Andrew is still in bed when the doorbell rings. It isn't Gabriella. It's her closest friend, Ariana, standing there with a shopping bag and no intention of leaving.

What starts as an awkward visit turns into something neither of them can walk away from. A new dress. A hand that shouldn't be where it is. A hurried exit that solves nothing. When Andrew returns, Ariana is still waiting—and the story about needing a ride was never true.

They cross the line on the living-room couch that same afternoon. Hours later, over dinner, Ariana looks Gabriella in the eye and swears nothing happened. That he passed the private test the two women had set without his knowledge.