrow night?” she shot back. “If I wait too long, I’ll chicken out. And you can never, ever mention that I just admitted that.”

I laughed, heading down the stairs like Ophelia was a homing beacon I couldn’t stand to be apart from. “Sounds good.”

And, then, everything else faded from relevance.

Ophelia Pendrick in a beautiful, feminine tuxedo, tailored perfectly to her incredible figure. She was the loveliest thing.

She turned to look at me, seeming equally as impressed, which felt ridiculous. I had nothing on her.

“Not bad, Archer,” she said, approaching the bottom of the stairs to meet me.

She’d told me after the match that, when I looked at her, her fears about who else was watching and what they were doing faded into nothingness, that the only thing that mattered was the two of us.

I’d understood then, but it was true now, too.

My poor mother, sister, and dog felt very far away indeed.

“You look beautiful,” I said, stepping into her embrace like I was coming home.

Ordinarily, I’d think a couple of weeks of dating would be too little to want someone around constantly, but I’d been waiting for her for so long that I didn’t want to lose a single moment with her.

I wondered how long we’d last before I was begging her to move in with me—probably with another Tizer, just for the symbolism of it.

“So do you,” she murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

The fact that she initiated things like that in front of other people felt like flying. She was so happy, so confident these days. She’d always seemed confident, but it was different now, like she finally believed it too.

“Disgusting, the pair of you,” Soph said, moving to squeeze around us.

Mum laughed. “Leave them alone, Sophie. They’re in love.”

“So are other people, but they manage to keep it under wraps.”

Ophelia and I shared a look like we both heard the way Soph might have been including herself in that statement. Tomorrow night was going to be very interesting indeed.

Mum moved to look at us both, taking a picture like we were heading off to prom. “You both look great. Have a fantastic night, and send our regards to the couple.”

“Not mine,” Soph called from where she was now rummaging in the fridge. “I couldn’t care less.”

“Noted,” I laughed before giving Ophelia a look. “Shall we?”

She nodded and told my mum, “We’ll see you later, then.”

I felt giddy. She knew she was welcome here. She spoke to my mum like she was completely comfortable. Sure, we spent every night together, either here or at her parents’ place, but I still couldn’t believe my luck. Maybe I’d never stop thanking every lucky star that I’d made it to this point.

We headed out and I held Ophelia’s door for her before climbing into the driver’s seat and heading over to the wedding.

Kieran and Kim had managed to identify the person behind the leaked pictures and, unexpectedly, had gone off so hard at them that they’d uninvited them from the wedding.

Ophelia and I had both assured them that wasn’t necessary, but they’d both insisted it was.

Honestly, I’d have maybe expected it from Kieran, he’d always looked out for me like a big brother, but I was surprised by, and appreciative of, how outraged Kim had been.

Ophelia hadn’t been especially surprised though, so maybe it was just another sign of why the two of them worked well as friends.

When we arrived at the venue, massive and imposing as expected, Ophelia shot me a look and returned the favour from earlier, moving around the car to get my door.

“Nice place,” I said, locking the car and wrapping one arm around her as we walked up the gravel driveway.

“Oh, I thought you’d be used to places like this, Archer. You know, big celebrity that you are.” She smirked up at me, and she was the cutest thing ever, her red hair blowing in the wind like the breeze was her personal stylist.

“Yeah, you know how it is. Every second day I’m in places like this.”

She laughed. “I mean, some of your clients aren’t far off this.”

“Okay. Fair point.”

In the days since my statement, Row had been pleased to announce that inquiries had gone up rather than taking the hit I’d been worried about.

And, better still, most of the inquiries were from women-led businesses that were absolutely aligned with the ethos of my statement.

Of course, we still did private work in homes, but it was gratifying to see how many people still wanted our names—or my name—attached to their offices and venues, even after my social media rant.

And my upcoming conversation with Taylor.

We’d recorded it yesterday. Ophelia had been in the room cheering me on, and it was the first time in my life that I’d felt completely at peace during an interview.

There was nothing holding me back. I’d said my piece, I knew what mattered, and I was ready to live with the consequences of naming that publicly. What more did I need?