Sophitz: A Week to Find Love

Chapter 36

Fitz's P.O.V.

Sunday just flew by and before I knew it, I was back in my hotel room, getting ready for bed. I had tried to spend the entire day being nice to Sophie, but not too nice. It was extremely hard considering that everything I saw her, I so badly wanted to compliment her. But I honestly couldn't. If I did, it'd be even crueler than not saying anything nice at all. After all, I wouldn't want to fall in love with someone, only to have them get married to some random stranger and never see them again. 

"Fitzy?" Biana called out in the darkness of the room. 

"Yeah?" I asked, not even caring she was speaking to me so late into the night. It wasn't like I could sleep, anyway.

"We're leaving tomorrow," she whispered, and I could hear the faintest tremble in her voice. 

"Yes, we are," I replied, not knowing exactly what to say. I was feeling too sad right now to give an optimistic speech to my sister. 

She sighed deeply. "I just... Will we ever come back?" I wish at that moment I could've assured her we would. But I didn't want to fill her with a false sense of hope.

"You know, we might, or we might not," I answered truthfully. "After all, there's going to be an upcoming wedding." There was silence in the room and I thought I heard my sister... sniffle?

"Can I be a bridesmaid?" Biana asked quietly. "I don't think we'll make it to the double wedding." 

I remembered how Biana was going to be a bridesmaid at our friends' wedding, but I had a feeling she was sad about much more than that. She often thought I was the least observant and most oblivious person in the world, but as her older brother, I felt obligated to know what was going on in her life. And right now, I knew she had a... complicated thing with Tam. I suppose it was similar to my situation with Sophie and I understood her pain.

"Biana, you're going to make it to that wedding," I promised. It seemed like a risky promise to me, but it did the trick and Biana quickly brightened up.

"I am?" she asked hopefully. "How?"

"I'm not sure yet..." I admitted. "But I am going to find a way to get you to that wedding." And to see Sophie one last time, I thought to myself. If I was going to get married, I wasn't going to do it without seeing Sophie just one last time. And with that assurance, I was finally able to fall asleep. 

---

"FITZY! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" Biana shouted at me to wake up and I finally did - after her 7th call. 

"Really! It's like getting bear out of hibernation," she scoffed. "Now hurry up and change or we'll be late to meet dad." 

I couldn't believe we were actually leaving. It had only been a week, yet I felt more at home than I ever had in our mansion. And perhaps a small part of me thought that if I didn't get out of bed, it'd mean none of this was really happening. But I suppose that was childish of me. 

"Finally!" Biana exclaimed in relief as I finished some last-minute packing and got ready to leave. "Come on!" I wasn't sure why she was suddenly eager to leave, but I figured it was better than her being sad like last night. It really wasn't like her and it felt oddly strange she wasn't all happy and eager about something for once.

I loaded up the trunk with all of our bags before getting into the car and starting the engine. Without traffic, we'd be able to make it back home with 10 minutes to spare. Although I doubted I'd be able to get anything productive done during those final minutes before our big meeting with father. 

"The sooner we get back home, the sooner we talk to dad, and the sooner we can come back!" Biana exclaimed excitedly as the car started moving. And I didn't have the heart to tell her that dad's decision would most likely be vastly different from what she had in mind. 

But she would learn it soon as my car came to a halt in front of our house after a grueling and bumpy 50-minute drive up the mountain. 

"You're home!" Our mom greeted us immediately with a hug and signaled for the butlers to take our suitcases. "It's so wonderful you're back," she added as she ushered us into the house. "Your father is already in the living room, ready for the discussion." 

"Already?" Biana questioned. "But it's early." 

"He's just very... curious as to what happened," our mom explained. "And so am I. So let's get this started right away!" I had only returned home for a few minutes and I already felt like I couldn't catch a breath. As I learned from an early age, when my parents were invested in something, they went all in. So it really wasn't a surprise at all to find my dad sitting in front of the fireplace with a serious face on, ready to discuss this as if it was a business contract rather than my love life. 

"I'm glad you're back, Fitz. I hope you have some good news for me." He nodded at me to take a seat and Biana stood by eagerly to watch it all unfold. And although it looked like she was just an innocent bystander, I knew she'd interrupt this conversation more than once with her own personal input. 

"So did you find someone?" my dad prompted instantly. My mom leaned in a little closer, anxious for my answer. 

"Well..." I started off, not knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. 

"Let's not delay this any further," my dad urged. I gulped and looked at my parents. I didn't know whether it was worse to be a disappointment or a liar. But after some careful consideration, I realized that I didn't want myself to be a liar. After all, my parents could be disappointed in me, but that didn't mean I'd be disappointed in myself. Because I knew that I was doing the right thing here; I simply loved Sophie too much. But if I lied... Well, then not only would I be lying to my parents, but I'd also be lying to myself. 

So I gathered up my courage and told them the blunt and honest truth:

"No."