The evening was warm and cozy. The air inside the studio smelled faintly of varnish and coffee,the quiet scent of Jace Prescott's world. He stood over a canvas, a streak of charcoal on his forearm, lost in focus, when the entrance bell chimed.
When he finally looked up, his face split into a grin. "Busted!"
Sophie stood in the doorway, her hair pinned up in that effortless way. Beside her was Darren,tall, broad-shouldered, casual in a dark shirt and denim, looking equally pleased and slightly awkward.
Sophie crossed her arms. "You just had to play matchmaker, didn't you?"
Jace raised both hands innocently. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Or in this case, me"
Darren chuckled, shaking Jace's hand firmly. "Man, I owe you one. For real. You've got some serious timing."
"Oh, I know," Jace said, smirking. "It's a gift."
Sophie rolled her eyes and gave Jace a playful nudge. "You don't just get to swoop in and play hero like that."
"It was my pleasure," Jace said with a grin. "After everything you did, convincing Amy to show up at the gallery, helping me get the place together... I figured it was my turn to return the favor. And besides…" he added, glancing at Darren, "you two were overdue for a little push."
Sophie laughed, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable."
"I know," Jace said again, feigning modesty.
The three of them shared an easy laugh before Sophie's eyes wandered over the studio. It had changed since she'd last visited. New canvases leaned against the wall, photographs and sketches arranged like memories in motion. The light was soft and gentle, catching on frames and glasses.
"Wow," Darren murmured, his gaze sweeping over the displays. "This place is incredible. You really took all these yourself?"
"Mostly," Jace said, scratching his jaw.
Darren nodded appreciatively. "Man, you've got talent. No wonder Sophie told me twice your pictures almost teared her up."
Sophie turned sharply, half-mortified, half-laughing. "Darren!"
"What?" Darren said innocently. "You did."
Jace laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment.
"Yeah, sure," Sophie muttered. "You say that like you haven't been on a roll lately. I saw that article online about your exhibit."
"Oh, that," Jace said casually. "It was just a small feature."
"'Small feature,'" Sophie repeated dramatically. "You were on the front page of Manhattan Lens Weekly."
Darren raised a brow. "Front page? Damn, I didn't know I was being set up by a celebrity."
Jace grinned. "Celebrity might be too much,local artist maybe."
"It's really beautiful in here, I could get myself a thing or two" Darren said.
"Let me show you around then" Jace said to Darren.
"What about Ames, Jace?" Sophie asked trying to asit on one of the high stools.
"She'd be here soon" Jace replied.
Sophie poured herself some coffee as the guys walked further in. They chatted easily about Boston, about Darren's engineering projects, about how Manhattan traffic was a nightmare compared to anywhere else on Earth. "Man, I'm sorry,I should have come pick you up myself, Manhattan roads are crazy" Jace apologized.
"No worries, booking my flight tickets was more than enough." He continued. "I was planning on surprising Soph on Christmas day but I couldn't pass up on the offer since you said she was literally crying over here for me"
"Christmas day?,that's like two months away,that's mean babe" Sophie said.
"Babe?" Jace asked surprised.
"Yh,it's official now, we're dating" Darren replied smiling.
"Nice work Jace" Jace smirked patting himself and they laughed.
"I guess we're even now, i liked you better before you started playing Cupid, it was my thing." Sophie said.
"Lies," Jace said with a grin. "You love me."
"I tolerate you," she corrected.
"That's love in Sophie-language," Darren whispered enough for her to hear and they laughed.
She leaned on one of the tables, watching the two men talk, and it warmed her to see how naturally they got along.
Then, just as Darren was complimenting one of Jace's monochrome city shots, the entrance bell chimed again.
"Ah," Jace said, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Right on time."
Sophie turned and immediately squealed. "Oh my God!"
Amy stood in the doorway, her hair pulled back, sunlight catching on her earrings, her expression brightening the entire studio.
"Just the girl I wanted to see!" Sophie exclaimed, nearly spilling her coffee as she rushed to hug her.
Amy laughed, hugging her back tightly. "Well, this is a nice welcome."
Sophie pulled away, holding her at arm's length. "You look amazing, as always. How are you? How's everything?"
"I'm good," Amy said warmly. "Busy, but good. I see you've been busy too." She nodded toward Darren, who smiled politely.
"Who's that?" She asked.
"Oh right!" Sophie said, stepping back. "Amy, meet Darren. The guy I haven't shut up about for months."
Amy's smile widened immediately. "Ah, so this is the famous civil engineer from Boston."
Darren laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guilty."
"Well," Amy teased, "I can finally put a face to all those stories Sophie told me. You know, the mysterious guy who fixed her car, disappeared, then reappeared with perfect timing?"
Sophie gasped. "Amy!"
"What?" Amy said, laughing. "You did tell me that story."
Jace chuckled from across the room. "Don't worry, Darren, she tells everyone's stories. She's like a walking confession booth."
"Hey!" Sophie said, pointing at him, pretending to look offended.
They all broke into laughter. The room felt alive,full of the kind of warmth that came only when the right people were together.
Amy wandered toward one of Jace. "Hey you" She said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss. He grinned placing his right hand on his waist.
"How was work?" He asked.
"Great" She continued nodding towards some photos at the farther end of the wall. "You've added more pieces," she said softly.
"Yeah," Jace said, moving to stand beside her. "New beginnings, right?"
Their eyes met for a brief moment, a quiet smile passing between them. Sophie noticed and smiled too, the kind of smile that came from seeing two people that were genuinely in love with each other.
Meanwhile, Darren walked around, studying every piece with genuine curiosity. "You really capture emotion," he said to Jace. "It's like the pictures are… alive."
"That's the goal," Jace said with a nod. "To make people feel something."
"You definitely do," Sophie said, joining them. "I still can't look at that rain series without tearing up."
Jace smiled faintly. "Mission accomplished then."
Amy looked at Sophie and Darren, the way his hand brushed hers when she reached for her coffee, the way her smile softened just for him. "You two look good together," she said, grinning.
Sophie's cheeks flushed instantly. "Oh stop."
"They're a couple now" Jace told her.
"Jerk!, I wanted to tell her myself" Sophie sang as Amy gasped.
"Seriously?" Amy said. "Jace told me about his plans of surprising you but he didn't mention you'd make such a great pair."
Jace leaned casually against a desk. " Matchmaker of the year,am I right?"
"You're impossible," Sophie said, laughing.
The four of them stayed like that for a while, laughing, talking, sharing quiet moments that felt effortless. There was no rush, no lingering sadness, just the easy contentment of friendship, love, and new beginnings.
Sophie and Amy stood to the side, watching them, amused.
"They're getting along way too well," Sophie whispered.
"I know," Amy whispered back. "Should we be worried?"
"Nah," Sophie said, sipping her coffee. "They're just bonding over their shared need to fix everything."
Amy snorted. "And we're the things they try to fix."
They both giggled like teenagers.
Darren looked at her, their eyes met for a brief second, something quiet passing between them. Sophie smiled to herself, and looked away.
"Okay," she said, clapping her hands, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. How about we grab lunch? My treat. To thank my very intrusive but lovable matchmaker."
Jace grinned. "I never say no to food."
Darren slipped his hand around Sophie waist. "Same here"
"Perfect," Sophie said, looking around at the little makeshift family gathered there. "Art, love, friendship, and food, honestly, life's not so bad."
Jace raised his hand in a toast. "To good company," he said.
Amy smiled looking over to Darren. "And to new friends."
Sophie chuckled. "And to never trusting Jace with secrets again."
They all laughed, and the sound filled the studio like sunlight warm, easy, and real.
Sophie thought with a smile."Love really did look good on everyone."