Bri hesitated. "William is.. not bad," she said finally. "He is cold, but polite. Maybe it's for the best that he is not interested in our marriage. I can enjoy my freedom, right?"
Anna dramatically held Bri's left hand. "Freedom with a diamond ring on your finger?"
Bri laughed softly. "A diamond ring that is sitting on the nightstand, thank you very much."
Jake leaned back in his chair, watching Bri closely. "So what, you're just going to play the part of a wife without the actual obligations?"
"Maybe," Bri said lightly. "It works for the both of us. He can keep his girlfriend, and I can keep my life simple. Who knows? Maybe I'll even get a boyfriend. Fall in love for real."
Jake's fork paused on his lips "A boyfriend?" he repeated, voice a little sharper than he meant it to be.
Anna grinned, but sensing the shift in Jake's tone, she intervened. "Oh relax, Dr. Protective. She's joking. Bri is not that kind of a girl." Then she added playfully, winking at Bri, "Maybe she'll get a girlfriend instead."
Bri burst out laughing, nearly choking on her drink. "Anna!"
Jake shook his head, laughing despite himself. "You're both impossible."
Anna leaned back, smiling smugly. "I try."
The laughter faded into a comfortable silence.
Then Bri turned to Jake, eyes warm. "How is UCLA med, Mr. Doctor?"
He looked up, caught off guard. "Tiring," he said with a half smile. "Long nights, too many exams. You know how it is."
"You love it though," Bri said softly.
Jake's gaze lingered on her for a moment. "Yeah," he said. "I do."
Bri changed the subject, chatting about the set and the next day's shoot, the new lines she'd been given, the director's quick praise, and the nerves she still couldn't shake. But as she spoke, Anna noticed the way Jake kept glancing at Bri between bites, his expression softening every time she laughed. Anna had known him long enough to recognize it.. that look. The look he always tried to hide. She felt a small ache for him. Jake had always liked Bri, long before even he himself realized it. And what worried Anna most was how Bri never seemed to notice the way Jake looked at her, or the way men always did. She had no idea how effortlessly stunning she was. Bri drew people in without even trying, and that innocence, Anna thought, might be the very thing that broke hearts, starting with Jake's.