Alice POV

The light breeze flew by me as I walked towards the pub on Friday night. I was wearing blue jeans, a white tank top and my light denim jacket; it's not like I was in need of anything more in this weather. The boys had told me that today they'll be heading to Cillian's earlier than usual to which I replied I'll get a cab and meet them there later. But who would mind a walk in such lovely weather? Besides, the pub was only about an hour by foot and that was not much by my standards.

It was rather crowded tonight with a lot of the regulars sitting on the wooden chairs, chatting and drinking beer which was the preferred beverage at Cillian's. As I made my way to the bar, I noticed a group of girls that I had never seen before. The five of them appeared to be celebrating something: all of them had dressed up, done their hair and overdone their make up. There were a bunch of boxes in colorful wrapping paper on the table around which they stood. Maybe one of them had a birthday? By the looks of them, they've been here for a while; even though it was still early, it was obvious they were already slightly buzzed and it didn't seem like they would put an end to their little party anytime soon.

"Hey, Cillian!" I greeted cheerfully as I reached the bar.

"Hey, Alice! You're the last to come tonight," he pointed at Asher who was on one of the stools and Caden who sat on top of the bar again.

"The last? What about Keegan and Morgan?"

"Have a family dinner or somethin'," Ash shrugged.

"Oh!" I exclaimed a bit disappointed and sat next to him. "I was looking forward to getting to know Morgan better."

"You'd be the first female to want to do that!" Cillian snorted.

"How come?"

"Morgan is... hmm... not very friendly towards competition," the pub owner explained.

"But I'm not competition," I protested, air-quoting the last word.

Asher mumbled "I wouldn't be so sure" at the same time Caden muttered "Yeah, right". Both of them were shaking their heads with amused smirks on their faces.

"Alice," Cillian gave me a knowing look, "If you've managed to get these boys' attention, then yes, Morgan will view you as competition."

The boys in question simultaneously nodded in agreement.

"Now... Is it soda or do you want something else tonight?" The bartender asked.

"Soda," I answered a bit distracted.

So I guess my instincts were right; Morgan had been faking politeness the other day. Maybe it was better that she wasn't here... I still missed Keegan though.

I heard a light thump as Caden jumped off the bar, taking his smokes out of his back pocket.

"Be back in ten," he announced, heading for the door.

As he passed by the table with the partying girls, I saw all five of them blatantly checking him out, exploring each millimeter of his body with a hungry glint in their eyes. As soon as he got out, they leaned closer to each other and started animatedly whispering amongst themselves. They stood that way, with their heads close together until, for some unknown to me reason, they burst out in joyous giggles.

*****

Cillian POV

"Table next to the door, brunette," was all Caden said before wrapping his arms around Alissa's waist and leaning down to her.

This had now become a routine around here: if Ash had problems - Alice was his "girlfriend"; if someone was bugging her – it was vice versa. But now was the first time Caden did this. He usually didn't mind the girls chasing after him; he was used to it. And if they became too clingy he just told them to get lost with, no subtlety about it.

So it was no surprise I was baffled by what he was doing now. Alice probably felt the same way because at first she was taken aback. It didn't take her long to get a grip though.

The girl slightly spread her legs inviting the boy to take a step forward. He wasted no time in getting in between them. She cocked her head to the left so that her mouth was near his neck.

"The good-looking one with the green dress?" She queried, sneaking a glance in the direction of the door. Caden nodded. "She seems pretty persistent to me."

"Then we better give her a little show!" Was the boy's comeback.

"If that is what you desire!" She purred, taking us both by surprise because of her seductive tone.

Alice closed the distance between her lips and Caden's neck placing one long lasting kiss on it. The boy immediately closed his eyes and tilted his head back on reflex. That gave Alice better access to it and the girl with the green dress got a better view of the two of them.

Alissa placed a few more kisses before sticking out her tongue and slowly and sensually traced it on Caden's neck. The boy hissed and moved even closer to her.

"She's still there but she doesn't seem to like what she sees," Alice muttered with amusement in her tone.

I turned my head in that direction as well. Oh, yeah! The girl definitely did not enjoy the show. She sat rigid in her seat with her eyes narrowed as she observed the spectacle unfold before her. She had been watching Caden all night and since this was her birthday party, I was pretty sure she viewed the boy as an unexpected present.

"We need to be just a little bit more convincing."

Alice spoke and began leisurely placing kisses again, this time starting from the base of the boy's neck, then along the jaw, until finally she locked their lips together. Her rhythm was deliberately slow but it only took a second for Caden to take over.

With a moan he pulled Alice so suddenly that if he wasn't in front of her, she would have fallen off the stool. He broke her rhythm, eagerly taking control over the kiss, making it a passionate one.

The rest of our group and I watched the make out session half-exhilarated, half-astonished at the whole situation. Well, I was mostly exhilarated and the rest of them were mostly astonished.

Alissa broke from the kiss to take some air and to look at the table by the door. Caden gave a protesting groan but took the opportunity to lower his head and start kissing her collarbone.

"Okay, Caden," Alice was obviously a little winded, "she's gone now."

"Who?" The boy asked just as breathlessly before returning his lips to hers again.

"I think she means your stalker chick," I explained amused.

At the sound of my voice Caden froze. Oh-so-very-slowly he lifted his head and looked at me. His face was flushed, his lips were swollen and he was breathing heavily. Then he looked at the rest of the people around us. And finally at Alice.

His faraway expression was replaced by recognition and his face turned an even deeper shade of red at the sight of her. He moved away from the girl and sat on an empty stool to her left clearing his throat awkwardly. He opened his mouth but no words came out so he cleared his throat again and closed it.

Alice watched from his right barely managing to suppress her laughter. She stood there with her shoulders shaking, and her hand in front of her mouth. I on the other hand had no desire for discretion and was grinning deviously at him.

The girl jumped off the stool and left with a brief mutter of the word "bathroom".

"So, Caden," I started, trying to keep my voice casual, "What can I get you tonight? And cold shower is not on the menu."

I heard a few people around us snicker and the boy stared daggers at me.

"Cillian..." He used his threatening tone.

"Just kidding!" I smiled at him. "Now seriously... What do you have a taste for tonight? Besides Alissa's tongue?"

Next thing I knew the boy sprung from his seat and punched me in the jaw.

*****

Alice POV

I closed the door to the restroom, grateful that it was empty.

God! What a spectacle we've made! I'm sure everyone saw us. And the worst thing was... I enjoyed it.

Sure, I wanted to pretend I wasn't fazed by it... I even tried to make it seem as if I found the whole situation funny... But the truth was I was disappointed when it ended.

At first I was genuinely amused by the whole thing; Caden had never needed help before and I was curious to see what exactly will happen.

But I shouldn't have kissed him!

That was my first mistake. An enjoyable mistake, but a mistake nevertheless. It motivated him to respond.

And in what way!

Oh, God, he made everything so hot when he took over!

And letting him do that was my second mistake.

It felt so good I almost forgot why he was doing it. But the moment I remembered about the brunette with the green dress, I tilted my head to see her reaction. But she and her friends weren't there.

I smirked, remembering what happened next.

"Okay, Caden. She's gone now."

"Who?"

By how distracted he'd been I'd say the boy was having fun as well.

That made me feel pretty self-satisfied... Making him moan like that and enjoy himself... But why am I being smug about it?

Bad, Alice, bad!

You're supposed to be friends. Just friends. No benefits involved.

I sighed and splashed my face with some water, hoping it will help me relax and make me think rationally once again.

"I need to cool down. I need to keep calm." I kept on repeating in my head. "Nothing has changed between us. Caden will still view me as a kid. And we'll still be just friends. I can't loose him as a friend."

I turned off the tap and looked at the mirror above the sink. My reflection clearly displayed the anxiety I felt. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. When I opened them my expression was blank. I put on a small, hopefully genuine-looking smile and headed for the bar.

"What happened to you?" I asked Cillian as I sat down. Caden was nowhere to be found.

"Probably out for a smoke," I thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Umm... There is a bruise forming on the right of your jaw."

"Oh, that!" He shrugged nonchalantly and said nothing more.

"Yes, that," I responded after a while of hoping for him to elaborate on the subject, but it appeared he had no such intentions. "Why is there a bruise on the right of your jaw, Cillian?"

"Because Caden felt like being left-handed tonight. He's usually left-handed when he gets emotional."

"Caden did this?" He nodded. "But why?"

"I guess I pushed him a bit too far this time... But I meant no harm; I love the boy as if we were family."

I had noticed that before: Cillian had always acted towards Caden differently compared to how he treated other people. He was more caring and patient... He even allowed the boy to sit on top of the bar. I haven't seen anyone else do that.

I took a look around. The pub was still crowded but we were the only ones at the bar at the moment. I was a bit hesitant to ask what I've been wondering about for a while now, but figuring out I probably wouldn't get another chance to speak with Cillian in private, I build up the courage to talk.

"Is that... Is that because you and Caden's mom are childhood friends?" I questioned, keeping my voice low just in case someone was close enough to overhear us.

"Rachel was and still is very dear to me," he replied with a hoarse voice, perhaps remembering what had happened to her.

"Rachel," I repeated quietly. This was the first time I've heard her name.

"I still can't believe he told you about her!" He shook his head. "Don't get me wrong: I know you will keep this to yourself. It's just that..."

"... It's private and Caden doesn't share private things," I ended Cillian's sentence.

"Yeah." He smiled warmly at me. "I'm really glad he met you. He's changed so much since you've been around. And I mean that in a good way."

"He has?" I was truly surprised. "In what way?"

"He's kinder, calmer, more trusting... You really are good for him, Alice."

"He's good for me as well. He helped me when I was upset because of my mother. And he got me Chess," I added with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, Chess... The infamous blouse destroyer." We both laughed at his words before he got serious again. "But seriously, Alice... Be patient with him. I know that he's a bit too much to handle most of the time, but the boy's worth it."

"I know. And don't worry; I don't plan on letting go of one of my best friends just yet!"

"Friends, huh?" He flashed me a devious smile which made me uneasy. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear what was on his mind right now. "Do you stick your tongue in all of your friends' throats?"

"I-I..." I stuttered.

Darn Cillian! Why does he get such a kick out of making people uncomfortable?

"I was just trying to help my friend out!" I stressed the word "friend".

"Oh, I'm sure the boy appreciated your efforts!" He looked behind me for a second and gazing back at me added, "You've been very, very helpful, Alice!"

"Cillian..." My initial discomfort was beginning to turn into irritation. "If you don't stop talking like that, I'm going to make sure one more bruise appears on your jaw tonight!"

He just laughed at my reaction.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," Caden's voice came from behind me. I turned around to look at him. He was avoiding my gaze and was concentrating on the bartender instead. "The girl can throw one hell of a punch. I should know; I taught her."

"You taught her?" Cillian looked between us curiously.

"Actually, we've only trained a few times so far so I'm not that good..."

"Shut up, kid!" Caden interrupted me. "If I say you're good at it then you're good at it!"

Kid. I knew it! Nothing had changed between us. That was good.

So why did I feel a bit sad?