Left unsaid.

1 month later - February 1st

Bea's POV

"Grace, we're leaving; hurry up. We want to be there before Melanie and Theo get there. I want it to be a surprise, remember? You agreed to this... so hurry up already. Come on, come on, come on. We are going to be late, and this is the last time we can do this before they get back from wherever they are... now come on."

Josh was also annoying me because he wanted us to have alone time, but he didn't realise that Grace was going through a breakup, and the only thing she was doing was crying. Grace was getting in the car, looking very sad.

"Hey, Josh, can we do this another time? I am not feeling well today," Grace pleaded.

Josh, clearly frustrated, replied firmly, "No, we are going, and your breakup is not a reason to stop living your life. Who cares if they're going to be there. We are going, and you are coming, I don't care if I have to drag you out of this house. Now let's go, now!"

Grace's anxiety was palpable as she bit her nails, "Do you think he's going to be happy to see me? Do you think he will notice that I have been working out? Do you think he will notice the new hairstyle, and the new clothes, and the new everything? What if he doesn't like my new everything?"

I tried to reassure her, offering some words of encouragement. "Don't worry, Grace, you look gorgeous, and I am sure he will love your new everything. I am pretty sure that you look amazing in that dress and your new hair is amazing. If he doesn't like you after all the effort you put into looking beautiful for him, then he doesn't deserve you."

But Josh, always quick to be rude and unsupportive, interjected, "Why are you still trying? It's pathetic."

Grace snapped back at him, hurt by his words, "Why are you so mean?"

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Theo's POV

"I love you, I can never get tired of you. Every day my love for you gets deeper and stronger. I can never get enough of you. I love the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you laugh, the way you kiss me." I was saying all this to Melanie, but sometimes I questioned if I had made the right choice.

Melanie over Grace, it seemed like a dream to me. Maybe it was just lust and curiosity, or perhaps it was more than that. It was like I wanted her to be something she was not. Grace was everything a girl could want in a guy, but I craved the lust and excitement of having someone I thought was off-limits.

"Theo, babe, you zoned out on me. You okay? Look, I have to go. I love you, bye," Melanie's voice broke through my thoughts.

I heard Grace call my name, and I was pulled back to reality. What the hell was Grace doing here? I looked a mess, and I hadn't seen her since the breakup. She looked different, in a good way, and I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.

"Theo, hey! Wow, I haven't seen you in forever. What have you been up to?" Grace greeted me.

"Um, not much. You?" I replied, my voice trembling slightly.

"Nothing much. Hey, can we go somewhere and talk?"

I had so many questions swirling in my mind. Was I good enough for the new her? Could she accept my flaws? Was she the one I'd been looking for? I had no idea what she wanted, but I wasn't going to deny her anything.

"Sure, um, we can go to my place. We don't have to, though; I can go somewhere else if you'd like. Whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me."

"No, it's fine. Let's just stay here. Where's Melanie? Are you guys still together? Oh, wait, that's a dumb question. Of course you are. You two are meant for each other. She was crazy about you. Still is," Grace said.

"Actually, she went out to the shops. Did you come here with anyone?"

"Oh, yeah. Bea's downstairs, so I figured I would come over and say hello. We should all get together soon."

"Yeah, sounds good. Maybe lunch tomorrow?"

"Okay. Theo, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, of course, anything."

"Are you happy?"

"Am I happy?"

"Yeah. It's just that when I walked in here, I saw you just sitting there, staring at the ground, and I didn't want to disturb you. It seemed as if you were deep in thought. And you just seem sad. Like really sad. Like, not happy with life or anything."

"It's nothing really. I've missed you though; you were the only one who knew what was going on inside my head. I mean, Melanie knows, but you were different."

"Theo, I'm moving back into the apartment. I thought you should know. So, you'll see a lot of me. I just, um, miss everyone. I miss you."

"Oh, okay. So, um, are you dating anyone?"

"Not currently."

Bea walked into the room with a mischievous grin and said, "Hey Theo, you look rough, did Melanie finally leave you?" Her words stung, even though I knew she was just teasing. I tried to hide it with a laugh, but there were tears in my eyes. I had missed Grace more than I could express. I couldn't believe I had ever let her go.

"I'm kidding, she's crazy about you. Oh, Grace, did you tell him that you're still single? There's this guy that's perfect for you, and you should meet him," Bea continued, clearly trying to make me jealous. And to my dismay, it was working.

Grace looked at Bea with a half-smile and said, "Bea, don't tease him like that."

Bea chuckled and replied, "Oh, come on, it's all in good fun."

"Me and Grace are gonna go upstairs and put her stuff back in the room. Josh can talk to you for a while," Bea announced, taking Grace by the hand.

"Theo, you coming up or are you gonna stay down here?" Grace asked, her voice soft and inviting. I knew she had missed me, and honestly, who wouldn't?

"Oh, I'll be up in a minute. I'm just gonna, uh, talk to Josh," I replied, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched Grace and Bea leave the room.

As soon as they were gone, I turned to Josh and said, "Man, I've missed her so much. I can't believe she's back."

Josh grinned and clapped me on the back. "Well, buddy, looks like you've got a second chance. Don't mess it up."

I nodded, my mind racing with thoughts of Grace and the possibility of rekindling what we once had.

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Bea's POV

"It's so obvious he wants you back, Grace, just go and talk to him already, will you? For the rest of us, this is excruciating to watch. I don't know why we put up with it. It's like you two are the only people on the planet," I said confidently, fully aware of the palpable tension between Grace and Theo.

"Are you sure, Bea? I mean, come on, Melanie is gorgeous, smart, and their chemistry is amazing. She does it way better than me," Grace replied, her self-doubt evident. It frustrated me how she couldn't see what was right in front of her face. She was amazing, and Theo clearly still had feelings for her.

"Yes! Grace, he wants you back and he wants you to go after him," I asserted, not mincing words. Theo's not the subtle type, after all.

"Maybe I will, thanks, Bea," Grace said before walking away, leaving me hopeful that she might finally confront her feelings for Theo.

"Finally!" I muttered to myself before heading back to the kitchen.

"Hey, how's it going, Bea?" Melanie greeted me as she entered the kitchen. It had been a while since I'd seen her, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of awkwardness.

"I'm amazing. I'm moving back in, girl, so everything is awesome. How about you? How have you been?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation light. Melanie looked stunning, and I didn't want to add to any tension.

"I've been good. I heard that Grace is here. Where is she?" Melanie inquired, clearly here for a reason.

"She's upstairs moving her stuff in. She just moved in again," I informed her.

"Oh, she's moving in?" Melanie said, her curiosity evident.

"Yeah, you can go up and say hi," I suggested.

"Ok, thanks," Melanie replied, heading upstairs to find Grace.

As Melanie left the kitchen, I couldn't help but confront the situation. "You know you can't keep doing this, you know," I said, addressing Melanie, who had turned around to face me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Melanie replied, her tone defensive.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Grace is in a really good place. Please don't screw it up," I implored, genuine concern for both Grace and Melanie evident in my words.

"I can't make any promises, Bea," Melanie admitted before walking away, leaving me with a sense of unease.

"Just don't be mean. She's my friend and your friend, be nice and civil, for everyone's sake," I added as a parting plea before walking out of the kitchen.

I hoped that Melanie would make the right choices and not fuck up Grace's newfound happiness. Seeing Grace smile again was something I cherished, and I wanted nothing more than for both of them to find happiness in this complex situation.

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Theo's POV

"So Grace and Melanie are under the same roof? How does it feel, Theo? Is it nice to see them both in one place, like a family reunion, or are you too busy worrying that one or the other will discover what's going on behind their back?" Josh's words cut through the tension in the room, forcing me to confront the chaos of my emotions.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I replied, feigning ignorance to buy myself some time.

"Don't give me that crap, Theo. We've known each other long enough for you to cut the bullshit," Josh retorted, her voice laced with frustration.

"You want the truth? It's a mess. I have no idea what to do," I admitted, feeling the weight of my own indecision.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why are you having to 'do' anything? Are you gonna start sleeping with both of them?" Josh's directness left little room for evasion.

"I haven't slept with Grace for years. I wouldn't mind doing it again," I blurted out, revealing a deeper layer of my confusion.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd have asked for it."

"And if I was interested in being polite, I'd have left it unsaid, but as I'm not, I'm gonna say it anyway. You're a dick, Theo. Why the fuck are you messing with these girls when you've already got a girlfriend? You need to pick one."

"I can't do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you can't see, then I can't help you. But what I can tell you is, if you don't keep your nose out, I'll break it."

"Oh, I get it now, you're jealous. You don't want my little playthings getting too close because you can't handle the fact that they might like me."

"Theo, shut up. Don't break their hearts and just stick with one, for God's sake. Stop being a silly billy. If you love someone, then let go of the other; otherwise, stop leading them on."

"Why are you so sure I love one of them more than the other?"

"Because no one makes you act this way unless you're scared of losing them. The way I see it, if you love one, you shouldn't have to think twice. And if you can't make that choice, then you should just let them both go, for their own sakes, as well as yours."

"Yeah, well, thanks for your input."

"Hey, wait a second, where are you going?"

"Away from here, before we both end up regretting saying some of the things we have," I replied, feeling overwhelmed by the situation and the harsh reality of Josh's words.