The music thumped through the walls until it permeated every part of the building. Ivy could feel it despite being a floor beneath it. Her eyes fluttered open. She hadn't passed out, but she didn't feel her best either. She had thrown up twice, in front of a complete stranger; felt as if she were coming down with something; and to top it all off completely embarrassed herself.

"Hey, hey now, you can't pass out on me." The man gently shook Ivy. His fingers burned into her skin, and she wondered if he felt the same sensation. Even if they didn't leave literal marks, she would be feeling it long after they parted. "What did you drink?"

"Shots...rum and Coke...your average stuff," Ivy mumbled. The man set her on the cold counter. He turned the facet on, and the next thing she felt was a damp paper towel on her forehead.

"Are you sure that's all you had?"

Concern filled every inch of his voice. Strange he would put this much effort into taking care of her. Most men would have searched out the woman's friends. She had seen it enough times in college, especially having been one of the searched-for friends numerous times.

When Ivy didn't answer right away, he took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. Her eyes shot open at the contact on her jaw. Her chestnut irises locked with his hazel ones, their faces level. He straightened up, giving himself a few inches over her. Her eyes transfixed themselves on his lips. Ivy licked her own as her mind went to a not-so-innocent place. She raked her eyes across the planes of his cheeks until she met his gaze, her hand moving to rest on his at her cheek.

Time froze the longer they kept their eyes locked on one another. Ivy had never seen this man around town, yet something deep down told her she knew him. His eyes bounced from her eyes to her lips and back up. His lips curved into a slight grin, but he remained frozen in place. Recognition flashed in his eyes before being covered with a sheen of confusion.

"Ivy? Ivy? You down here?" Marina's voice echoed through the hallway and into the bathroom, interrupting the moment. The man jumped back, taking with him the warmth on her cheek. A dull ache settled in the back of her mind, like when Ivy caught the flu.

"We hadn't heard from you so—" The door swung open to reveal three very shocked and not sober witches who barged in on a stranger with their friend.

"Get away from our friend." Aura didn't hesitate to use her powers to push him back. The man flew into the wall and to the ground.

"No, no, he saved me." Ivy flung herself off the counter and in their line of fire, looking over at her shoulder at him through the mess of her curls. Aura stood defensively in front of Marina and Ella, her eyes clear as day, the little alcohol she ingested having zero effect on her.

"Griffin, is that you?" Marina pushed past Aura, head tilting to the side in disbelief. "I heard you got back a month ago, but...."

"Griffin?" Ella turned her attention to the man, a manicured eyebrow raised.

Ivy recognized the name, somewhere far back in her brain, but she couldn't put a face to it. Turning on her heal, Ivy watched Griffin stand up and wipe off the invisible dust. He towered over all of them, the span of his shoulders swallowing up their frames. His once perfect hair was now disheveled from the wind tunnel Aura had sent his way. Running a hand through his mane, he sighed and met their eyes.

"Yes, I'm back." He smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. He moved out from around Ivy, careful to avoid brushing her shoulders.

Aura and Ella watched him suspiciously, but Marina welcomed him with open arms. Granted, she was giddy from the intoxication so her happiness level was at an all time high. She enveloped him as best she could since her short arms were no match for his size. As she brought him in for the embrace, Marina stiffened every so slightly. Ivy only noticed since she stood right next to them. Aura and Ella made no motion that they had seen it.

"You know, we might want to move this conversation upstairs." With a playful smile, Ella pointed at the knock sounding from the door. "We are in a restroom after all."

Giggling, the group shuffled outside and to their booth Lucian had reserved for them. As they exited, they all earned looks from the line that had formed outside the restroom. From the tapping feet to exaggerated eye rolls, they had been standing there for some time. The commotions probably scared them off.

They slid into the booth, its walls providing them some comfort of blocking out the music. Griffin sat at the edge, on the other side of Marina. His body language stayed tense as if he anticipated another attack, and his eyes rounded the room at regular intervals. Marina sat extra straight but kept a smile plastered on her lips. Ella came back with a tray of cocktails handing them out, including one for Griffin who hadn't ordered one.

"So Griffin, what brought you back?" Aura asked, her tone dipping dangerously into her work voice. She had that steely look in her eyes. Ivy refrained from rolling her eyes.

"I couldn't find the strength to leave the place I had called home for so long." Griffin took a long sip from his drink.

Ivy studied his movements and drank in his features. The sense of familiarity haunted the back of her mind. Griffin's jaw clenched, his pupils peeking out at her from the corner of his eyes. One corner of his mouth turned up, but he kept his attention trained on Aura. Brushing the hair out of her face, Ivy cast her eyes downward, a blush crawling up her neck.

"You know, I don't think we ever had had the pleasure of meeting," Ivy found herself saying. Leave it to her to make a situation even more awkward than it is. She extended a hand, waiting for him to shake it. "Ivy."

Griffin looked at it, contemplation clear in his eyes. In the end, curiosity won out. His hand wrapped around hers, the heat flaring up. They kept their eyes trained on one another, neither wanting to give out first. After what felt like an extended pause, Ivy pulled away to keep from raising the other witches' suspicions.

"Pleasure to meet you – officially." The smile hit his eyes this time as he sent her a wink. Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Ivy glanced at Marina, hoping she was too drunk to sense any of this.

"Thanks again for saving me," she said with a low voice, earning confused expressions from the others.

"Saving you? What happened?" Marina piped up, the question coming out strained.

"This scumbag noticed how drunk I was and tried to take advantage of me." Ella opened her mouth to ask a follow up question, but Ivy already knew what it would be. "No, it was not a creature. It was just a regular, scumbag human."

"I was at the bar when I noticed him trail after her seconds after she disappeared down the stairs," Griffin added. He ran his hands down the length of his thighs and sipped his drink. "Something didn't seem right."

"Thank heavens you were there." Marina leaned into him, looking up at him through her lashes. "Knight in shining armor."

Griffin looked away, his jaw tightening. If Ivy hadn't trained her eyes on him, she never would have noticed. He looked down at his watch then at his phone. His knee twitched, bouncing up and down in a steady motion. Griffin's eyes swiveled in Ivy's direction, a smirk spreading over his lips at having caught her staring. Ivy didn't waver. She kept her gaze locked on him. She wouldn't be embarrassed. Aura went to ask him another question, but he spoke faster than she did.

"I really should get going." Griffin stood up, smoothing out his jeans. His body blocked the overhead lights, one just behind his head giving him a halo.

"Stop by the Tulip for a coffee sometime," Marina offered getting up to hug him one last time. She held on a few seconds longer before pulling away. "Always a pleasure seeing you. Give my best to your siblings."

With a wave, Griffin turned on a heel and headed for the door, sparing no glance in their direction. As soon as he was out of earshot, Aura set her attention upon the empath with a quizzical gleam in her eye.

"How do you know him so well?" Aura's eyebrow practically leaped off her face.

"I was close with his sister growing up." Marina shrugged, downing the rest of Grifin's drink. "He's a couple years older than us but always made time for her. His parents owned the hardware shop by Little Italy. Wonder if he will run it. It's been closed for some time."

"With a body like that, he's probably great at fixing things." Ella's eyes flashed with lust, before sneaking a peak toward the bar.

"You and Lucian have been exchanging glances all night," Ivy teased taking a sip of her drink. "I'm glad our minds aren't linked tonight."

Ella's jaw dropped, a scowl growing on her features. She reached into her glass and threw an ice cube Ivy's way. The earth witch dodged it, but the ice found an unintended target in Marina.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" she huffed throwing it back at her. The group erupted into giggles before Aura and Ella went to order more drinks.

Marina took the moment to stare Ivy down. Her eyes bore holes into her friend's temple. Ivy did her best to escape the uncomfortable feeling, but she knew she couldn't win this battle. Even in her intoxicated state, Marina threw enough power behind her look to make Ivy squirm.

"May I help you?" Ivy asked extra politely, squaring her shoulders to face Marina.

"Is that all that happened downstairs?" Marina's eyes shone with seriousness.

Ivy jerked her head back out of reflex and shock. "That's all that happened." Marina pursed her lips in disbelief. "Well, I did throw up if you must know."

"What?" Marina grabbed onto Ivy's hands. "Are you okay? Do you need to go home?"

"I rallied." Ivy laughed without conviction. Marina saw through the pathetic attempt. "The heat came back tonight. It was so overwhelming. I tried to use alcohol to bury it, but it only exacerbated the situation. After Griffin threw the scumbag out, I ended up emptying my stomach. He was so nice about it. Even held my hair back."

"What a way to meet someone. Great first impression on my part." Ivy muttered the last part, slapping a hand over her face.

Marina cracked a smile and brought Ivy in for a hug. Ella and Aura came back in that moment, handing them their drinks. They didn't sit, opting to stand and sway to the music. After a few songs, Ella wiggled her eyebrows at each of them and pulled them to the dance floor. Ivy fought it a bit, not quite in the mood due to her embarrassing moment. After all the probing, she gave in to their pleas.

"Let's go dance," Ella whooped. "It'll be fun."

Famous last words.

A/N

I was going to publish it yesterday, but I held back since it was Mother's Day.

Look at Ivy being a little forward. She's got a little attitude and spunk in her, even if a night out brought it out of her this time. It won't be the last time you see it either.

I hope all of you had a great Mother's Day, whether that means you're a mom to a human or pup; you're celebrating your dad who has to do the mom duties too; you're grieving your mom; and everything in between. I think the picture below really sums up what I'm trying to say.