Saoirse’s POV

  I should have known this was a bad idea.

  Liam had been excited about it, though. "It’ll be fun," he said. "Cian’s your best friend, I’m your boyfriend—it makes sense!"

  I wanted to argue that nothing about a double date with Cian and Aoife made sense. But Liam’s enthusiasm was hard to resist, and I thought, How bad could it be?

  The answer? Very.

  We met at an upscale restaurant, one of those fancy pces where the portions were tiny, and the waiters gave you judgmental looks if you so much as asked for ketchup. Liam had dressed up, looking effortlessly charming in his navy suit, his blonde hair perfectly styled. Beside him, I felt like I belonged—like we were a power couple straight out of a movie.

  And then there was them.

  Cian walked in, tall and confident, his sharp suit tailored to perfection. He looked good—annoyingly good. But then there was her.

  Aoife Galgher, with her perfect waves of chestnut hair, her designer dress hugging every curve, and a smirk that screamed, I own this pce.

  I forced a smile as we exchanged pleasantries, but the tension was immediate.

  "So," Aoife said sweetly, stirring her wine. "How long have you two been together?"

  "Six months," Liam answered, his arm draping over my chair. "And you?"

  Aoife gnced at Cian, tilting her head. "Four months? Five?"

  "Five," Cian confirmed, not even looking at her.

  Typical. He wasn’t the soft and romantic type.

  The conversation went downhill from there.

  Liam tried to keep things light, but Aoife had a way of slipping in comments that made my blood boil. She loved mentioning how in demand Cian was, how all the girls in school wanted him.

  "Honestly, I still can’t believe he picked me," she said, fshing her teeth in a smile. "I mean, with all the options he had—"

  "Yeah," I cut in, sipping my wine. "It's surprising, considering you weren’t even his first choice."

  Liam choked on his drink.

  Cian smirked.

  Aoife’s smile twitched, but she recovered quickly. "Well, quality over quantity, right?"

  I was going to kill her.

  Cian must have sensed it because he leaned back, stretching an arm over the chair. "Rex, Fnagan. We’re all just here to have a good time."

  I shot him a gre. Easy for him to say—he wasn’t dealing with a passive-aggressive queen in heels.

  The rest of the dinner was filled with forced small talk, subtle digs, and the occasional heated gnce between me and Aoife. Liam, bless him, kept trying to keep the peace, but by the time dessert arrived, I was done.

  Cian and I exchanged a look—a silent understanding between childhood friends. This was a disaster.

  As we walked out of the restaurant, Liam wrapped an arm around me. "That was… fun, right?"

  "Yeah," I muttered. "Loads."

  Cian chuckled under his breath. "We should do it again sometime."

  I turned and punched his arm.