*************

I stumbled out of bed with the knowledge that I had overslept. Last night, we stayed up playing games, which I lost every time to Allison. I have come to terms with losing to her every time since we were young.

My head was pounding slightly, and I braced myself for the light that’d poured into the room when I pulled the curtains back. Still, the brightness made me shut my eyes. I squinted them open, and stumbled back to the bed to get my phone. The time read that it was almost two pm.

How could I have slept for so long?

Allison was already in the kitchen, munching on something, when I stepped in, “You are awake!”

I heard the smile in her voice as I poured myself a glass of water.

“Yes, I am,” I said tiredly.

“Have some breakfast? Lunch?”

I laughed at her words, but settled down to have the sandwich she made me. It made me feel happy that she had settled into my house.

“We are leaving in thirty minutes,” she said, looking at her phone.

“Thirty minutes?” I asked, pretending not to know we had an outing planned for the day.

“Yes, Fiona. We are going to the Clover Club to have cocktails and then talk,” she said, with emphasis on talk.

“Okay,” I said, reluctantly going to my room, looking back as though she’d change her mind.

It took less time for both of us to get ready. We didn’t go overboard with getting ready. Christian had left us his car; Allison was kind enough to inform me when we walked out and found it sitting in front of the house.

I didn’t know what to do with the information that he showed up at the house, and I was still sleeping. A single glance at him would have really woken me up.

Allison drove us to Clover Club, and we pointed out buildings we had spent our childhood in, reminiscing about the good times. We laughed the entire time until we drove past our favorite ice cream parlor and saw a sign that said it was closing down soon. The news cast a bittersweet shadow over our joyful trip down memory lane.

We arrived at Clover Club with a new feeling of excitement. The place looked stylish, with round tables decorated with a small vase of flowers. The lights were dimmed, and it provided a type of intimacy.

The bartender got to us almost as soon as we settled down.

“We will have two Mojitos,” Allison said to the waiter, who nodded once and got to mixing. I looked away from her, pretending to take in the view. Once the drinks started coming, it was only a matter of time before the talk started with my drunk ramblings.

“Fiona, what is it?” Allison’s voice pulled me out of my head.

“Hmm?”

“You are not going to pretend for long, so you had better cut the crap and speak to me,” Allison said impatiently.

“I do not like how sad Christian has been in the past few months because of Aurora. It’s disturbing,” I said, waiting for her to say something most definitely disagreeing with it.

“You bet I am just as disgusted, Fiona. I am quite sure Christian was never in the relationship wholeheartedly, and he only did it to please Mom and Dad,” she replied with gritted teeth, and I couldn’t help but allow my eyes to travel back to her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Allison said with a roll of her eyes, and looked away from me. I watched as the wheels in her head turned, and when she turned to look at me, there was no denying that I had been found out. “Don’t tell me —“

“You’re mistaken,” I said with a firm shake.

“I didn’t even say anything.”

I said nothing, but maintained eye contact with her. I would not be the one to break, but that resolve lasted until the bartender placed the drinks before us.

“Okay, fine, I have feelings for Christian. Look… I know it’s wrong because he is your brother, and Aurora is still around him, but I cannot help it. I tried to push him away, believe me, but it’s been eating away at me for months.”

I waited for the backlash, but all she did was whistle and take a sip of her drink. “I think you should tell him. He has to know how you feel and vice versa.”

A part of me wanted to agree with her, but there was no need for me to do anything of the sort. I didn’t want to rush into anything and have regrets. There were a million ways this could pan out, and none of them looked like I would come out on top.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said and shook my head.

“I think it is. It might turn out really well. You know how Christian is; trust me, this is not something you want to regret down the road.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I asked.

“Then you know that you gave it a try,” Allison said and gave up her drink to pull me into a hug.

Chapter Twelve

Christian

Icould not shake off the feeling growing inside me for weeks. It started as a tiny spark, but now it is a flame threatening to consume me. I tried my best to ignore it. I have lied to my heart severely and pushed it away as much as I could, but it only seemed to get stronger.

The truth is, I have developed feelings for Fiona, my personal assistant, friend, and confidante.

At first, I thought it was a passing attraction or something that would fade with time, but I found myself thinking about her as the days went by.

Thoughts about her filled my mind, her hair, her eyes when she laughed; it was a welcomed distraction. Even then, I thought about the red dress she wore to the office today. Sometimes, I wondered if she really had no idea what she did to me.

I was always thinking about her because the alternative was Aurora and the troubles she came with.

My phone buzzed from where it sat on the desk. I let out a sigh when I saw the caller ID. Mom.

“The meeting,” I muttered, but didn’t answer the call.

My family was having dinner with Aurora’s parents, and I could already see how the conversation would go. It was hard for my parents to understand that I wanted nothing to do with her. No need to hang around the office, especially if my mother was already calling. Nothing good came out of defying my mom.

A knock came on the door, and when it opened, Fiona walked in, looking as graceful as ever in the red dress.

“Sir, you have a family meeting fixed for tonight; do you want to head home now?”

“Yes, tell Liam to be ready to move in five minutes,” I said, shifting my gaze from where it was fixed at her waist to look at her face. How could I give her up for Aurora?

Fiona nodded and walked out of the office, and long after she was gone, I stared at the already closed door. It was deeper than I thought.

I got to my feet and called Allison as I walked out. “Hi, Allison,” I said, “I’ll pick you up in five minutes.”