A knock at the door brought Noah out of his devilish thoughts, and he opened it to find Ian standing outside his room. "Am I disturbing you?" Ian queried, bending over to see if Noah was in the midst of some work. Although his voice was genuine, there was mischief lingering in his eyes, and Noah's lips twitched, seeing his friend tease him.

"Now that Joshua is temporarily on leave, have you taken his job of being a jester?" Noah walked back and plopped on the bed, keeping the door wide open.

"Someone has to fill his shoes to keep life balanced. Otherwise, what use is it to stay serious all the time?" Ian followed Noah and sat on the couch beside the door. "Before I forget, happy birthday."

"Yeah, thanks." Noah nodded at him, and Ian narrowed his eyes, seeing the man's cold response.

"What kind of differential treatment is this?" Ian complained, folding his hands. "I am sure when Aria wished you, you were all smiles and chuckles. But when I wish you, all I receive is a cold response. Looks like Noah is forgetting friendship after he got into a relationship." Ian commented in all seriousness, and Noah rolled his eyes, giving him a bored look.

"Looks like you have officially taken over Joshua's job. Even your jokes as bad as his. You need to improve a lot, Ian."

Ian just scoffed at him, crossing his legs in the meanwhile. "Don't change the topic."

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to hug you and thank you for your wishes? Or do you want me to stare at you with a love-filled gaze for wishing me on the birthday?" Noah raised his eyebrows, and Ian almost coughed out blood hearing him. His friend was as brazen as ever, sparing no one, not even him.

"Oh, please." Ian shook his head frantically. "Save all your acts for Aria. I am sure she would love them. Spare me."

"Definitely."

"Ah, my friends are becoming lovesick fools. God save them." Ian looked at the ceiling as though he was praying for his friends sincerely, and Noah shook his head as he stifled a yawn.

"We will see how lovesick you will be when you find the one. Given your character, I am sure you will fall deep into it compared to any of us." Noah sassed, and now it was Ian's turn to roll his eyes.

"We will see when that day comes. But I am sure my case will not be a severe as yours. Joshua and you cannot even keep your hands off your women. If this continues, I am sure within a year, babies will be crawling in your houses."

"You cannot blame us for it. Aria is so cute and sexy. I cannot control myself around her."

"See I told you. You are a lovesick fool."

"You are right. I am."

"I am always right." Ian shrugged as though it was not a big deal for him.

"But you are wrong in the babies' part. We will not be having babies any time soon. I don't want them to come in between us soon. I wish to spend more time with my woman before we start a family." Noah said with a straight face as though he was discussing the weather, and Ian nodded at him, understanding his perspective. Noah was barely thirty, and it made no sense that he had kids soon. The young couple needed some quality time with each other. So, it was best they started a family when they were comfortable and ready.

"Your grandfather will be annoyed at you. You know he has a lot of expectations from you." Ian hinted with a smirk.

"I am not the only one who can give him grandkids. I am sure my sister would be more than willing to. Let him ask her." Noah stated, and Ian chuckled at hearing his amusing response.

"Sure, sure. We will see what will happen when Grandfather finds out your intention. Anyway, did Aria tell you about herself?"

"Not yet. Although she has given me bits and pieces, she is yet to reveal everything. But it does not matter to me if she wants to keep it a secret forever. It is her choice if she wants to do so."

"Are you sure? Don't you want to know why she became that way?" Ian questioned, blinking at the man, who seemed a lot more mature than he used to be.

"I want to. I want to know everything about her. But if she wants to keep it a secret, I will not force her to reveal them." Noah shook his head, showing his determination in his words and his trust in his woman.

"Aren't you angry that she hid such a huge matter from you?" Ian could not stop himself, for he was curious how Noah felt about Aria's lie. "Do you remember how Aria had been furious when she found out about her father? She hadn't spoken to us for days."

"I was angry but it was just at that moment," Noah said, recalling the day Aria had asked him to save Maggie. "I realized that Aria never did anything that hurt me. She has secrets that are nowhere related to me. They don't concern me or my family, or their well-being. Whereas I kept her father's whereabouts a secret from her. The twins have been searching for him for years, and if my hunch is right, that might be one of the reasons why Maggie joined Jared's gang. So, if we consider in this aspect, Aria's secrets are not that big a deal."

"You are right," Ian understood what Noah wanted to convey. It was true that neither Aria nor Ivy hid anything substantial from the men, unlike them who had kept them away from their father for three years. "Aria's lie is nothing in front of what we have done, and I am still amazed that she forgave us that quickly. If I was in her place, maybe I would have not been that understanding."

"I agree. I am quite fortunate to have such an amazing woman in my life, and Joshua is one lucky idiot." Noah added, a small smile making its way on his lips.

"Yeah, unlike Aria, Ivy did not even blame him for our mistake. For this, I envy you two. Both of you found amazing life partners. I am sure they will keep you happy forever."

"What about us? Don't you think we will keep them happy?"

"Oh, I did not say that. I am sure you guys will treasure them for life. Honestly, I am glad for you guys."

"Oh, don't worry Ian. You will find someone amazing too, and she will treasure you for life."

Ian did not comment about it, for he was scared. He had already lost a lot of things in life, and he did not want to fall in love, only to lose her too. "I will leave now. You need to take good rest. Otherwise, how will you be prepared for Aria's surprise?"

"Did Aria tell you about it?" Noah was flabbergasted to hear his friend speak about it when he himself did not know a word about it.

"Nope. But I guessed. Otherwise, she would not have applied for leave tomorrow. I presume she must have prepared a blast for you. So, birthday boy, take good rest and wait for your surprise."