As always, thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! Shout out to Fairy Princess Moon, Appleautums and the multiple guests for the love 3.

Not to sound ungrateful, but to the guest that left the "please update" review (and a memo to others): This type of review reads a bit rude and impatient. I very clearly state that this story updates once a week and have been very good about that. If you'd like to say that you're excited for the next chapter, maybe try: can't wait to see what happens.

Enjoy :)

"I could've spent forever there!" Stella exclaimed as she took a sip of her wine. "It was so sunny all the time and, well, you know how I love the sun. I could happily spend all day under the sun until I'm as red as a lobster.

"You'd be the cutest lobster, though" Brandon chuckled as he entered the pool and walked over to where Stella rested against the edge to put his arm around her shoulders.

"No, you'd be the cutest lobster." Stella stood on her tiptoes to kiss Brandon's cheek and the couple broke out into fits of giggles as they argued about which of them would be the cuter lobster. Musa rolled her eyes, but neither of them noticed, too busy wrapped up in their own little love bubble. "Yo. Honeymoon's over. If you're gonna be sickeningly sweet, do it at home."

Stella glared at her, breaking Musa's fake angry demeanor and making the singer dissolve into hysterics. She'd been on the receiving end of Stella's dirty looks and snarky comments more times than she could count, but they never succeeded in intimidating her. Sure, sometimes they would irritate her and piss her off if she was already in a mood, but intimidate? Never. Stella just wasn't scary; she was too bubbly to be properly scary.

"It's nice to be home, though" Brandon commented, adding on to the previous conversation of how their honeymoon had been. Stella had spent close to twenty minutes talking about all the cute beach looks she'd worn – which Musa tolerated because she'd missed Stella – and another thirty talking about what they'd done while they were in Turks and Caicos. Basically, it sounded to Musa like they'd done nothing but fuck, eat, drink and tan. Brandon had gone swimming a few times, but, somehow, Stella's swimsuits were for appearance only and were not to get wet. Musa didn't understand that one, but she didn't dare question it lest Stella go into an hour-long rant about fabrics. "It's really nice to sleep in my own bed."

"We had a luxury cabana with Egyptian cotton sheets and a mattress that felt like a cloud. How could anything beat that?" Stella scoffed.

"The bed there was wonderful – and the jacuzzi, God did I love that jacuzzi – but there's just no place like home."

"Okay Dorothy. Whatever you say."

Brandon stuck his tongue out at his wife, which she returned. Musa usually laughed at their antics, but she couldn't help the bittersweet feeling that coursed through her. Stella and Brandon were so perfect for each other, it was like whatever god existed had made them specifically for each other. She wanted that. It wasn't that Musa wasn't happy being single when she was; she was more than happy to do her thing without having to worry about anyone else, but there was something great about having a partner. And she didn't think it was so wrong to want one that didn't turn out to be a colossal asshole.

"Any update on the potential stalker sitch?" Stella asked as she and Brandon scooted over to make space for Riven as he joined them. Musa grimaced at Stella. She didn't dare look in Riven's direction until he'd stopped moving and she thought he'd be fully submerged. She'd caught herself staring at him more and more often since she'd had the awful realization that she was attracted to the jerk, and she didn't want that happening in front of Stella.

"Well, he's definitely a complete fucking weirdo" Riven commented as Musa allowed her gaze to wander over to him. What a mistake that had been. She should have taken into consideration that the pool was built so that her small 5'2 self wouldn't be submerged if she stood on the pool floor. Riven was almost a whole foot taller than her, of course his chest wouldn't be fully submerged unless he bent his knees. Droplets of water speckled his chest from when he'd dunked himself in after entering the pool, reflecting the sunlight and making it look like he was shining. His wet maroon hair flopped onto his forehead, but he brushed it back before she could reach out and do it.

"How so?" Riven detailed the latest letter to the couple. Stella gasped loudly when he mentioned the threats against Musa's father, reaching over to grab the songstress' free hand. Musa hated thinking about the whole situation, but the threats were the worst of it and they hollowed out her stomach with fear. She'd spoken to her father the morning after the letter had arrived. He'd been so happy to hear from her and, admittedly, she was really happy to talk to him too – she remembered what those years without him had been like and she didn't want to repeat them. Neither of them addressed the elephant, too afraid the conversation would go sour. He had agreed to a full time guard to reassure Musa, though he didn't seem to believe the threats would be followed up on.

"That's so fucked up" Stella shouted. "Your dad is such a sweetheart; he can't be judged for being worried about you."

"This whole situation is massively fucked up" Musa agreed. Riven looked over at her briefly as she ran her hand through her wet hair and shook it out. He was so grateful that she was short (adorably so), so that the water covered her almost to her shoulder. When she'd come out of her bedroom earlier in a bright red string bikini, his heart had almost stopped. It had taken all of his self-control to look away and stop himself from drinking her in. If it weren't for the fact that she detested him – maybe not quite detested, but she certainly didn't like him – he would be convinced that she'd done it on purpose.

Brandon started to speak, but Riven's attention was pulled away by his phone buzzing on one of the lounge chairs. He hopped out and checked his phone, smiling brightly when he saw who it was from. toweling off to open the front door.

Standing barely 5 feet tall with honey brown hair and a giant smile plastered on her face, Flora wasted no time in throwing her arms around Riven's neck and dragging him down to her height. True to her nature, Flora wore soft, pastel colours and flowy, feminine clothes, and smelled like a freshly picked bouquet of flowers. "It's so good to see you" she cooed into his ear. He could almost hear her tearing up. That was just like her – sentimental and emotional – to cry after seeing someone for the first time in a few years. It wasn't like they hadn't spoken, though not nearly enough.

"You too. Could you let me go, though? You're gonna break my back" Riven teased, wrapping his arms around her waist. Flora lightly slapped his back, grumbling about him being a pain.

Stella wasted no time in commenting about Riven as soon as he was out of sight. She'd met him briefly when she and Brandon had arrived, but seeing him shirtless was a whole different thing. Not that Musa could blame her; that body of his could do things to anyone's self-control. "I mean, those abs are wow" she giggled, whistling for added effect. "And those eyes, and that jawline. What do you think, shnookums?"

"Definitely a good looking dude" Brandon agreed. "He should consider modeling."

Musa almost spit out her sip of beer at Brandon's comment. None of her friends knew about Riven stepping in for the Luxure shoot and she dreaded the thought of them finding out about it. They all kept insisting that she was attracted to Riven – and she was, she knew that; she just didn't want them knowing. Almost as if she were reading Musa's mind, Stella turned to her and very bluntly – very Stella-like – asked: "So, you're into him, right?"

"What? No" Musa denied a bit faster than she should have. Stella raised her eyebrow skeptically, but didn't press on further. Not right away anyways. The blonde let Brandon remind her that Musa had a boyfriend (for now?) before brushing him off and insisting that, if she were in Musa's place, she would one hundred percent be dreaming of fucking him. "Of course, no one could ever be better than you, sweets" she said to a mock-indignant Brandon, brushing his hair back and running her hand down to his jaw.

Thankfully, before Stella could say anything else, the patio door opened and Riven stepped out. He was followed by a short Latina with wavy hair and big, friendly green eyes. Riven introduced her as Flora – Musa hadn't expected any friend of Riven's to look so sweet and wholesome. She knew Nabu was a cool guy, but she'd thought for sure someone from Riven's childhood would be as rough around the edges as he was.

"You are gorgeous!" Stella shouted, not even bothering to introduce herself before commenting on the poor girl's appearance. Flora blushed furiously and thanked the blonde, playing nervously with her long, gentle curls.

"It's nice to meet you" Musa said, getting out of the pool to offer Flora her hand. As she apologized for not being able to offer Flora a place to stay, Musa adjusted the top of her bikini. She'd worn the damn thing – a present from Stella years ago, but a bit too skimpy in Musa's opinion – as an attempt to get a reaction from Riven. There had been a reaction from him during the photoshoot, she was certain of it, and she'd hoped that something like that red ensemble would get one here. She knew he had a girlfriend and that she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. She just wanted some attention – and she hated that she did – even if it led to nothing. Besides, even if the opportunity arose, she wouldn't sleep with him while he was in a relationship anyways. She would not be that person. Not that it mattered, though because it didn't seem to be working; he had barely even looked at her all day.

"Frankly, dahling, I think it's ridiculous that you have a penthouse apartment that only has one guestroom."

Musa turned away from Flora, who had been about to speak when Stella decided to chime in, and glared at the blonde. "Those of us that are sane know that it's ridiculous to have eleven guestrooms."

"It's fine." Flora chimed in shyly. Musa loved her voice; it was high and sweet. It reminded her a bit of a young girl's voice, but somehow fit the very wholesome and innocent vibe that Flora, a full grown woman, had going. "My clients are putting me up at a nice hotel, and since I will actually have to work on this trip, it's probably best that I have my space to work in without worrying about dirtying your home. Which is beautiful, by the way. The pieces you have lining the hall are beautiful – especially the more abstract grey and blue one, I think that's my favourite so far."

"Thanks! You'll actually get to meet the artist of that piece Sunday night" Musa replied. Helia, who she hadn't seen in far too long, invited her to every exhibit he or any of his friends put on. Though she had no talent when it came to visual art, Musa loved art, and loved being able to support small, local artists – especially when they were good friends of the person who had been her biggest supporter when her career was starting out. She tried to buy Helia's pieces, but he always refused, insisting family shouldn't pay and offering to gift her the pieces she liked. At some point she'd resorted to having friends buy the pieces for her because she didn't like that he wasn't being paid for his work. "Assuming you're still coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it. I love art and I've never been to a real, non-museum exhibition."

Riven chuckled softly at Flora's answer. The girl had practically squealed into his ear when he'd told her that Musa was extending an invitation to her. There was nothing that would stop her from attending a real art show as she'd phrased it, potentially not even death. She'd find a way to either come back from the grave or show up as a ghost. The two girls talked about the exhibition a bit more while Riven waited patiently for them to stop so he could show Flora the bathroom to change and get back in the pool. It was the hottest day of the summer so far and the water was calling to him.

"I should get changed so that I can join you in the pool" Flora said abruptly, almost as if she'd noticed Riven wiping the sweat from his brow. Or maybe she was just hot too and wanted to go for a swim. He showed her to the bathroom in the gym and sat on the edge of the bench press to wait for her. He knew Flora well enough to know that she wouldn't be comfortable being left alone in a strange home – especially one this big. He'd been uncomfortable in Musa's home for the first few days until he adjusted to having so much space.

Typical of Flora, she came out in a light pink one-piece with a bright green floral design. That girl did love her floral patterns. She looked around the gym for a minute while Riven walked over to the door, expecting her to follow him out. "Musa seems really nice" she commented, turning to Riven with a smile that he couldn't quite decipher on her face.

"She's not as awful as I thought she'd be" Riven grumbled, refusing to admit that Musa was much less awful than he'd thought her to be. In fact, she was quite pleasant – funny, smart, witty, friendly – but he wasn't willing to let himself go quite that far.

"That's a glowing review coming from you" Flora quipped, earning a glare from Riven.

"Come on, the pool is calling me." He turned to leave the gym again and had one foot out the door when Flora said: "She's even prettier in person."

"I hadn't noticed" Riven spluttered, barring the memories of Musa in that beautiful dark red dress she'd worn on the night of their double date weeks ago; of her in crop tops and low waisted sweatpants when he'd watched her in dance rehearsals; short shorts and baggy t-shirts with messy buns and no makeup, which she somehow made look gorgeous; and that damned red bra and panty set that he'd not been able to stop thinking about. And then today's damn bikini that she had to have chosen on purpose even if it made no sense to him.

"Of course you haven't. That would be unprofessional" Flora laughed as she brushed past him and headed towards the terrace. She was right; it was unprofessional. Not that it mattered; it wasn't like he was attracted to Musa, he just thought she was pretty. And it wasn't surprising that she was since she had the money to be. It wasn't that he thought she'd had work done – that didn't seem like her, she spent far too much time wearing the clothes of a homeless man and a twelve-year-old boy to be that vain – but she had the money for personal trainers and nutritionists and expensive products.

When he and Flora joined them in the pool, Stella was in the midst of saying something about a barbecue. From what little he'd heard about the girl from Mirta, Riven had expected to despise Stella. He'd been right. The blonde was shallow, vain and airheaded. Still, she must have some redeeming qualities if Musa was willing to put up with her. The husband – equally vain – seemed nice enough, though. He had a good sense of humour too, so Riven had no problems tolerating him.

"Tomorrow is way too short notice, Stel."

"Well, what do you have planned?" Stella challenged. Musa started to say that they'd been planning on taking Flora around, but the brunette interrupted insisting that she was happy to do anything. Riven wasn't surprised by this turn of events, Flora had always been a people pleaser. She was also incredibly easygoing and happy to join in on anything, so it was hard to tell which was which.

"Would you like to come to a barbecue at our house in the Hamptons?"

"A barbecue sounds like fun to me." Stella gave Musa a smug look, to which the singer rolled her eyes. Riven had to agree that a barbecue sounded much better than walking the dirty, crowded streets of Manhattan. Not that it mattered what he thought since he had to go wherever Musa went anyways.

Musa loved Stella – truly she did – but God did she want to wipe the smug look off her face. The blonde had a way of always getting what she wanted, and in this case what she wanted was a whole party planned in less than a day. Stella got up and grabbed her phone from her purse and sat next to Musa as she shot off a message to the group chat.

Stella: BBQ tomorrow. Hamptons house. Yes?

"Great, now that that's settled, Flora, tell us about yourself." Flora insisted that there wasn't much to tell but between Stella and Brandon, they managed to pull quite a bit of information out of her. She was 26 – two years younger than Riven – and had grown up next door to him. She was born on March 1st, had been valedictorian of her high school class, had taken some business and economics classes but never gone to university, co-owned her own flower shop in Chicago with a friend, had a massive weakness for chocolate and had gotten out of a relationship a few months prior.

"What about your favourite colour?" Brandon and Stella had just asked her any question they could think of, and Flora had happily answered all of them. Musa thought the girl must have the patience of a saint to be able to put up with Riven all her life and now Brandon and Stella's borderline interrogation.

"Pink. Is that really cliché?"

"You look marvelous in pink" Stella commented, sizing up the girl as she spoke. "You know, I've been working on this dress that's just about done. I hadn't planned on doing anything particular with it, but I think you'd look radiant in it. I think you should wear it to show on Sunday."

Flora meekly refused, insisting that she couldn't possibly accept a dress from someone she'd just met. Stella was insistent, however, that Flora was the perfect person to wear the dress and that she would outshine the art on Sunday. "I'll just need to take your measurements so I can have one of my employees tailor it for you."

"Stel, maybe if Flora could see the dress she'd be more willing to wear it" Brandon cut in calmly.

"How come I never get that option?" Musa had complained on more than one occasion about the outfits that Stella put her in, but Stella always brushed her off. Musa always looked good that was true, but sometimes Stella put her in things that were just too far out of her comfort zone. Like the fucking pink dress with that awful feather detail bottom that she'd worn to the Grammy's a few years ago. She'd hated that dress, but Stella – and the critics – had loved it.

"Because you dress like a twelve-year-old boy, so I don't bother with your opinion" Stella snapped without even looking up at Musa as she scrolled through her phone trying to find a picture of the dress she wanted amongst her hundreds of selfies and thousands of snaps from the honeymoon. Musa heard Riven snort a laugh at Stella's comment, and it hurt more than she expected it to. Maybe wearing the stupid tiny bikini was pointless if he only saw her as a baggy t-shirts and shorts kind of girl. "I like comfort" she mumbled defensively.

"Comfort is overrated."

"I'll give you the skintight clothes" Riven started, "but heels... what the fuck? Why would anyone put themselves through that torture?" Brandon nodded thoughtfully, adding on that, though he did like the look of heels, they seemed awful to walk around in. Musa was so happy the guys agreed with her, even if they would do nothing to sway Stella's need to put her in five-inch stilettos or worse, platform heels. The first time Stella had stuck her in one of those death traps, she'd been sixteen and never worn anything higher than a three-inch block heel to her cousin's wedding when she was thirteen. She'd almost broken her ankle the second she stood up. Eventually – with a lot of practice – she'd learned how to walk in them, and now she could even dance in them, but Musa still despised the damn things.

"I like heels. They make me feel powerful and sexy and confident."

"I quite like heels too" Flora agreed, "but I can always appreciate a nice, comfy pair of flats or sandals."

"I can work with flats or sandals, as long as you don't say sneakers like this one" Stella said, nodding over to Musa. She sidetracked the conversation by jumping up when she'd found the picture she wanted (how many pictures did she have that it took her that long?) and splashing through the water with her phone held high in the air over to Flora.

Musa got out to grab a beer from the kitchen, offering one to Flora, who refused, but said she'd take a glass of wine if possible. Musa made a mental note to bring the bottle since Stella was almost done her glass too and headed in, grabbing her phone as she did. She'd heard it ping a few times with the telltale tone she'd assigned to the group chat, and had seen Stella swipe away the notifications as she hunted for the pictures of the dress she had in mind for Flora.

Bloom: Sky and I were gonna stay home and get super drunk, but we can do that at your place too. Plus, your chef will probably whip up something better than pizza...

Aisha: Better than pizza? You feeling okay Bloom?

Bloom: I know. Who even am I?

Aisha: Anyways, I'm in. I sorta assumed we'd be doing something and didn't make plans anyways.

Tecna: It's very last minute but I can make it work.

Bloom: What were you gonna do?

Tecna: Head over to my parents'. Eat more nachos than should be humanly possible.

Bloom: You can have nachos at Stella's.

Tecna: Yes, I know. That's why I'm willing to cancel on my parents.

Tecna: Also Stella has a pool and it's supposed to be stupid hot tomorrow.

Aisha: it's stupid hot today. I'm sitting naked in front of my AC and I'm still dying.

Aisha: How can tomorrow be worse?

Tecna: Ask the meteorologists. I'm just telling you what they said.

Stella: See, Musa, not too last minute

Musa: -_- STILL SUPER LAST MINUTE

Tecna: Very much last minute, but honestly I'd expect nothing less from Stella...

Stella: What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Bloom: You're a procrastinatorrrrrr.

Tecna: Remember the final essay for English in tenth grade?

Musa: The one she wrote the day after it was due and then had to beg Mrs. Dufour to accept?

Tecna: The very one

Stella: I didn't even do well on that essay

Bloom: The day... after... it was due? Really Stella?

"Good news!" Stella announced as Musa rejoined them on the terrace. Flora, who was stepping back into the pool, shook her head, laughing at, Musa assumed, Stella's excitement. Brandon placed a kiss on Stella's temple while Riven looked like his soul had died. Musa couldn't blame him. As much as she loved Stella, listening to the girl blabber on about clothes was her own personal form of torture – a year in platform heels would be better than two hours of Stella's fashion ramble.

"Did Flora agree to your dress?"

"She did! We've already taken her measurements. Plus, obvi, you've seen that the girls are in for tomorrow."

"Please tell me Sky's coming too?"

"Of course he is" Musa scoffed. Sky and Bloom were practically attached at the hip. The only time that Bloom came without Sky was when it was specified that it was a girls' hangout.

"Riven, you should invite people too" Stella surprised the group by saying. It wasn't that Stella wasn't a nice person, but she tended to be very selective of who she invited to any of her parties. Her wedding had been close friends and family, her employees and A-list celebrities and designers; her birthdays were always just close friends and A-listers. It wasn't that Stella was a bad person, but she put a lot of – in Musa's opinion, too much – emphasis on how people perceived her. "It must get pretty boring watching Musa live her life" Stella explained, rolling her eyes at Musa and Brandon's shocked faces. "So, like, invite some friends or whatever."

"You should see if Nabu is free. I remember really liking him" Flora said, sipping her wine as she spoke. "You are still friends with him, right?"

"I am."

"Oh good. He's a wonderful person and I don't want to have to nag you about surrounding yourself with bad people."

Musa chuckled as Riven rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to text Nabu. She was going to like Flora, she could tell. And she already liked Nabu... and Aisha would too. It wasn't like Musa to play matchmaker – that was more Stella's thing. She rarely stepped in unless she was certain two people would be perfect for each other. Which reminded her... "Could you see if Timmy's free too?"

"Timmy?" Riven asked skeptically, raising his eyebrow at her and staring her down with those majestic eyes.

"Yeah. I liked Timmy." Musa shrugged as casually as she could when she could feel his eyes burning into her. Why was he watching her like that? What was it to him if she wanted him to extend the invitation to Timmy. Still, she tacked on the fact that she thought Tecna would really like Timmy too for good measure.

"Musa, are you playing matchmaker?" Brandon laughed.

"Maybe."

"Hey!" Stella objected. "That's my job."

"You're shit at it."

"I am not!"

"What's the last match you made?" Musa challenged, knowing full well what the answer would be. Stella, not quite having figured out that she was digging her own matchmaking career's grave, answered: "You and Andy?"

"Exactly. And remember how that ended?" Stella's eyes went wide as she realised what she'd just stepped into. She smiled apologetically at the singer while Brandon burst into laughter beside her.

"How did that end?" Flora asked innocently.

"Me walking in on him with his dick in someone else."

"Oh no."

"Exactly" Musa deadpanned, turning to Stella with a smugly victorious look.

"Whatever." Stella waved her hand dismissively, refusing to admit defeat. "Are you gonna be bringing Jared?"

"No. He's in Dallas." Musa had barely spoken to Jared since the incident on Sunday. A whole five days later and the only exchanges they'd had were his texts – which thankfully had slowed since then – and her wishing him a safe trip when he'd informed her that he'd be heading to Dallas for the long weekend for movie promo. She didn't know where she stood with him. Part of her wanted to hang on to that image of the sweet, loving guy that she'd met a year ago, but it was becoming increasingly clear that that may not be the real him.

Thankfully, Stella didn't get a chance to ask about him or their relationship as Riven announced that both Nabu and Timmy were in. Apparently, they'd both had plans that sounded nowhere near as interesting as hanging out with a bunch of people they didn't really know. Riven also added on that Nabu mentioned looking forward to seeing her and Flora again which she thought was really sweet. "Are you going to invite Darcy?" Flora asked.

"Who's Darcy?"

"Riven's girlfriend" Flora explained to a confused Stella. "They started dating after the last time I was in the city and I've not gotten to meet her yet. This would be a perfect chance."

Flora shot him a meaningful look. He and Darcy had started dating a few months after her last visit, that was true. He'd told her about Darcy just a few weeks after they'd met and anytime something major happened, but Darcy had never been in any of the phone calls or video chats he'd had with Flora. He knew she wanted to meet Darcy, but he just didn't think they'd get along. Where Flora was warm and - despite her shy nature - friendly, Darcy was cold and distant. They didn't have many – if any – shared interests or the same sense of humour. He didn't need them to meet to know Flora wouldn't like her. He ignored that that should mean something.

"Of course he should invite her" Brandon exclaimed cheerfully. Riven wasn't sure what was going on, but Stella had a pained look on her face. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared – lasting only the few seconds that Riven had managed to catch solely because he'd looked at Brandon as he spoke and Stella happened to have moved back to his side. "Absolutely" the blonde agreed, standing up and heading out as she explained that, in order to have everything done by tomorrow, she'd need to get to planning a.s.a.p. "Let me know about the girlfriend" she said, toweling off and picking up her bag as she headed out with Brandon in tow.

Darcy had been giving him the cold shoulder all week, still pissed about having been blown off for his job. He'd tried to call her once, but he didn't have it in him to beg her to talk to him. If she wanted to be a bitch that was her problem; he'd not done anything wrong. Still, for the sake of not disappointing Flora – even though he knew she wouldn't like Darcy – he said he'd call her.

She answered, which was basically a miracle. She sounded tired and Riven wondered if she was okay. Darcy was usually good about taking care of herself: she exercised regularly, drank her two liters of water per day and tried to get at least 6 or 7 hours of sleep every night. It was only mid-afternoon on a Friday; there was no reason for her to be tired just yet. "How are you?" he asked awkwardly. He had no idea what to expect. Would she tell him to go fuck himself? Would she apologise for overreacting? Tell him she missed him? Tell him she hoped he died in a ditch?

"Tired…"

"Everything okay?"

"I guess" she answered, pausing to collect her thoughts. "I think I owe you an apology. I know you were just doing your job…" She sighed deeply, and he could see her running her hands through her hair. He loved her hair, loved playing with it; it was always so soft and silky. "I just missed you and, to be kicked out like that…"

"I didn't want to" he whispered. He'd hated kicking her out. Hated that she was hurt by it. He'd had to; he was being paid to protect Musa – a lot of money at that – and he wanted to take his job seriously.

"I know." And that was it. The fight was over. She didn't talk about it anymore, and he didn't bring it up again. Instead, she told him about her week and her moron of a boss who couldn't keep track of his own clients. "It's a miracle he's still getting clients. Anyways, how was your week?"

"Fine. Not much new. I was actually calling to see if you're free tomorrow?"

"Well, the girls and I were going to get some ice cream and wine and shit talk Darko some more."

"He and Icy still fighting?" Riven asked, unsure of why he did. He couldn't care less about Icy's relationship, though the drama was entertaining.

"They got back together Tuesday and fought this morning. I swear those two couldn't be a functional couple if their lives depended on it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Musa's friend is having a barbecue and told me I could invite people. I thought maybe you'd wanna come?" He didn't mention that it had actually been Flora that had suggested inviting her – that would just cause another fight – but he did mention that Flora was here and looking forward to meeting her.

"Can I bring the girls? I think Icy really needs support and I can't leave her alone with Stormy…"

With Riven stepping away to call Darcy, Musa and Flora were left to talk. She wanted to know about Riven – the mystery of him, of his life and how he'd ended up in New York and her life had been on her mind for days, if not weeks, now – but she didn't want to be rude. It turned out that Flora was not only super sweet, but a bit psychic because she started talking about how she knew Riven with no push from Musa. You're probably curious as to how we ended up as friends, Flora had said. Musa had almost said that she was damn fucking right, but caught herself and said a bit instead.

They'd grown up next door to each other, which she already knew thanks to Stella and Brandon's interrogation of the girl, and had been friends since they were little. Riven had grown up in a not-so-great home, though Flora didn't go into detail, and her parents would often have him over for supper to make sure that he'd eaten. Musa wasn't surprised to hear he had a rough childhood. The way he'd thought of her when they'd first met was the same way fourteen-year-old Musa, who still had nothing, would look at someone in twenty-two-year-old Musa's place. She knew that poor kid mentality; to hate and be envious of those who had what you didn't.

Flora insisted that Riven was much sweeter than he seemed at first; that he had a good heart, he just didn't show it well. She told Musa about how, when she was a freshman in high school, one of the upperclassmen had started picking on her because she was small, chubby and quiet – an easy target. Riven had been furious when he'd found out; Flora had no idea what he'd done, but the bully never even looked at her again after Riven stepped in. She also told Musa about how Riven would always get her a box of cookies from the bakery near where they grew up – best white chocolate and macadamia cookies in Chicago, apparently – for her birthday. Even after he'd moved to New York, he'd call the bakery and order them to be delivered to Flora on her birthday. She was in the midst of telling her about how Riven had once carried her to the hospital when she'd sprained her ankle late one night in the middle of January and they had no money for a cab when Riven popped his head out the door.

Could Darcy bring her friends? Was he serious? Wasn't it enough that the invitation had been extended to her? Now she wanted to bring her bitchy little friends too. Musa didn't say any of that aloud though, just rolled her eyes and called Stella, who reluctantly said that, sure, she could bring her two friends. That wasn't the worst thing in the world. Musa could hear the irritation in Stella's voice – whether at the extra guests or at the F-lister guests Musa didn't know.

Riven went back inside to call Darcy back, and Musa turned to Flora, urging her to continue the story. She was captivated by what a secret teddy bear Riven was and wanted to know all about him. And if he wasn't willing to tell her, Flora was and that would have to do. But she didn't want to know because she was into him – not more than physically anyways – she just wanted to know, and there was nothing wrong with that.

By the time Flora finished the story, Riven had just come back out. Musa let them catch up, they deserved to spend some time alone together after three years apart, opting instead to head inside and write a bit. She couldn't write though; her mind kept hopping over to what other facets of himself Riven might be hiding and how she could uncover them. Merely to satiate her curiosity and no other reason. None at all.