"If you can't show respect to him," Sophia said, her voice low but firm, "then you can't show respect to me."
The girls blinked, taken aback. No one had expected her to snap or to even snap at her.
"Sophia, we were just playing around a little.. "
"It wasn't funny." Sophia immediately snapped back.
The room fell silent. A few people turned to look.
Sophia continued, her voice sharp but steady. "You may not understand why I love him, but that's because you're too focused on what you see and not who he is. Derrick is kind. He's loyal. He's honest. And he treats me better than anyone ever has."
She looked around, her gaze sharp like it could pierce anyone.
"And absolutely nothing you say will change how I feel."
Derrick could feel his breath hitch a bit not with shame this time, but with emotion he couldn't explain.
Sophia wasn't just defending him. She was choosing him openly, loudly, boldly, in a room full of people who doubted her and everything she did.
The girls looked at each other with awkward smiles.
"Sorry… we didn't mean to offend."
Sophia didn't even bother responding.
She turned back to Derrick, eyes changing into something warm.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I just… didn't want to embarrass you."
She held his face gently and close, like they were going to end everything with a kiss. "You could never embarrass me."
They stood there for a moment, like the whole world had frozen around them.
The rest of the evening went on quietly. People were still watching, still whispering, but the whole hall felt different.
Sophia stayed by Derrick's side the entire time, making sure he felt among, seen, valued.
Eventually, the party ended, and the air outside was now cooler, calmer, easier to breathe.
Derrick exhaled deeply as they reached her car. "I'm sorry you had to defend me."
She turned to him sharply. "Don't say that."
"Sophia "
"You're not a burden. You're not someone I have to protect. I stood up for you because I wanted to, because you matter to me, because what we have is real."
Her voice became warmer.
Even after it was over, Sophia's words still played in Derrick's head.
He would always remember how she stood with her head held high, shoulders back, and eyes full of a clear warning to let everyone stay clear.
She defended him openly, honestly, and right away. It wasn't done secretly or done quietly to avoid embarrassment, she did it where everyone could see.
And everyone had heard it.
Some of the people who had seen it, saw another side of Sophia, one that would stand for what she believed in. In some eyes she looked like a hero, someone who would stand by what was right.
By the time they left the party hall, many guests were already whispering about it.
Some even had their phones out, recording what they called "Sophia's amazing moment." Derrick wouldn't be surprised if it was on a blog by morning.
Her friends, surprised and hurt bad, hurried after her to apologize to her, but Sophia didn't even slow down. She gave them a quick smile and a small nod, but nothing else. The damage was done, and she was still angry inside, even though she looked calm.
Derrick didn't say a word and just quietly followed her to the car, not sure if he should say anything. He could feel her emotions like a storm of anger, annoyance, protectiveness but she wasn't angry at him. If anything, she was trying to keep it away from him.
Once they were in the car, Sophia started the engine with a loud sigh.
"Let's get out of here," she said quietly.
Derrick just nodded.
The car drove away from the bright lights of the mansion, moving through the now lonely streets until the whole thing was far behind them. Sophia drove without talking at first, gently tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, her jaw tight. Derrick didn't try to rush her. He knew she needed a moment to calm down.
Eventually, she stopped the car in a small, quiet place looking at the water. It was one of those places people crowded when it was founded but slowly lost its audience. The city lights gently casted on the water, and the wind felt a little cool. She put off the engine and fell back into the chair, closing her eyes for a second.
"Sorry," she said warmly.
"For what?" Derrick asked, confused.
"For getting you into that mess. For letting them talk to you like that. For letting it bother me."
He shook his head almost immediately. "Sophia… you didn't do anything wrong."
She sighed. "Still, I hate that you had to hear all that."
He carefully stretched out and touched her hand. "I've heard worse and seen worse."
"Not from people who say they care about me." Her voice became tense. "That's what made me so angry."
Derrick didn't know what to say, so he just gently held her tighter.
A quiet space came between them, warm, and filled with different emotions
"Thank you," he said out of nowhere.
Sophia turned to him. "What for now?"
"For standing up for me," he whispered. "Again and again. You didn't have to...but you did."
She waved her hand saying it was nothing, but the small smile on her face showed how she really felt.
"You're my fiancé now. I'm not letting anyone, not even my friends, make you feel small."
He gave a quiet, gentle laugh. "You seemed like some sort of protective spirit back there."
Sophia finally laughed a soft, real sound that made the tense feeling disappear. "Don't make me seem better than I really am."
"You were cool," he said firmly. "Really cool."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue with him.
They stayed there for a bit longer, talking about everything and nothing like how silly the event had been, how strange it felt to be a popular topic online again, how life kept changing faster than they could keep up with. The more they talked, the more the anger in Sophia's chest disappeared, changed into something softer.
Later, the talking died down again, and Derrick found himself looking at her at the curve of her smile, the softness in her eyes, how the wind touched her hair.
He didn't plan to do it. He didn't practice it. He just moved closer, drawn to her like he always was.
"Sophia…" he said quietly.
She looked at him.
The world seemed to stand still.
Derrick moved in slowly, his heart beating fast, giving her every chance to stop him if she wanted to. He wasn't pressuring her he just wanted to be near her for a moment after everything they had been through tonight.
Their faces were very close when she suddenly turned her head away.
He stopped moving.
She moved back gently not harshly, not angrily, just… unsure.
A soft, uncomfortable silence filled the air between them.
"Sorry," Derrick said right away, his face getting hot. "I shouldn't have "
"No," Sophia said quickly, reaching out to touch his arm. "You didn't do anything wrong."
He swallowed hard. "Then…?"
She looked down, playing with her fingers. "It's just… everything tonight was a lot. I'm not in the right state of mind."
"Oh." He nodded. "Yeah. I understand that."
"I don't want our first real kiss to be because of stress or feelings," she added quietly. "I want it to happen when things feel right. When I'm calm. When I'm not thinking about cameras and rumors and people trying to hurt us."
That made sense. It made perfect sense.
And because it was Sophia, he respected her feelings right away.
"Okay," he said with a small smile. "We'll wait for the right time."
She looked like she felt better even thankful. "Thank you."
Derrick nodded, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling in his chest.
They sat together quietly again, the moment fragile but not ruined.
After a while, Sophia leaned her head on his shoulder, letting out a long breath.
"We'll be okay," she said softly.
Derrick put his hand over hers.
"Yeah. We will be."
The night air felt nice around them, the waves nearby making soft sounds against the shore. Nothing dramatic, nothing too emotional, just two people working things out, little by little, in their own imperfect but honest way.
And even with the awkward moment still there, Derrick felt something real:
They were growing up.
Getting stronger.
Getting closer.
Even when they made mistakes.
Even with all the noise around them.
Sophia hadn't kissed him tonight but she had chosen to be with him again.
And that was enough for him.