Her heart fluttered.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I think I am."
"Good. You deserve this." Hannah pulled her into another hug. "I'm really happy for you."
Riley's throat tightened. "Thanks."
The guilt was sharp and immediate. Hannah thought this was real. Everyone did. And here Riley was, lying to her best friend's face.
It's just for the holidays. Just to get through the commentary. Then everything goes back to normal.
Except standing here, watching Grant laugh with their friends, his arm around her waist like it belonged there—it didn't feel like a lie.
It felt dangerously real.
Jenna clinked a glass, calling everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone! Time for the gift exchange!"
They gathered in a circle, passing around wrapped packages with varying degrees of effort put into them. Mark had clearly wrapped his with newspaper and duct tape. Emily's looked like it belonged in a store window.
Riley ended up with a ridiculous pair of holiday socks from Ryan. Grant got a book about tree farming from Jenna that made everyone laugh because he already owned three copies and probably could have written the book himself.
"It's a classic," Jenna defended.
"It's been regifted four times," Mark said.
"Five," Chris corrected.
Grant just smiled and set it aside, his hand finding Riley's knee under the pile of wrapping paper.
The touch was casual. Innocent. But it sent electricity straight up her spine, and her bouncing, anxious leg stopped.
She glanced at him, and he was already looking at her, something soft in his expression that made her forget how to breathe.
Stop. This isn't real. Remember?
But the way he was looking at her felt real.
The party stretched on—more drinks, more laughter, more questions about how they got back together. Riley lost count of how many times someone said "I knew it" or "You two are perfect together."
Every comment made the lie heavier.
By the time people started filtering out, Riley was exhausted. Not from the party, but from maintaining the performance. From pretending this was normal. From trying not to think too hard about how easy it was to lean into Grant, to let his arm stay around her, to laugh at his jokes like they were the only two people in the room.
"You two heading out?" Hannah asked as they grabbed their coats.
"Yeah. Early morning tomorrow," Grant said.
"Tree farm stuff?"
"Always."
Hannah hugged them both. "I'm so glad you guys are back together. It feels right, you know?"
Riley's chest tightened. "Yeah. It does."
They said their goodbyes and escaped into the cold night air. Snow was falling now, soft and quiet, coating everything in white.
Grant opened the truck door for her, and Riley climbed in, her head spinning.
