After finishing the call, I drank another half a glass of water before heading towards the bedroom. Pushing open the door, I entered the dimly lit room. I could make out Brae's figure lying on the other side of the bed.

There was no movement as I slipped in beside her but her unsteady breath and stiff posture gave out that she wasn't sleeping. I put a hand around her waist, mentally preparing myself for when she would push it away but she didn't.

"I know you are awake." I whispered before placing a soft kiss behind her ear. Though I couldn't exactly tell what fragrance her hair smelled of, it was a sweet smell that was hitting my nostrils.

"I'm sorry." Still nothing but the small inhale confirmed that she was listening.

"Honestly, I am still not convinced that it was completely wrong but I should have respected your decision." I sighed before continuing.

"I knew you wouldn't have been impressed with this but I did it anyway and for that I'm sorry." I waited for a response but didn't get one. I raised myself up on my elbow to look at her face.

"How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?" I trailed kisses along her jawline and her eyes that were previous shut were now clenching.

"Don't." She turned her body slightly towards me. It wasn't hard to sense that her control was wearing off.

"I won't stop unless you forgive me." I spoke between peppering her face with kisses. She tried hard but ultimately couldn't help the smile falling upon her lips.

"Dumbass!" She mumbled while completely turning towards me.

"I love you." I whispered into her hair in response to which she sighed soundly.

"I love you too."

…………………..

"God! This sounds like a freaking movie." Cora ended with a chuckle like she was still grasping it. I would have had literally the same reaction if I wasn't in my place.

"I know right!" I said, putting the coffee down. Looking at Austin I found him staring at the phone. He hadn't said anything but before I could ask anything he got up all of a sudden.

"I'm extremely sorry but something really important came up. I got to go." He waved his phone, gesturing that he received some message or something.

"What? Now?" I was confused as to why he would leave. We had this meetup pre-planned.

"I'll see you." I hardly had the time to nod before he rushed out. I looked back at Cora as she stirred the coffee.

"What happened to him?" She looked up at me and raised a brow.

"Are you seriously that dumb?" I frowned before my mind started doing the math itself.

"He...no." I didn't want to believe it. He was my friend and my thoughts being true would make things awkward between us.

"He got a thing for you." Now that I thought back, everything fell back in place. He didn't speak much during this whole time and the smile he passed before heading out looked forced.

"You knew that and you didn't tell me?" She stared at me blankly before putting her elbows on the table and leaning forward.

"And what would you have done?" I shrugged.

"I wouldn't have been so elaborate on my love story." She sighed before relaxing in her seat.

"Well, I learnt only a few days back and he didn't want me to tell you. Though I did it anyway." She muttered the last part guiltily.

"Should I talk to him?" She shook her head, discarding my proposition.

"He'll come around. Give him some time." I looked on before giving a nod.

"Yeah, you're right."

………………..

"See you then." Cora said, breaking the hug.

"On Monday."

"Yeah." She got into her car and waved at me before driving off. I too got into the driver's seat of my car and headed off towards my next destination where Victoria asked me to meet her. It was a short drive of ten minutes but I was running a little behind the said time. Only for a few minutes though.

As I walked in I saw her sitting at a table at the further end. It took two seconds before her eyes found me.

"Victoria, hey! I'm sorry I got a little late. Actually I was-" She cut me off, a little rudely if I should say but I hadn't expected her to be all sweet and loving. She didn't even know about the incident.

"Take a seat." I consciously sat myself down opposite her. It being the weekend, the shop was quite crowded.

Victoria's stare was cold, like she was judging me. I awkwardly cleared my throat before I decided to initiate a conversation. I knew I had to take the first step if I were to make amends.

"How are you doing?" My effort however wasn't appreciated. She cast me a bored look.

"You seriously think I'm here to have these talks with you?" The harshness lacing her tone was nowhere near comforting.

"Uhm...I-" I fumbled, not quite sure what to say next.

"Are you pregnant?" She fired the question leaving me dumb.

"What!?" I managed to let out, confused if I had heard right.

"Are you pregnant?" She repeated for me, her expressions not having any change in them.

"No. Not at all!" I exclaimed, completely weirded out by that sudden question. She stared at me for some long seconds blankly.

"Okay, whatever your reason is, I would like to negotiate a deal." I furrowed my brows at that.

"I don't think I would like where this discussion is going." I muttered but most likely she didn't hear me or ignored it.

"Tell me the price." She asked, staring right at me.

"For what?" I could somewhere guess what she was hinting at.

"For getting the hell out of my son's life." I was stunned for a second. This was exactly what I had thought but hearing her saying it out loud really did hurt. When I didn't respond she further went on.

"We can negotiate a price. I will have my lawyer draw a legal contract by which you'll get the said amount and in exchange you'll be out of his face for good." Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

"Why will I do that?" She didn't take a second to answer that, like it was on the tip of her tongue.

"Because he was much happier when you weren't in his life. It took him some time to pick himself up but finally he was at a better place before you came crashing back." My eyes itched while I kept my lips pressed against each other. I gulped down painfully and looked away.

"Do we have a deal?"