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“NOT THAT BAD, WAS IT?” Henry asked, leaning back on the sofa.
Henry and Ciara were at his flat, sitting in the living room. It was enormous—especially for one person—with two bedrooms and a living room big enough for a small party.
Ciara turned to smile at Henry. “It was actually nice to see everyone.”
“Even Liam?” The thought slipped off his tongue. It had been the first time Ciara and Liam had seen each other since their break-up years ago.
Ciara nodded, unbothered by the question, and smiled at Henry. “Yes, even him.”
Henry smiled back at her. “The lack of awkwardness positively surprised me.”
Ciara rolled her eyes. “We’re both adults. There’s nothing to be uncomfortable about.”
Henry raised an eyebrow at her as if to say it wasn’t that simple. “Adults who haven’t seen each other in years. You were still dating the last time you saw one another.”
It was true. Ciara hadn’t even seen Liam when she had ended things. She had broken up on the phone.
They had been in a long-distance relationship. She could have waited for his next visit instead of calling him, but she hadn’t.
Liam had been living in Peru for his job back then. They had become a couple on the day he had moved due to both of them lacking the courage to say anything until then. They had grown close during his last year at school, and he had moved to Peru right after his graduation—the same day they had finally admitted their feelings for one another.
“Well, clearly Liam has grown a lot, too,” Ciara said.
“You mean the stubble?” Henry laughed.
Ciara shrugged, picturing her ex-boyfriend in her mind. His hair had always been longish, but it had grown over the past few years. The stubble was new, and it made him look a little older—more like a man, less like a boy. He was different, but still Liam.
“He was surprised to see you.” Henry eyed Ciara to see her reaction.
“Wouldn’t you be if you were in his shoes?”
Henry was quiet, weighing on the question. “Guess I would be.”
“So, what is Iris like?”
“Are you asking because you’re jealous or be—”
“Henry!” Ciara scolded. “I’m not jealous.”
Henry raised his hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly. “I know, I know. You were the one to break up with him.”
Ciara brushed off the comment. “Anyway, back to Iris. Is she the girl he worked with in Peru?”
Henry turned to Ciara, brows furrowing and forehead wrinkling. “She is.” He glanced away from Ciara before his gaze settled back on her, the frown remaining on his face. “How did you know that?”
“I faintly remember hearing about her,” Ciara lied.
No one had ever mentioned Iris. She had accidentally seen a letter from Liam to Henry back in school. Back then she and Liam had still been together.
Based on the letter, he had never cheated, but his interest in Iris had been obvious. The long-distance relationship had been tough, and Ciara had been holding him back. It had been better to end it. For both of them.
It had been the right call. He had found happiness.
“Iris is a healer. She worked as a medic on the field in Peru,” Henry told.
“So she must be caring.”
“I guess so.” Henry shrugged. “Mum likes her, I guess. They work at the same hospital these days.”
Ciara smiled. “Well, if your mother likes her, she has to be a good person.”
“I suppose she is.”
“You’re not sure?”
Henry bit the inside of his cheek. “I don’t know her that well. She works a lot of odd hours, so she’s rarely at family dinners and gatherings.”
“She’s a healer. That’s why,” Ciara pointed out.
“I know, but I wish she was more present. I’d like to know more about the person my brother is planning to marry.”
Ciara patted Henry’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Then you have to make it happen.”
Henry turned to face her. “What do you mean?”
“Plan something and invite both of them. It’s not that hard, and I’m sure she’d appreciate it, too.”
“Since when have you been a specialist in relationships?”
Ciara rolled her eyes. “It’s just common sense.”
“Right.”
It had only been a few days since Henry had found Ciara in Seattle. He was excited to have Ciara back in his life.
At first their conversations had been tense and even awkward here and there, but things were returning to normal gradually. As if nothing had ever changed.
Except a lot had.
“So, how is England these days? Any news I should know about?” Ciara asked.
They had been talking about their past—their school years. But there was a lot they still had to talk about. Ciara had done everything to avoid talking about the elephant in the room—her sudden move to America and the three years she had stayed there.
Henry thought for a moment. “Nothing special comes to mind.”
“Do you still hang out with people from school?”
“Sometimes.”
“But not often?”
Henry smiled. “I’m sort of like you. I bury myself in work.”
“If your job was anything other than what it is, I wouldn’t believe you,” Ciara said. “But considering that you work with magical creatures, that’s easy to believe. You’re a little predictable.”
Henry chuckled. “Only because you know me so well.”
He had always loved magical creatures. Be it adult or baby creature. Unicorn or forest fairy. Except both of those creatures were rare—nearly extinct.
Ciara eyed Henry, tilting her head to the side. “Do I still know you?” Neither of them was sure who the question was more for, Henry or herself.
“We have time to figure that out. Right?”
Ciara nodded. “We do.”
His eyes turned solemn. “One thing’s for sure, though. I haven’t been through what you have.”
Ciara went rigid, muscles freezing and her eyes stopping to stare at her hands. “We should talk about that another time.”
“Promise?”
“I’ll talk to you when I’m ready.” She looked back up, meeting his gaze. “I just...a lot has happened.”
Henry nodded. “I get it. I don’t want to pressure you. But I’m here for you as your best friend.”
Best friend.
“I’m sorry for not being around as one for you.” Ciara held his gaze, eyes full of hurt. “You’ve always been a great friend for me. Same can’t be said about me.”
***
HENRY SAT DOWN BESIDE Ciara. “Come on, spit it out. I can tell something’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing,” the brunette mumbled, hugging her knees.
“It’s not ‘nothing’ if it makes you this sad.”
“It’s just stupid.”
“I can be the judge of that. If you just tell me what’s wrong, that is.”
“You can’t tell anyone.” She turned to face Henry with a dead serious expression. “Okay?”
“I’ll lock my mouth and throw the key to the bottom of the ocean. Now, will you tell me?”
Ciara smiled. But it was gone the moment she turned to look into distance. “I think I like Liam.”
“You’re friends. Isn’t that ex...” His eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah, not just as a friend.” Ciara sighed and buried her face in her hands.
“You have a crush on him?”
“Yes.”
“And why does that make you upset?” Henry frowned, looking at the girl whose face was still buried in her hands.
“He’s going to the ball with Mia.”
“He asked Mia?” The disbelief shone through his voice.
“Yes.”
“But Mia knows that—”
“She doesn’t.” Ciara’s voice broke as she roughly wiped her eyes. “She’s obsessed with him. S-she has a huge crush on him. She used to daydream about him and talk about him. Except now she doesn’t do that anymore.”
Henry’s mouth hung open. “D-does she even know Liam?”
Ciara rolled her eyes. But at last she turned to look at her best friend. “Everyone knows Liam.”
“Does she actually know him, though?”
“I think they’re dating now.” Ciara wiped her tears away again. She hated crying in front of people—even if it was just Henry.
“What makes you say that?”
“Why would she no longer daydream about him otherwise? They’re dating, and that’s why!”
“Have you asked either of them if they’re dating?”
“I don’t want to talk to them.”
“But—”
“Can we talk about something else?” It was time for her to stop crying over a guy. Even talking to Henry wasn’t helping.
“Well, who are you going to the ball with?” Henry asked.
“I doubt I’m going.”
“What?” Henry’s eyes widened. “Of course you are!”
“I don’t have a date.”
“There are plenty of people going alone.”
“Well, I don’t want to, and you can’t make me.”
Luckily Henry had a solution. “I’ll take you to the ball as my date!”
Ciara tilted her head to the side. “You don’t have a date?”
“I was planning to go without one, but clearly I need a date. And there’s no one else I’d rather go with.” He grinned. “So—”
“I don’t believe the last part.”
“I want to go with you now.”
“Who did you want to go with at first?”
“Doesn’t matter. I promise we’ll have fun. We always do, don’t we?” Hope gleamed in his eyes.
Sighing, she admitted, “We do.”
“So will you be my date?”
Ciara tried to hide her smile, but it didn’t work. “Yes.”
Henry grinned. “Great!”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t have a date either.”
“No, thank you for making me feel better.”
“What are best friends for?”
“For taking their upset best friends to the ball?”
Henry rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant. Besides, it’ll be fun.”
“You’re right. It should be fun.”
“But, fair warning: I’m not the greatest of dancers.”
Ciara laughed out loud. “I think you’ve stepped on my toes so many times at practice that a few more will be nothing.”
***
“LOOK, CIARA, I—”
A startling crash in Henry’s bedroom ruined the moment. He jumped up from his seat, his eyes wide.
“What was that?” Ciara asked, but Henry was already in his room.
She ran after him. The air was thick with smoke, blocking her sight, and a fiery scent filled the room.
“Is something burning?” Ciara shrieked.
“Nope, nothing! Not anymore.”
Ciara got rid of the smoke with a snap of her fingers. Magic was great like that.
As the air cleared, Ciara spotted a scaly red creature on Henry’s bed. “When did you get a dragon?”
Henry smiled sheepishly, patting the small animal. “This morning. A friend brought it back. It was over at her place while I was in America.”
“Is it yours?”
The dragon’s red scales had bronze freckles on them, and its eyes were a shade of gold. It was beautiful.
“I’m taking care of him, so I took him home with me for my holiday. I won’t be able to keep him here when he grows, though.”
Ciara’s eyebrows rose. “How quickly does he grow?”
Henry chuckled. “Don’t worry, he’ll fit through the door when he leaves.”
Ciara’s eyes widened, making Henry laugh harder. “He’ll be the size of a human?”
“No, smaller. Much smaller. But he will fit through the door.”
“Good.”
Henry stopped patting the baby dragon and turned to face Ciara, crossing his arms. “I’m a little insulted by your lack of creature knowledge.”
Ciara shrugged. “Not my field of expertise.”
“And what is?”
“Deadly curses and poisons?”
“I promise that by the time you return to America, you’ll know a lot more about dragons and creatures.”
The small beast grew annoyed at the lack of attention it was getting. It spit fire again, and the bed caught on fire.
“Oh, God! Roan!”