A Toast to the Losers

The clinking of crystal glasses and soft chamber music faded as Theo and I stepped through the arched glass doors that led to the moonlit balcony. A breeze greeted us, cool and scented with garden roses and storm-soaked stone. I exhaled, tension melting from my shoulders for the first time all night.

Theo handed me a fresh glass of champagne from the silver tray he'd snagged on our way out.

"To regrets," he said, raising his glass.

"To liars," I countered, tapping mine to his.

We drank in sync, two strangers tied by the sting of betrayal.

"I've attended dozens of these galas," he said, setting his glass on the stone railing. "They all blur together—until now."

I arched a brow. "Because of the proposal or because I nearly fled the scene like a reality show reject?"

"Both," he said, smirking. "But mostly because you didn't fake a smile. You stood there and let the whole room see the fire in your eyes."

"And here I thought I looked pathetic."

"You looked furious. That's better."

I turned to face the moon. It was huge tonight—too bright, too watchful. The champagne buzzed behind my eyes, but my thoughts were sharp.

"They say the moon makes people crazy," I muttered.

"Some of us were crazy long before the moon showed up," Theo replied.

I looked at him. "Why were you really outside earlier? You didn't strike me as someone who mingles with the garden statues."

He shrugged. "Let's just say I wasn't there for the champagne."

I waited. He finally sighed.

"Althea and I... we were supposed to be something once."

My head whipped toward him. "Wait—what?"

"A long time ago. When we were kids. Before she became Leo's shadow. Before this version of her existed."

I blinked. "So, Leo took her from you?"

Theo laughed darkly. "No. She chose him. She chose what he represented. Safety. Elevation. Acceptance."

"And what did you offer?"

"Myself. Apparently, that wasn't enough."

I looked down at my glass, swirling the golden liquid. "I guess she has a type."

"Do you?" he asked casually.

"Apparently. Arrogant men who think I'll wait around forever."

He chuckled. "I'm arrogant, but even I wouldn't expect that."

I gave him a sideways glance. "You're not trying to charm me, are you?"

He tilted his head. "Would it work?"

"Not tonight."

"Fair enough."

We stood silently, laughter and celebration bleeding faintly through the doors behind us. The cold stone beneath my fingertips grounded me, but the emotions inside still felt like a flood.

"Leo used to say I was his peace," I said quietly. "Then one day, he stopped needing peace. He wanted power. And Althea knew how to serve it to him on a silver platter."

"He didn't want peace," Theo said. "He wanted someone who wouldn't disrupt the image. Someone who would never ask him to look deeper."

I met his eyes. "And you? Why are you really here with me right now?"

He looked down at our hands. "Because... I'm tired of pretending I don't feel anything when they walk over people like us. I'm tired of letting them win."

I nodded slowly. "That makes two of us."

We stood in silence again. But it wasn’t the awkward kind. It was a shared moment of two broken people holding the night at bay.

"You know what’s the worst part of all this?" I asked softly.

"The part where they still think we’ll forgive them for it?"

"That too," I said. "But mostly... the fact that I still wonder what I did wrong. Even when I know it wasn’t me."

Theo looked at me like he understood all of it. "That’s what they do, Sofia. They make you question your worth so you’ll be easier to forget."

I exhaled slowly. "I don’t want to be forgettable."

"Then don’t be."

Another pause.

Then he said, "We already agreed to the idea. But what if we went all in?"

I hesitated. "All in?"

"Convince everyone. Not just the ones in that room. Everyone. Your family. My father. Make them believe we're lovers."

I blinked. "You're suggesting a full-blown fake relationship—on a societal scale?"

"I'm suggesting we turn this embarrassment into something powerful."

I studied his expression. The fire in his eyes matched mine. The idea, ridiculous and dangerous, had roots now.

"You sure you want to fake being in love with someone like me?" I asked.

Theo stepped closer, the distance between us humming with something unspoken. "You're not someone like anything. You're just... you. And that terrifies them."

My breath caught. Whether from the words or the proximity, I couldn't tell.

"What happens when people ask questions?" I asked.

"We answer with smiles and half-truths."

"And if they push harder?"

"Then we push back. Together."

I reached for his hand again. "Alright. Let's do it."

He took it without hesitation.

The moment our skin touched, the jolt was more substantial. More electric. Like lightning beneath my skin.

We both flinched.

"Still static?" I whispered.

Theo didn't answer right away. His brows were slightly furrowed. "Yeah. Definitely just static."

"Good," I said quickly, even though the pulse in my chest said otherwise.

We stepped back inside, hand in hand. The moment we crossed the ballroom threshold, a hundred eyes turned toward us.

The music didn't stop, but the tension shifted. Whispers rose like smoke.

From the far end of the room, Leo's smile faltered.

Althea's gaze sharpened.

Theo leaned in. "Ready for the fun part?"

I lifted my chin. "Born ready."

As we moved forward, more eyes followed. A woman near the bar nudged her partner. Someone gasped softly behind a feathered fan.

Then, out of nowhere, a waiter stumbled behind us, tray crashing to the floor. Gasps rose. For a brief second, all eyes turned toward the sound.

And I saw it.

In the mirrored panel across the room—

A faint silver shimmer laced around our hands. Fading. But unmistakably there.

I blinked.

Theo didn't see it.

But I did.

And for the first time that night, I wasn't sure what game we were playing anymore.

What was that shimmer? And why did my skin still feel like it remembered him, long after we let go?