Page 25 of Heir

He was popular, and people just wanted to fall into his orbit, while I had spent most of my life keeping everyone at a distance. Blue was the exception. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even when we were children, he could see how much I had isolated myself from everyone else, or perhaps he could see my desperation in wanting to not be on the outside looking in anymore.

Whatever it was, he was persistent in his friendship, and in the end, I couldn’t help but love him.

Kai was different.

He didn’t feel anything for me, except maybe contempt now that he realized I was William Gallagher’s niece.

I wished I wasn’t, but it wasn’t like I could have picked my family.

My eyes scanned the bar for the blue-eyed boy who had occupied my thoughts for years now.

I was smitten at first sight, but it wasn’t like we had ever crossed paths, and over time, that crush had turned into something I rarely thought about until now.

Now that I was living with Blue, and Blue and Kai were friends…

Well, how could I possibly avoid him?

And that small crush from two years ago? It was back, and my heart was reacting to the mere thought of seeing him again in the worst way possible.

I frowned as Blue led me to the bar.

“All right?” he asked me, grabbing my hips and lifting me up onto the high stool. His hands lingered as he looked around. I knew why he was doing this. It was the same reason he had kissed my cheek when he took me to a bar for the first time on my twenty-first birthday and kept his arm around me for most of that night.

He wanted everyone to think I was with him so I wouldn’t get harassed.

I’d always thought he was overreacting, but I didn’t mind too much because it took away the possibility of my having to reject a drunk man at the bar.

I leaned a little closer to him, and he met my eyes, smiling a little and cupping my cheek.

Despite our almost-two-decade long friendship, there had been nothing romantic between us.

We had never even kissed.

Blue treated me like his best friend, and that was all there was to it.

“What do you want to drink, baby girl?”

My lips twisted as I thought about it. I wasn’t big on alcohol. I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I didn’t like the fuzziness that came with it.

“A coke,” I replied.

He squeezed my cheek affectionately. “Got it. You just stay here and don’t talk to any of these fuckers.”

I rolled my eyes. “If I’m not supposed to talk to anyone, why did you bring me here?”

“Do you want to talk to them?”

Not without Blue present, I didn’t.

I didn’t answer, but he knew me well enough to understand what that meant.

“Stay,” he said.

I saluted him, and he chuckled and walked away.

I swiveled in my chair and looked around. I pretended I was just taking in the scene, but I knew why I was looking.

I couldn’t see Kai anywhere.

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