“Only you would take me to Buckingham Palace to see a car collection.” Deagan chuckled as they made their way out of the Palace and onto the streets of Central London.“I knew it would bore you to take a long tour of the Palace and as much as it pains me, I couldn’t put you through such torture.” Aria shook her head sadly, Deagan laughed out loud at her explanation.“How noble of you.” He teased and she grinned wickedly.He loved the cheerful air that surrounded them, the tension between them had dissipated the moment they stepped out of the apartment and part of him wondered if they would remain this way after returning to the apartment. He mentally chastised himself for thinking that and forced himself back to the present, he wanted to enjoy every waking moment with her no

“What!” Deagan growled into the phone, he was angry at himself and at Zoey for having such horrible timing.“Baby, I miss you!” Zoey nagged into the phone only agitating Deagan further.“I don’t have time for your bullshit Zoey, get to the point.” He knew her too well, she didn’t call unnecessarily.“Which hotel are you staying in?” She asked and he felt panic flare inside of him.“Why do you want to know?” His voice remained impassive, but he was growing more suspicious of her actions by the second.“Aww baby, you didn’t hear. We’re flying to London for Amaya’s Dance Showcase, they wanted to surprise you, but I was too excited to

Deagan was engrossed in replying to emails when his phone rang and Amaya’s name flashed on his screen, he quickly accepted the call.“Well, well, well. To what do I owe this pleasure?” he teased, enjoying it when she scoffed.“Can’t I call my only brother?” Usually, he would have laughed and responded sarcastically, but her comment made his heart pang.“You have two brothers, Amaya.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Amaya took Aycin leaving the hardest of all and he felt guilty for being here with their brother when he knew his sister missed him immensely.“He’s dead to me.” She sounded pissed, as she always did when someone mentioned Aycin.

Aria looked at the three tickets in her hand, sucking in a deep breath she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. She wanted so badly to watch Amaya dance, but she couldn’t help her apprehension.“Hey, it’s normal to be worried,” Hazel reassured her.“Is it”?” She looked unconvinced and Hazel smiled.“Honey, facing a difficult past isn’t meant to be easy. It takes courage even if you aren’t looking it dead in the eye. You’re the strongest person I know, it’s time you started believing that.” Aria wrapped her arms around her friend; her words were exactly the motivation she needed.“Thank you for everything Haze.” Hazel hugged her back just as tightly.

“Home sweet home,” Deagan commented when Aycin helped him sit on the couch of his new living room, with his family surrounding him stiffly. “Whose house is this?” His uncle questioned, looking around the expansive open-planned house.“Mine, I bought it a few weeks ago.” Aria and Deagan shared a smile.“Why in the world would you do that, Deagan?” Amaya frowned deeply, sending a suspicious look in Aria’s direction. “I needed a place to work while I was here and the apartment was getting a little cramped for the three of us,” Deagan answered truthfully. “You don’t really have a business here, do you?” Maya stated more than aske