Page 119 of Myla: The Hawthornes

The next morning, I completely forgot to ask him about Aoife.

Things might have gone differently if I’d remembered.

But probably not.

Chapter 17

Cian

“We’re just goingto the bar near my house,” Myla said, sounding like she wished she could reach through the phone and strangle me. “There’s three of us, and we can all walk home together.”

“Oh, now you’re walkin’ home?” I bit out, staring at my empty bay.

I should’ve known shit was going to go wrong when I’d checked the schedule that morning and realized it was going to be a slow day. Irritating shit always happened on slow days. People got hurt doing stupid shit. Everyone was pissy because they had too much time on their hands.

“Cian, it’s right down the road. It takes like five minutes to walk home.”

“Myla,” I murmured, walking outside. “We’ve been together how long?”

“Togethertogether?” she asked. “Two months.”

“And in all that time, have you walked any-fuckin’-where?”

“No,” she replied, drawing out the word. “But we’re usually together, and tonight wewill not be.”

“I’m not cool with you and Lou and Frankie goin’ out without someone watchin’ your backs.”

“I’m a full-grown adult!”

“I’m aware of that.”

“We’ve been going out on our own for years. Literal years, Cian.”

“You’ve been ridin’ home on the back of my bike most of those years,” I argued.

“Not every time.”

“Most of the time.”

“You’re being crazy. I wasn’t calling you for permission. The girls and I have barely hung out at all since you and I started sleeping together. This is a call totellyou I’m going out tonight.”

“You need a break from me, that what you’re sayin’?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying, and don’t try to flip this shit around.”

“I thought you were comin’ to Saoirse’s birthday tonight,” I ground out. “You blowin’ her off?”

“No, I’m not,” Myla shot back. “We’re going after the party.”

“Take Bas,” I ordered. It seemed like a good compromise. She wasn’t lying, we’d barely spent any time apart in the last couple of months. If she wanted to go blow off some steam with her best friends, I didn’t give a shit. It was the idea of her going without anyone keeping an eye out for them that made alarm bells go off in my head.

“It wouldn’t be a girls’ night if Bas was there.”

“Bas hangs with you guys all the time.”

“Oh, my god. I’m done with this conversation.”

“Don’t fuckin’ hang—” The words weren’t out of my mouth before she hung up on me. “Fuck,” I bellowed, squeezing the phone in my fist to keep myself from throwing it.

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