"Niamh!" Blythe dragged her best friend's name out  as she peered in through the tinted windows. She could make out two figures, and saw Niamh in the lap of a man. For all she knew, he could have had her in a sleeper hold. Niall had blown every phone she owned up, asking her questions about Niamh's whereabouts. It was unusual for them to get this sudden need to know where she was at, in Blythe's opinion, they should have been this concerned about her years ago. The Deges had always represented everything Blythe had wished she had in her family-freedom. But as she became older and wiser, she realized that all of the room they left Niamh with to move around in had done her more harm than good.

    She almost hadn't come to his aid, but then she heard his tear laden voice and got in her car not minding the fact that she wasn't even done preparing for her day. She came with a scarf on her head and everything.

      These damn people need to pay me gas money for this... She thought. Slapping her hand flat across the glass, she pressed her forehead closer trying to get a better look. There was Niamh scampering from the man in her passenger seat for the driver's side door. Blythe was ready to raise hell about her friend getting cozy with a man like a high school girl while her brother was balling his eyes out looking for her ass. As soon as she opened her mouth, she halted and bit her tongue seeing the disheveled look in her eyes. Niamh looked lost, and Blythe had never known her to in all of the years she has known her.

     " Oh baby. Baby. Baby. Girl what's wrong?" Grabbing her face, Niamh went without a fight into her friend's arms.

     " Why are you all the way out here?" She asked, her words muffled against her pajama shirt. Lifting it she laughed." In this?"

   "Don't mind what I'm in." Blythe laughed along with her. Kissing her cheek, she rubbed away the scrunched skin between her brows." What have you gotten into?"

  " It's too long of a story B... my mind is reeling." Niamh fell back against the car taking a deep breath. She raised her arms into the air, and reached them towards the sun not blinking from its rays.

    " You've dragged me all the way across town, I'm all up for an explanation now. Niall has got to lose my number, he called me blubbering all kinds of nonsense and then when I show up wouldn't let me into the apartment to see what was going on. "

      "He called you?" Niamh groaned out of frustration. Why drag others around into their shit?

      " Yes." Shaking Niamh, Blythe looked past her and saw the man she was with emerge from the car." Are you a reliable source to tell me what's happening here?" She asked him.

     "Blaise it will only be a couple more minutes. Can you get back in....please?"  Niamh pleaded.

     He didn't listen to her and came around to the side they were on, standing beside her.

      "I'm not sure I'm the one to tell anything." He answered Blythe." I'm Blaise Kincaid, and you are?"

     "Kincaid...Kincaid... This is stepson?" She asked surprisingly, turning between the two people.

     " Stepson?" He said not in on the joke.

     " Shh.. Please." Niamh closed her eyes and covered Blythe's mouth. Her eyes studied Blaise as he looked on to the two women. Blythe kept trying to talk through Niamh's hand, but was constantly hushed. Slapping away her hand Blythe said," You have got some shit to tell me!"

     " Let that be later sweetie." Niamh said with a tight smile.

    Standing back, Blythe crossed her arms in her own way agreeing to leave it alone for now.

     " Has he kidnapped you?"

    "What?"

    "Threatened your life?"

     "Blythe..."

    " I mean, isn't he the main reason to your mom acting like an ass?"

    " Okay stop Blythe. I told you I would explain later!"

    " You're not going to tell me everything. I can see it in your eyes. I swear, to have known you for so long and being able to predict your next move Nia, you just will not talk to me talk to me."  The times when Niamh was having trouble paying off student loans, or when she was late on car payments, she never voiced her distress. Blythe would have been open to helping her out anytime she needed her to when things got serious. She had tried mentioning her offer a few times, but would instantly get shut down.

    "Your pride is too big for you to let me truly help you when you need it Niamh."

    " Get in your car and go back home."

    "No! You're going to listen to what I have to say!" Blythe blared.

    Niamh began fidgeting, not wanting such a personal conversation to happen in front of Blaise." Okay, you can chew me out later...alone. I've already told you this Blythe."

      "To hell with that. If he meant nothing to you, then you would have dropped him long ago to avoid all of this mess going on with your family now. I know you would have thrown him to the side if he wasn't important enough to put above them." Niamh began to respond but was cut off by Blythe's hand in her face. Turning to Blaise she pointed to him.

     " Do you know this woman is like Atlas? She has the whole world on her shoulders, never faltering with the weight. Then you come in and make her shrug. Atlas has shrugged and I do believe you are important enough to know her. She doesn't get personal with you does she?" Blaise was taken aback at her sudden approach. He had nothing to say and couldn't lie. Today was as personal as they had ever gotten-and this was by accident.

     Their talks were always worthwhile, but she always became skittish around the big subjects which he chose to let her slip by. He wanted to know more, but thought that he should let time bring it out of her.

     " Of course she doesn't. What she won't tell you I will."

    " You're crossing the line Blythe!"

    " She's the most confident person I have ever known to live. I've never seen her unsure of herself....ever and that's something to say for a person. She thinks she has all of the answers, and what she doesn't know it's okay to just blow off. Don't let her. Force her to say things, please! If I can't get her to, then I can only hope that there is someone out there that can. Sure I'm her best friend and you would expect me to know, but I'm not. And I'm perfectly fine with that. Not really, but I can live."

    A moment of strained silence passed.  Niamh physically trembled from the rage inside of her. Blythe had gone too far with talking about her to Blaise. She didn't anyone to have pity for her or treat her gently. He had already slipped up by mentioning ‘love' in the car, and she wouldn't forget that. Sex had nothing to do with love; to Niamh it was easily confused with lust. Later, she would remind Blaise of the contract they had drawn up.

       "Are you done yet?" Niamh's voice feigned calmness.

        "Hell no." Blythe dove for Blaise's pockets seeing the imprint of his cell phone. " You should have a lock code on here." She breezed through to his contacts list adding her number in."Now you can contact me because I will make sure you get the real deal with this chick here."

    Thrusting it back to his face Blythe stamped her feet and stared down Niamh.

     "This is ridiculous. When you are on the brink of death, do you think you can call a sister up to come help you then?"

     "Maybe if I have service."

     " Watch yourself Nia. I love you with all of my heart, but you're going to get into a spot that you can't get out of alone." With a sigh Blythe walked away from her friend hoping that she would see some truth in her words, yet didn't want them to become a real situation any time soon.

      "What are you going to do now? Go back to your home, or find somewhere else to be?"

      " Do you mind if I drop you off at your place? I would like to have some time to myself right about now."

    "How much can I trust you to be alone?" Blaise asked seriously even though Niamh laughed.

    " I'm not going to go off myself...yet. I have some things I need to know before then." Niamh thought her words were harmless, but when she turned to get back into the car, Blaise's hand caught her arm and forced her back around to see his disgust with them.

      "If you go then I go too. But of course we won't have to make that decision because you're going to get that shit out of your mind now. You think you're only kidding now, but who knows what kind of mess your mind will draw up once you've been pushed far enough Niamh."

        " You have obviously forgotten your role Blaise." Niamh was frightened by his care for her. What if he got a hold of her and she began feeling the same for him? She had to nip this in the bud now, she couldn't deal with any extra...baggage.

     " What role is that?"

     " We agreed on this Blaise. We have a very specific relationship, and you're stepping out of bounds."

    "Needing you is out of bounds? Possibly loving you is going too far?" He challenged stepping closer. She was forced to look up just in time to see him grab her neck and pull her in for a searing kiss. It tasted bad on her mouth.

    She tasted love.

    That was the most disgusting thing to her.

    "Stop!" She hurled him back away from her, wiping her hand across her mouth. Panic rose in her as she felt like she would begin to hyperventilate.

     " Is it that awful?" Blaise's voice creaked.

     " Whatever it is you're feeling...stop it.  Just. Don.t Go.There." She opened the car door, nearly slamming his fingers in it as she shut it violently. Blaise stormed quickly to the other side as she revved the engine.

      " Don't be such a coward Niamh! You won't die from learning how to love. Days like today, I want to know how to fix things for you, understand where you're coming from." He stood outside of the open door. Niamh pressed the gas sending the car flying a few yards ahead. Blaise fell to the ground at his loss of balance. She reached over to close the open door, but was stopped as soon as he was able to get his hands on it first.

     " If you want a ride home, then cut the crap and get in otherwise stay here. " She spoke through clamped teeth.

     " I'd be here right with you Niamh. Whatever wrongs that has been committed against you, let me make them right. I'll fuck up, I'm sure, but at least I'll be here with you. "

     "You wouldn't dare to look at me after seeing my list of sins Blaise. Just be quiet." Niamh rubbed her face and leaned against the steering wheel. He finally slid in to the car seeing her foot itch closer to the gas.

      "If it makes it any better for you, I have my own. I have ones that I don't even know about yet."

     "My morals are all fucked up."

     " Mine too." He answered softly. Looking at him, Niamh thought back to the moment of calm when he held her in his arms speaking in the same tone. There in that moment passed an exotic feeling that came and went.

     " Do you think that will make me change my mind."

    "No, not exactly." He grinned.

    " It's a deep one, Abysses everywhere you turn."

    "I'll follow you into each crevice."

      "You'll get sick of me. Often."

      " You'll be my medicine."

       " I'm well used."

    "You can always be restored."

    "Damn it Blaise! Stop counteracting everything I say!"

    "Well stop presenting me with a paradox."

    " If I grow up, I'd like to be in love with a person like you." Niamh said." But sadly, I've been grown since I was 6. Maybe in a next lifetime we could make this little shindig you talk of work. "

    " You know what else is pretty sad for you? I get a feeling you'll be reborn soon while I'm around. You'll be disappointed to learn that you will get a chance to be in love with a person like me because I will be at hand."

     " You're too hopeful. If you're not careful your feelings will get hurt."

    " I don't believe you would purposely do that."

    " I never said I would," Niamh pulled to the edge of the parking lot checking for traffic before she pulled out,"but shit happens."

    Blaise sat back in his seat feeling like he may have gained some ground with her.Niamh watched closely seeing a smile spread across. Hundreds of men have come and gone in her life. Each one helping her solidify reasons for them not to stay. Then this idiot comes along and changes the whole game.

    She could only think of how she was unworthy of being thought of in the way Blaise considered her.

      "Nuh uh. Don't let the look come out, I never said anything about even thinking about this."

      " You don't have to."