Throughout the little chitchat over coffee, Katelyn was clinging on Ian’s arm, Chloe was somewhat distracted, and Niall’s attention was shifting to me again and again. It was pretty awkward genuinely. And when we stood up, I couldn’t help but notice how Ian moved away from the crowd, and walked right at the back, hands stuffed into his slacks pocket.

As we walked towards the stores that Chloe had already selected, I found myself fidgeting again. This time because of the awareness that dawned on me that I was almost broke.

I had hardly any money to keep going for another week or two in that cranky hotel. I couldn’t spend all of it on a dress I’d be wearing for hardly a few hours.

As thoughts processed and weighed down on my already fried up senses, an arm linked around mine and pulled me toward them. I didn’t have to look to see who it was, but I couldn’t help the smile that made its way up my face, even amidst the chaos of emotions.

“I’m sorry, I was buffering for a while.” Chloe said, squeezing my upper arm.

“Me too.” I finally stole a glance at her and she was smiling at me. “What?” I asked, and she quickly wiped off the smile.

“Nothing. It’s just… odd.”

“What is?”

She halted in her steps, making me stop with her, too, and held both of my hands in hers.

“I saw the look on your face, Maeve. And let me tell you, you are my friend. And you would have been even if you’re some on-the-run psychopath with a foot-fetish, which I can assure you’re not.” Her eyes widened. “Are you?”

I laughed a from-the-tummy-and-holding-my-chest laughter. And soon, Chloe was joining me. I could barely remember the last time I laughed so whole-heartedly.

Still coming down from our laughing highs, Chloe threw her arms around my neck, tiptoeing to hug me. I returned the embrace with my whole heart.

This girl was so precious. She didn’t even know it.

“It doesn’t matter that I had no idea about this. What bothered me was that I felt you hid the truth from me.” She pulled back and looked at me with a sad expression. “What does matter is from this day onward, you share everything with me. And by everything, I mean every little thing that’s bothering you. Even things that you can’t tell your psychiatrist. I mean it when I said you’re my friend. And friends don’t hide things from each other.”

My lips parted and I drew in a breath. She was right. So right that a new force was circling in a whirlpool inside my chest, taunting me, and reminding me of something I didn’t want to recall.

A truth.

“Chloe, I need to tell you something.” I said, lowering my voice just a notch.

Chloe nodded. “I’m all ears.”

I opened my mouth, then shut it close tight, a lingering shadow behind her momentarily distracting me. The dark head peeked from a distance, over Chloe’s shoulder, eyes warming up my face from so far away. When he started walking toward us, I willed my feet to move, but they stayed glued to the floor. I glared at him, trying to scare him off with my eyes.

It didn’t work either.

“Chloe,” Ian touched her arm, drawing her attention away from me.

“Oh hey, yes, you had something important to talk?” Chloe switched a glance at me. But I was looking at the ground because Ian’s eyes were boring holes at the side of my face. I could feel it.

“Not to you.” He said, voice drop dead serious.

And for the first time since crossing paths with him after all these years, I was reminded of a vague memory. Of the nervousness I felt then, which I was feeling right now. A moment I dreaded, and shamelessly begged at the same time. Convincing myself that it was all in my head, I raised my eyes and—like two magnets drawn together—it locked with Ian’s.

“What is it that you wanna talk to Maeve in private?” Chloe pushed herself beside me, sticking to my side. My little hero.

“If you remember I said private, then you should be smart enough not to enquire about it.” Ian’s jaws tensed, immaculately, as he shot her a drop-it-and-leave look.

Chloe rolled her eyes beside me. “Fine. You have ten minutes. After that she’s mine for the rest of the day.” She patted my shoulder, before stepping away from us. “For now, she’s all yours.”

With that, she left, but her words hung in the air between us.

She’s all yours. I did not like how much I liked the sound of it.

With a stiff and rigid posture, Ian cleared his throat, twice. He looked awkward, and it was clearly written all over his face. It was like he could hardly ever hide what was going on between his ears. And if I hadn’t known him before, I would have even thought he was an open book.

He was not.

Ian gave away what he wanted to give away. And most of his emotions were bottled up somewhere deep inside, away from the prying eyes of people who wanted to peek into his personal life.

How did I know this? Well, he had told me himself. A long time ago.

“Maeve,” My eyes briefly closed, reveling in the feeling of my name on his tongue. Sweet Jesus. “I need to apologize for…” He trailed off, raising a finger to scratch his temple, looking conflicted. “Whatever Katelyn said is true. But the way she put it was wrong.”

Oh.

His brows narrowed, as if hunting for the right words to put forward his part of the truth. “When you passed out, I had no other option then to carry you out of the club. Chloe and Katelyn followed me out. And when Chloe went to grab my car for us, Katelyn was too curious to know who you were.” He scrunched his nose, as if displeased by the memory of that night. “She pointed out that I was moving on from my break up quite…quickly.”

“What break up?” It was out of my mouth before I could stop myself, and Ian looked at me, eyes softening as soon as it met mine.

“It’s been a few weeks.” The corners of his lips twitched into a sad smile. “The girl you saw me with on the day of our first appointment. Olivia.”

I was going to hell for feeling what I was feeling right now.

I was not supposed to feel this light or relieved, for a mere fact that he wasn’t fooling around with some blonde head in his office. She wad his girlfriend. Now that I thought of it, he did look quite distressed that day.

Stupid Maeve. So stupid of me. Had I not walked out that dramatically, my first impression would have been so different on him.

“I had to brush Katelyn off my shoulder until I got you to your hotel room, safely. So, I said the first thing that came into my mind.” Ian said, bringing my attention back to him, looking so guilty that I had this sudden urge to throw my arms around him and hug his guilt away. And forgive him in the process. “I had no idea she’d be here and twist my words into something I definitely did not mean. So,” He paused, bringing his blazing eyes back on me. “Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I crossed my arms against my chest, successfully suppressing a stupid grin. “I am not too fond of blondes, lest believe everything they say.” Ian gave me a quizzical look, and I quickly clarified. “But of course, Chloe is an exception.” I shrugged.

He looked relieved by my reply, because his chest heaved a deep breath. A little stupid flutter in my chest, drew my attention. He came all the way back to explain to me that the blonde bitch was fucking with my brain. Which indirectly meant he didn’t want any misunderstanding between us. Which also meant—

Tsk. What am I thinking?

I simply hated blondes (again, Chloe excluded). Specially around Ian. And about that–

“Do you have a thing for blondes or something?”

Ian blinked at me with a lost look, then opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything. Gosh, I'd stepped over the line.

“Uh, I did not mean it that–”

“No, I get it.” He smiled, then shook his head with a soft chuckle. “We should probably head back. It’s more than ten minutes. I don’t want my sister to hunt me down for taking you from her.”

I nodded with a smile, unfolding my arms and letting them drop to my sides. This was good. Less awkward.

Ian stepped aside, motioning me to lead the way with his hand, as I suppressed a smile at the gesture and ignored his smile that was accelerating that flutter in my chest.

I guessed gentleman-ness was my new kink.