"Con, we can't miss out on the barbecue!" Ophelia sent off a quick message before pressing on, "You still haven't spilled the
beans about you and that Romeo. Have you guys held hands yet? Any kissy-kissy?"
"What's it to you?"
"You're blushing." Ophelia teased with an excited chuckle, "So that's a yes? Things are moving along nicely, huh? He must be quite
the catch."
Otherwise, how could he ever hope to steal the heart of our very own Arabella?
"He's alright," Arabella admitted with a hint of warmth in her voice.
She wasn’t aware that a gentle smile graced her lips whenever she spoke of Romeo.
Ophelia beamed like a doting elder, being too thrilled to play it cool, "When do | get to meet this charmer who's stolen our Bella's
heart?"
"Soon. In a day or two."
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Ophelia couldn't contain her excitement, "Well, | just can't wait to see who's managed to climb to the top of our Bella's favorites
list."
That's when Arabella remembered she had forgotten to tell Romeo about staying at Ophelia's place.
Just as she pulled out her phone, Ophelia leaned in with curiosity, "Letsee what cute nicknyou've given him."
"What nickname?"
She'd always just saved him as Romeo.
"Why not something like 'Hubby', ‘Sweetheart’, or 'My Better Half'?"
"Having his nthere is enough."
To Arabella, Romeo used to be just a long string of unfamiliar digits.
She dialed his number, but the call went unanswered and eventually disconnected.
"If he's in the country, he's probably still asleep. It's almost one in the morning here, so it should be close to eight there."
"He's in Dawnstar."
"Then he's definitely asleep," Ophelia explained. "Dawnstar is an hour ahead of us. It's two in the morning there. Who else would
be up snacking at this hour like us? He must've been knocked out after a long day. Romeo's a busy guy; he's got a ton of stuff to
handle during the day. He probably crashes the minute his head hits the pillow."
Just then, Arabella's phone buzzed with a video call request.
Ophelia's eyes bulged, "No way, he's up at two in the morning? This is true love!!"
Arabella answered the call, only to see the cozy hotel lights and the freshly showered Romeo in his robe, with his hair still damp.
The bathroom door behind him was ajar, steam spilling into the room.
Romeo quickly explained, "I was just taking a shower and missed your call."
He was about to ask if she had made it back to her hotel when he noticed someone else was there.
"Hey there, I'm Ophelia, Bella's good friend. Nice to meet you, and might | say, you're a real looker! You two make such a stunning
pair!"
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"Thank you." Romeo was nothing but courteous to Arabella's friend, "Hello, I'm Romeo, Bella's fiancé."
"I know, | know, nice to meet you. Bella and | haven't caught up in ages, and | wouldn't want her traveling alone so late. I'd offer to
escort her, but I've hurt my foot, so | was hoping you would give his blessing for her to stay over. | promise to take good care of
her."
So that was why she called?
Romeo's gaze shifted tenderly toward Arabella, as if he was reading her thoughts, "Then I'm grateful to Ms. Almond for looking
after her."
"No trouble at all, I'm happy to have her. You two chat away; I'm off to grab a bite." Ophelia left them to their privacy.
"Get ssleep soon."
Arabella was about to end the call when Romeo spoke up, "It's getting colder over there; make sure you bundle up at night, don't
catch a cold."
"I will."
"If the blankets aren't enough, ask Ms. Almond for more. Keep the heating on, and don't stay up too late. Get srest."