Hearing the door lock behind me, I walked out of the office and flashed a smile at Miss. Kennedy, as she stood up from her place behind the reception desk.

"Going home?" She asked, eyeing my empty hands, missing my usual work case.

I shook my head. "Just getting some fresh air." Escaping reality.

She nodded with a smile, although I saw a fraction of hesitancy flashing over her face.

I couldn’t blame her. Ever since I saw that picture of Olivia a few days ago, I wasn’t myself. Niall mentioned I was acting weird. Chloe assured she would be here soon. And Olivia...well, she didn't call me but she did text me, asking if I was doing okay.

I'm fucking not. My girlfriend cheated on me and my sister saw it. Am I supposed to be fine?

I texted her I’m fine.

I strode out of the building purposefully, heading directly toward the parking lot. Toward my car. There was no way I could sit here and ease this tension building in my head. I had to get out or I would surely explode.

Deciding in my mind that I would drive as far as it'll take to find my usual stillness of mind, I unlocked my car. Just as I slid inside, though, my phone buzzed against my thigh. For a moment, I froze. The possibilities of it being Olivia ceased my movements.

Could I stand to talk to her? I wasn’t sure anymore.

It buzzed again, and I huffed out a breath, reaching into my pocket and fishing out the damn thing.

I didn’t know if it was disappointment or relief that washed over me when I saw the name flashing over the screen, but nevertheless I answered the phone.

"Dean," I sighed out the name, hands holding onto the steering and leaning my head back on the head rest.

It was surely relief.

"Yeah, almost sounded like you don't want to talk to me." He chuckled.

Dean was a general physician and my medical school mate. The only friend I was still in contact with, since he signed off most of his patients to me, whoever was in need of some psychiatric guidance.

"I need your help." He said.

Help.

I nodded to myself. "Another patient?" Bring me. Bring me anything to keep me distracted from my own mess. Since I seemed to have a degree in un-messing others.

Even if it was a psychotic serial killer who cooked human fingers for dinner.

"Not exactly." He said, almost hesitantly. "It's a friend, and I can't think of anyone who could help her as you can."

I felt a little pride blooming in my chest at the last sentence. Every time someone said that, or something close to it, I felt like I was actually doing good in my career.

Good for people.

Although right now I was standing at a point where I might need therapy myself. But that was a matter to be discussed later. Much later.

"Okay, I can have Miss. Kennedy book an appointment on Friday." I said, and got out of the car. I didn’t feel the need to get away anymore. This was my work. It was my duty to be here, and I refused to loiter around just because I was unable to contain my own emotions.

"Friday sounds good. I'll let her know." He said, and I heard a tearing of paper from the other side. He was probably writing someone a prescription.

I locked the car again and walked back toward the clinic.

That's it. I had another case to keep my mind occupied, and away from the disarming thoughts of what my girlfriend was doing in Miami right now. With that guy.

"I've emailed you the details and reports. Please do check them out. And..." He paused. "I really wish you could help her out, Ian."

My brows furrowed ever so slightly. Dean never insisted so much over any patient or a case till now. Because I had never declined any request from his side, of course. I wouldn't. I intended on helping as many people as I could.

"I will do my best, Dean. Thanks." I said, and after a few minutes, hung up.

Is it just me or is everyone acting weird around me?

It was probably me. I sighed and walked into the clinic. Miss. Kennedy didn’t miss the smile and I tried my hardest to reciprocate with the best smile I could pull off.

I made it inside the office and plopped down on my seat.

I hated this. Faking smiles and pretending my life wasn’t fucked up at the moment. I wished someone had just punched me in the face instead of all this. I would never be able to get over the fact that I got cheated on.

My eyes travelled to the computer screen, and I scooted my seat closer. I had to give my brain something to distract it.

I need to get distracted.

I opened my emails and filtered through them the most recent one from Dean, almost desperately. And as fucked up as it sounded, reading about other people’s mental problems was way better than focusing on my own. I found Dean's email and clicked on it. As soon as I opened the file, though, my eyes settled motionlessly on the picture of the girl that flashed through the screen, who, supposedly, was going to be my next case of study. My next client.

I stared, more closely than necessary, at the pair of dark brown eyes staring back at me through the screen. Her hair a shade of the darkest of black I had ever seen, unlike the brown, and a smile stretched across her plump lips. A smile so warm and bright that it could bloom flowers on a barren land.

Slowly, and almost carefully, my eyes inched sideways, over the name beside the image.

"Maeve Adams Black." I read, voice not above a whisper, as if afraid someone would steal it from my lips. I couldn't believe it was happening. Thoughts of my painful heartbreak were carefully pushed aside and shoved inside a cabinet as my eyes traced every line of her face through the screen. My mind didn't once wander off as I tried to study her.

I was successfully distracted.

Niall threw me a sympathetic glance from across the couch. He had just found out why I was acting weird since the last few days. Chloe had landed back from Miami three hours ago, and was leaning on my shoulder, her nails almost digging into my forearms under her tight grip. Her luggage was still at the door, for as soon as she stepped inside, she clung onto my neck and hadn't let go of me since then, which was around an hour ago.

A sigh eased out of me.

"You do realize I didn't shower today, right?" I nudged her gently, trying to lighten the tense mood, and she tightened her grip around my arms.

I hopefully glanced at Niall, but he just shrugged and stood up from the couch. "I'll make coffee." And disappeared somewhere inside the kitchen. I knew damn well he just wanted to escape the awkward situation, because we had run out of coffee two days back.

Traitor.

Chloe was still clinging onto me, as I withdrew my arms from her hold. She gave me a look of disappointment, her lips pouting and eyes glossy, as I circled my arm around her shoulder and we both leaned back on the couch.

"How is college?" I asked, and she aimlessly blinked ahead at nothing. I had almost forgotten how much my little sister loved me, and she never once failed to remind me.

Chloe was two years younger than me, but a year older than Niall, hence my best friend and Niall's second Mom. But I couldn't ignore the fact that she flew all the way from Miami to here, right after her convocation ceremony, just to make sure I was not quitting my job or opening a vein.

Not that it was an option. I knew better than that.

Just when I thought she would not say anything, I heard her grumble.

"Don't act like it doesn't bother you, Ian.”

“What?”

She shifted her eyes from the wall and rolled them exasperatedly. “You know what.”

Despite all my attempts to stop it, I let a sigh out. She could see right through me like I was made of goddamn glass, and I couldn't help it.

"There's nothing I can do about it, Chloe." I slid my hand back, beginning to stand up, but she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the couch. Now she was frowning, and glaring at me. The sad, sympathetic look had vanished.

"What the fuck do you mean by that? You can't just do nothing, Ian.”

A pain throbbed across my temple, as I raised my eyes to her. “What do you want me to do?”

“Confront her." She pointed her finger somewhere across the room, as if Olivia was standing there. I looked away.

Confront Olivia? And say what, that my sister caught you cheating on me? That was not only embarrassing, but extremely infuriating. I could just end things with her over the phone. There was no way I could face her and tell her that we were over.

Three years of relationship, just over.

"Well?" Chloe tapped my shoulder. I leaned forward, setting my elbows on my knees. "Say something, Ian."

"I don't know." I admitted, and slid my fingers back through my hair, until they were resting at the back of my neck. I was confused beyond measure.

"Okay.” Chloe clapped her hands together, her way of ending a topic of discussion. Thank God. “Okay, okay, alright. Here me out," She leaned forward, hooking her arms around mine. "Before coming here, I dropped by at the villa. Mom and Dad were busy with the annual fund-raising thing. I didn't hear much but I did catch something like a Ball and banquet." Her eyes were gleaming now with some secret plan as I glanced back at her. Something about that look didn't please me. She was up to something, something I was not yet aware of, and definitely not ready for.

"And?" Was all I was able to mutter, as she leaned back with a wicked smile.

"I will be heading back to the villa, to stay with Mom and Dad. I'll let you know the details later. But just in case I forget to inform you later, keep a date ready." She winked.

Woah, what?

I stared dumbfounded at her, and she was grinning sadistically, eyes staring somewhere far beyond the wall.

"What date? What are you planning, Chloe?" I asked, my voice almost terrified. The girl was as cunning as a fox. She could practically murder someone and then get away with it. I didn't like the vibes I was getting from her.

"Nothing that'll hurt you, but I can't promise that about your ex." She shrugged.

“Ex...” I scoffed. The word tasted bitter at the tip of my tongue as I chuckled at my own little self-deprecating joke. I never thought Olivia would become Ex.

“Oh, Ian.” Chloe leaned back on me, her voice back to the sad tone. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. “I always knew she didn’t deserve you.”

Perhaps the other way around?

I didn’t know from where I found the sudden enthusiasm, but it spiked through my veins until I was pushing off the couch and standing up on my feet. Chloe looked up at me, like a lost puppy.

"Who wants to get wasted tonight?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows with a grin. She visibly relaxed, a little smile playing at her lips.

"Me!"

We both turned in unison to see Niall pocking his head out of the wall, grinning. Of course, where there were drinks, there was Niall. He walked out of the kitchen and as I expected there was no coffee in his hands.

"Me too." I said, and Niall circled a hand around my shoulder, looking proud that I finally decided to try to move on. That rather than sitting and reminiscing about my break up, I was planning on getting drunk.

Chloe jumped up from the couch and squeezed herself between me and Niall, standing on her toes to slide her arms around our necks and clinging onto us.

"We all are!" She declared, and we both winced at her high-pitched voice before letting her contagious chuckle infect us too.

Somewhere deep down in my conscious, a thought stirred an image, of the place where I could go other than the bar. A place I once visited more than my parent’s house, but even before the thought surfaced, I let it slid back down.

I am not going there again.