When Aimee had brought up the idea of throwing an engagement party, there hadn't been a moment's hesitation on my part before agreeing to help her plan.

She deserved a chance to celebrate before rushing full steam ahead into wedding planning and there was nothing I wouldn't do for her. Especially now that she was getting married to the love of her life. Though since their intention was to tie the knot in July—when Jack and his teammates were sure to have time off—it needed to be a sooner-rather-than-later kind of event.

And despite our conflicting schedules, Aimee and I spent nearly all our free time over the following week organizing the party. The first speed bump was finding a day that worked with Jack's schedule. Between the games, practices, and other obligations, it wasn't easy, but once the date had been decided, the real work began. Location, food, decorations, guests—they all needed to be sorted.

But it wasn't solely the party planning that kept me busy. It was the task of balancing it on top of my work schedule and the time I set aside to work on my designs. Juggling it all, there were points where I felt like I was in over my head, with too much on my plate as I struggled to stay afloat. However, with each day that passed, my savings account inched closer to the amount I needed to put a down payment on the building I'd been eyeing for weeks. One which stood at the edge of a commercial neighborhood and would be perfect for the small boutique I envisioned myself owning. It was within reach, I could feel it, and having that knowledge only made me work harder.

On the last Saturday of October, I walked into the dining hall Aimee's mom had found for the party after a convenient cancellation and felt the stress of party planning lift from my shoulders.

"Wow," I said, my eyes immediately taking in the room. "This looks even better than I imagined it would."

Spinning around to face me, Aimee grinned. "I know, right?"

Panoramic windows made up two of the four walls, and with autumn in full swing, the view of the city was absolutely breathtaking. Sunlight found its way through the sky of scattered clouds and a mid-day breeze sent the multi-colored trees asway. The buildings stood picturesque against the Charles River, while runners, cyclists, and families filled the streets to give the city its usual bustling feel.

Inside, we'd played off the season and gone with a rustic theme. Tables with white tablecloths lined one side of the room, surrounded by wooden chairs. Pennant banners of gold and white hung beautifully with fairy lights across the ceiling. Candles and sunflowers were the main decorations, though white painted pumpkins and fall foliage had been scattered artfully around the room. And to top it all off, letters spellings out Aimee and Jack's names lined the table closest to the entrance.

"I can't believe we actually did it."

"Well, believe it," Aimee replied. "Though you know I couldn't have done it without you."

A smile pulled at my lips, and as my gaze traveled over her shoulder, I spotted Jack talking to the two people manning the bar. The sound of our heels caught his attention though, and he excused himself before making his way over to us.

"So, when can I start digging into all the food?" he asked cheekily, gesturing towards the buffet as he appeared behind Aimee. He wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on the top of her head as she leaned back against his chest.

Swooning on the inside, I couldn't help but notice that since the ring had gone on Aimee's finger, the two of them looked more in love than ever before.

A light laugh left Aimee's lips as she turned in his arms. "Once people start arriving," she replied, lifting to graze her lips against his. "Oh, and that reminds me," she continued, pulling back, "I have to check with the caterers before they leave."

Turning on her heel, she headed for the buffet table and left Jack and I alone.

"So, are you ready for a lifetime with her?"

He grinned, not hesitating for a second as he said, "Hell yeah."

***

Considering everything had been thrown together quickly, including the invitations, we hadn't known how many people to expect, but as the clock struck noon, the place began to fill up. Family, friends, Jack's teammates, Aimee's colleagues—they'd all come together on short notice to celebrate Aimee and Jack and the journey they were about to embark on.

"Thank you everyone, so much, for coming today," Aimee said, standing at the front of the room with Jack by her side. "I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to celebrate our engagement with." Smiling wide, she paused as applause rang loud. "And while I'm up here, I might as well give a special shout out to Jo, because without her, I know this party wouldn't have come together the way it did. From freshman year of university to now, she's had my back through it all, and there isn't anyone I trust more to stand as my maid of honor during this crazy ride. Though hopefully when it comes to planning the wedding, the two of us will make sure things aren't as last minute."

Laughter swept across the crowd before Jack cut in, raising the beer bottle in his hand. "To Aimee, for agreeing to marry a guy who loves her as much as he loves hockey."

"And to Jack," Aimee added, lifting her glass of champagne, "for wanting to face the future alongside me."

Cheers filled the room as they kissed and I took a sip of champagne in celebration, enjoying the fizzing sensation that danced across my taste buds.

When the crowd began to spread out a few minutes later, I stood off to the side with Ella, a friend from university, listening to her talk about the house her and her boss were in the middle of designing. It made me proud, hearing how well she'd done for herself since the last time we'd spoken, though I couldn't do anything to quell the sliver of jealousy beginning to boil in my stomach.

Which may have been why my eyes slowly began to drift around the room, catching the exact moment when the door opened to reveal Sebastian as he walked into the party.

Doing a double take, my eyes bulged.

"Everything alright?" Ella asked, her curious gaze trained on me.

"Yeah, sorry," I apologized, shaking my head. Masking my surprise, I forced a smile. "You were saying something about your boss liking the layout you designed for the bedroom, right?"

Her lips curled and she nodded, continuing without realizing I was only half listening. With one ear trained on her story, I sifted through my brain, going over the conversations I'd had with Sebastian over the past two weeks.

He'd come into Apollo's a handful of times while I was working, and every time we'd fallen into quick, easy conversations when there was a lull in customers. He'd told me more about his brother and how his new job had him traveling across the country, while I'd shared a few stories about my time at Boston University and how I'd grown to love the city. The conversations were never overly deep, but he seemed to be a decent guy.

I just hadn't expected to see him here. At all. And unless I'd somehow been struck with a stroke of bad luck, I doubted he'd done something as crazy as follow me. Which left the question as to why the hell he was at my best friend's engagement party.

A question I needed an answer to. Now.

When Ella's story came to an end, I took the opportunity to excuse myself. Doing my best to remain out of Sebastian's line of sight, I crossed the room, smiling as I greeted Aimee and her mom.

"Joelle," Aimee's mother said, pulling me into a quick hug. "I can't thank you enough for helping organize this party."

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Fournier," I replied, waving her off as I stepped back. "I was happy to help."

"Besides, this was all just the practice run," Aimee quipped, nudging me gently. "Just wait until the actual wedding planning starts."

While I shook my head in mirth, the mention of her daughter's wedding caused a wave of emotions to settle over Mrs. Fournier. Her eyes shone with happiness and her features softened. "That's right," she said, her voice light. "My baby's getting married."

"And speaking of the bride-to-be," I cut in, hoping to stop the onslaught of joyous tears threatening to spill, "I actually have to steal her away for a quick second."

With no objection, I wrapped my hand around Aimee's wrist and gently pulled her alongside me. My heels scuffed against the wooden floors when I stopped in a vacant corner of the room, turning to face her. "Why is Sebastian here?" I asked in a hushed voice, getting straight to the point.

Aimee's brows drew together in confusion. "Sebastian?"

"Yeah." I gestured towards where he stood, grabbing a plate of food from the buffet, causing her to look over her shoulder. "Otherwise known as the guy from Apollo's."

Her gaze quickly snapped back to mine, eyes widening. "Wait," she started, surprise fading to interest in a matter of seconds, "you're telling me the guy you've been lusting over the past couple of weeks is here?"

I felt the blood rush to my face, tinting my cheeks pink. It wasn't that I'd talked about him a lot, and certainly not by name, but there may have been a time or two I mentioned a particularly attractive customer. "Yes," I hissed in embarrassment. "But I never said anything about lust."

"You didn't have to," she mused. "I'm your best friend—I know these things."

Yet this time, she was wrong. The man was good-looking, charming, and a familiar face at the pub, but that was all.

However, as I went to disagree, Aimee's attention veered back towards Sebastian, and mine followed. He still seemed oblivious to my presence as he looked for a free seat, but when he headed towards Jack's table—where him and a couple of his teammates were chatting—I was left gobsmacked.

He didn't have to introduce himself, joining the conversation with ease as he chuckled at something one of them said, which caused the cogs in my mind to work overtime. It was as if he knew them, and just like that, both mine and Aimee's eyes widened in realization.

I immediately thought back to when Aimee had mentioned a new player joining the Knights a few weeks back, and considering Sebastian was here, it wasn't a stretch to assume he was that player. Everything lined up—his move had been sudden, he'd come back to Boston to start his dream job, and he was constantly traveling. The only thing he'd left out was exactly what it was he did, and evidently, he played hockey.

What were the chances?

Though as I took in his broad shoulders, the way the fabric of his shirt stretched across the expanse of his chest, and his overall physique, it wasn't hard to imagine.

"Well," Aimee drawled, "this just got interesting."

And before I could object, to tell her this meant nothing, I froze, the words getting caught in my throat as Sebastian's gaze turned in our direction.

His brows shot upwards and recognition flickered within the rich chestnut color of his eyes, though it was all swiftly masked as his lips curled upwards. Leaning towards Jack, a string of unidentifiable words fell from his mouth, and if I were to hazard a guess, I would think they were to do with me.

Aimee nudged my side, and a bemused expression greeted me when I turned back to face her. "So, are you going over there?"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "Uh... I don't think so."

"Why not?" she asked, a mischievous expression on her face. "You might find you like hockey players just as much as I do."

Rolling my eyes, a short chuckle escaped me. "I don't see that happening."

"Oh, it's happening," she said, her attention flickering back towards the table, "whether you want it to or not."

a/n: so fun fact, when I was deleting the previous author's note for this chapter, I noticed that back in 2018 I was starting ACOTAR and then planning to read Throne of Glass and The Illuminae Files... well that must've been a good stretch of reading because those are some of my all-time favourite stories now!

but back to this story, remember to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments!