vulnerable

58.

The air between Stella and Gio felt tense. The two of them sat in silence, traveling through the traffic of downtown Dortmund. Gio drove with his hands wrapped around the steering wheel- his jaw clenched in a pristine line. Stella rested her head against the window, watching the buildings pass by.

"If you're still angry... you could've told me." Gio whispered at the red light.

Stella glanced her soft brown eyes in his direction. "I'm not mad anymore, G. Hannah's my best friend and it just felt normal to tell her."

He ran a hand through his hair, stepping on the gas as the bright green light shimmered above them. "It just felt like an interrogation."

"Well, she's never been the biggest fan of Chloe." Stella rubbed the back of her neck. "And neither have I."

"I never liked Collin." Gio gritted his teeth. "Or Robbie. Or what's his face from your freshman year of high school."

"Dylan?"

"Oh so you remember him." Gio raised a brow.

Stella stifled her laugh. "What's your point, babe?"

"My point." Gio pulled into a parking lot of a fancy restaurant. Some chauffeurs stood behind a table, waiting for them to get out. Gio turned to Stella with a straight face. "Is that we're on the same team. I don't care that you tell Hannah. I just wish you would've told me she was coming."

"I had no idea." Stella swore. "She didn't tell me she was coming. I promise."

Gio nodded slowly. "She is spontaneous. You think she's just here to straighten me out?"

"I'd guess no." Stella chuckled. "She's more of a kill two birds with one stone type of gal."

"I wonder why else she's here. Maybe Christian?"

"She's still engaged to Hunter." Stella widened her eyes.

Gio narrowed his gaze. "Quite the coincidence she swung by when he's around."

"We'll see." Stella shook her shoulders.

They got out of the car and let the chauffeurs take the vehicle around back. Gio walked with Stella hand-in-hand inside. Stella was nervous. She knew that even if Chloe and him were just friends- they had history. A lot of it. Like Hannah and Christian. The hostess led them to their table, where Chloe was already sitting with a glass of wine. She was dressed in a beautiful gold gown that swept her ankles. Her hair was wavy and looked as elegant as ever down her back. She stood and opened her arms for a hug.

"G, sweetheart!"

Stella held back a snarl. The two of them hugged for a moment, allowing Chloe to look over his shoulder at Stella. The two of them shared a serious exchange before the ex-girlfriend pulled away with a fake grin on her lips. "Good to see you, Stella."

"You as well, Chloe." Stella held onto Gio's arm.

"Let's sit." She clapped her hands. "This will be fun."

__

Hannah's P.O.V

"You look so pretty!" She swiped the makeup brush against Carolina's cheeks for one last touch of blush. "And so much older, wow."

Carolina jumped off the chair and practically pressed her face against the mirror. Her coffee brown eyes widened in shock. Her face lit up like a firework. "Thank you Hannah! I love it!"

"I've missed you." Carolina hugged her torso.

Hannah patted the top of her head, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I've missed you more, Caro."

A knock erupted on the door, making the girls flinch out of the sudden silence. From the other side, a voice was muted with a chuckle. "You girls hungry?"

"Yes!" Carolina answered for the both of them.

Christian opened the door with a smile. "I ordered pizza."

"Chris! Hannah did my makeup!" Carolina ran over to him with a bright smile. "What do you think?"

Christian threw her over his shoulder. She let out a fit of giggles. He spun her around the room, making Hannah roll her eyes. "I think you look beautiful as always, Caro!"

Carolina swatted his back. "Put me down!"

Christian followed her instructions, setting her down gently. "Why don't you go hang out with Joah for a sec?"

"Why?" Carolina glanced between the two older adults.

Christian rubbed the back of his neck. "I gotta tell Hannah a secret."

Hannah perked at the sound of a secret. Carolina let out a grunt but complied, running off to find her brother. Christian kept the door cracked, turning to Hannah with a grin.

"What do you want?" Hannah threw the brush on the desk with a thud.

Christian took a step forward, raising his hands defensively. "I can't just say hi?"

"You've already said hi, Tiger." Hannah placed a fist on her hip. "What do you want? You said you had a secret to tell me."

"You already know what my secret is, princess." Christian looked into her eyes with a frown.

Hannah shook her head. "I don't think I do."

"I love you." Christian whispered under his breath.

Hannah paused, letting his words echo in her ear.