The sun has already gone into a slumber as we walk inside the bar. Between talking and laughing we earn ourselves some attention from the few people seated in the booths, for the place is a bit calmer than I'd probably prefer. It's a third bar, actually. We've tried two, but the noise was too much.

"I think I like this one," Sam says. Roshni and I take a deep breath of relief, for she's the one who kept refusing the other two places saying she doesn't want to hear loud music.

Which is a first, given the Sam I know and her love for heavy music.

And well, we couldn't find Liam and Malik so I think I'm done with this.

"I need a drink." I lead the way toward the counter.

"Okay. Let's have a cocktail first. No adventure goes so dryly," Sam replies, following suit. How sarcastic! "Although I have a feeling that a bottle of whisky in this place is worth my child's education."

"Oh God!" I laugh loudly, and so does Roshni. "We'll see," I mutter as I take in the beautiful interior of the place.

It's quite exorbitant, furnished in black and gold like a royal chamber full of expensive liquor and respectable looking people. In the background Adele is singing Hello in her beautiful, rich voice—a very pacifying melody.

"Hey, handsome. Can I have a Bloody Mary with a very tiny drop of Vodka?" Sam takes a seat on the stool.

"Sure thing, beautiful." The bartender, a slim brunette with a flashy smile, beams at her while drying a glass.

"Sam, you can't drink alcohol," I interject.

"Chill out, Kira Jones. I said a tiny drop of Vodka, not plenty! Hello! Aren't you supposed to be the English teacher here?" Sam retorts, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, sure. As you wish, ma'am." I plop into my seat, tired of other's mess while I'm having one of my own in the head. "Cosmopolitan, please," I utter softly, eyes on the smiling brunette.

"That's it." Sam grins and I just sigh again.

What a day we've had.

"And you, gorgeous?" The bartender asks Roshni, who's now taking a seat beside me.

"Um, me? I guess Apple Martini will do," she replies.

Everything feels relaxing but I'm far from being calm. Why can't I stop thinking of Liam? Why do I feel restless about this whole silence from him? Is he okay? Of course he is, or else we'd have heard from Malik.

"I think I'm hungry," Sam murmurs but I hardly pay attention.

"Again?" Roshni chuckles. They're both holding their mobiles, eyes on their bright screens.

"Is there another lounge in this place?" I ask the bartender upon seeing a staircase leading to another floor, a couple coming down through it.

"Yes, there's another one upstairs," the bartender replies, his artistic hands busy mixing the drinks. He's swift, a clear sign of myriad repetition in everything he's doing. "Would you like to take a peek? It's super cool and a little private."

"Yes, please," I reply and get up.

Frowning, Roshni asks, "Are you going to search for them once again?"

"Not really. I'm just checking," I answer and deep inside I know I'm not being honest.

This is the last nearest bar to the hotel. If Liam and Malik are not here then it means they're very far from here.

"Oh, you're really at it, girl. Good luck with that." Sam raises her glass at me, cajoling me.

Ignoring my best friend, I take a set of clean stairs that lead to the second lounge. Again I try to reach Liam on the phone without any luck.

"Shit!" I hiss quietly.

Why the hell is his mobile off? And fuck, why am I here trying to stalk him? Don't I trust him or something? I stop moving, my mind divided at the moment.

I do trust him, but something doesn't seem to keep me calm for some reason. The conversation I overheard this morning was about a woman named Monique.

Who is she? Why were they talking about her as though she was someone I didn't have to know?

"Okay, enough of this. Get your acts together, Kira Jones." I take a big breath, ready to stop this madness.

I'll just forget about everything and wait for Liam in the hotel.

I'm about to leave when I manage to catch the sight of this second lounge which has got such a fine décor and ambience. No wonder the bartender said it's private, for it definitely looks confidential judging from the distance between the booths.

I turn my gaze away to return to my steps downstairs, when I suddenly feel like I've seen them. I quickly finish the staircase and stand at the entrance, where I can clearly see the inside and two men seated at the counter. They are here, so I was worried for nothing.

I march over, a smile on my face. However I suddenly notice something else that wipes my smile right away. Apparently Liam and Malik are not alone, for there are two women who are now joining them coming from one of the booths.

I take a halt, reading the picture satirically. One woman raven haired, and another is brown haired—both good looking even from a distance. The former sits next to Malik, and the later next to Liam. They all seem acquainted, more or less—I can't tell clearly.

What are you thinking, Kira Jones? Stop it! I mentally yell, but there's no way I'm running away. I move toward them, my head high.

"Hello. Can I have the strongest drink you have?" I greet the bartender, leaning over the counter just next to where my super fiancé is.

"Kira?" Liam calls up right away, startled.

I gaze at him and pretend to have just seen him. And hell, he knows when I'm faking it. Smiling, my eyes dart between the stunned Arab and the two women seated with these men.

"What a coincidence. I didn't know you're here." I look at Liam straight in the eyes, wondering whether he's going to kiss me or not.

He better choose wisely.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, and I frown in a split second.

With another smile I immediately recover my momentum.

"To grab a drink, why else?" I reply softly. "Hi, Malik." I throw a glance at him, surprised that he hasn't uttered a syllable up to now.

Do they look busted? I scrutinize their reaction but they're just calm. Smart bastards! I can't even read their minds.

"Hi." Malik smiles, and I get to see the brunette close to him.

She's dressed in a black strapless dress, her large eyes filled with mascara and vivid eyeliner, her lips covered with a dark shade of purple, matching the color of her long nails—quite gothic.

And back to the brown-haired woman, who's wearing a white peplum top and blue skinny jeans: she looks elegant in a simple way, her demeanor is nothing but calmness, and I feel alarmed.

Who are these ladies? My subconscious is as stirred as I am, and the devil in me is so ready to get nasty at the way I'm being glared at by the raven haired woman whom I clearly don't like.

"Will brandy or whiskey do, madam?" The bartender asks, claiming my attention back to him.

"Um . . ." My eyes are still on Liam's. He looks mindful, probably thinking of what I'm thinking right now. "I'll have what this gentleman is having. But no ice," I reply and I'm still at my feet.

The two women I don't know are staring at me, and I quite don't appreciate the look of disdain coming from the brunette. She's plainly dislikable, not that I'm being nasty.

I get my whiskey and take a big sip that makes Liam release an inaudible sigh.

"Kira," he calls gently, his voice low.

"Hmm." I put the glass down and wipe my mouth as I hiss at the burn in my throat. Have I drunk whiskey before? So hot! "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" I ask the not so pleased Liam.

I don't care what he feels about my current performance, for I'm not dumb not to see whatever's happening here wasn't meant for me to see—not at all.

"I was going to." Liam notices the asperity in the tone of my voice.

"Cool." I smile at him and suddenly I feel his hand holding my waist, pulling me to his side.

Woah! I did not see this coming.

"Well, this is Scarlet, and that's Monique. They are friends from England," Liam says casually, pointing at the brown-haired woman and the brunette, respectively. "Ladies, this is Kira—my fiancée." He now faces me, a cynic smirk on his face as though he's screaming 'what were you thinking, woman?'

I clear my throat, rattled somehow. But that name rings the bell instantaneously. So the brunette is that famous Monique? Finally the puzzle pieces are fitting together.

Liam kisses me softly on the lips and whispers, "I only belong to you, Ms. Jones. No need to get hysterical."

Scheming Englishman! I flush.

"Hello," I greet the ladies, trying hard to put Liam's enticing words aside.

"Hi," Scarlet replies in a soft voice as our eyes meet. She has a pretty, angelic face adorned with a pair of glowing green eyes.

But why does she make me so uneasy?

"Oh, so she's the lucky one?" Monique says, uncrossing her legs as if she's getting ready for an interesting episode of her favorite show. "Hello." She has got a thick French accent.

Could she be the same woman who picked Malik's phone during that time? Oh fuck, yes, it's the same woman! Now I'm even more intrigued by this.

"No, I'm the lucky one to have her," Liam remarks proudly, making me blush uncontrollably as he beholds my face. "Mine," he whispers and lays another kiss on my lips.

Fuck, that heat rises. My sex goddess stirs in her golden throne, smiling deviously at this little reminder of his.

"Um . . . excuse me. I need to use the ladies' room." Scarlet gets up abruptly, looking a bit distraught.

What's wrong with her? I scowl a bit.

"Let me join you," Monique says with an exaggerated sigh and gets up as well.

Honestly, she's got a terrific body: perfect curves that fit in that tight black dress she's wearing, and long beautiful legs befitting those long heels. But she still looks like the evil witch from the Wizard of OZ.

Scarlet isn't any different—she's also beautiful—except that she's as slim as I am, seeming like one of the ladies who care so much about their weight management. Maybe not, because I don't and I'm still this slender.

Also, she is slightly limping as she walks, I notice as my eyes get stuck to them fading away, and at last I'm left with the two men. I quickly pull away from Liam, just a step apart, and put a very serious face while glaring at him.

"Where is your phone, Sir?" I ask.

"Um . . . Excuse me." He's referring to the bartender. I stalk his gaze. "Can I have it? I think it must be recharged by now," he tells him.

"Yes, sir. Just a minute." The bartender answers and afterwards he hands Liam his cellphone.

"Thanks." Liam turns to me. "Here it is but it ran out of battery earlier in the afternoon. I just managed to charge it some minutes ago. Did you call?" he asks.

"No, I didn't. Why would I call my fiancé whom I haven't seen since this morning, huh?" I say with a smile while taking a seat at last.

"Sarcasm means I'm in deep trouble, right?" Liam chuckles. He resumes his seat on the barstool. "I wasn't planning to stay long, and I thought I'd give you some space to have your own moment."

"Oh, how considerate," I murmur.

Malik giggles as though he's been trying hard to repress the urge to. "I'm sorry, Professor, you're just so feisty today?" he muses.

"Oh, so you can talk now? I thought the cat got your tongue," I return.

Liam bursts out laughing.

"I'm in trouble, too, right?" Malik utters and I just shrug.

"Well, I'll go back now." I take another sip of my whiskey and Liam's lips quirk. I know he doesn't like that I'm drinking heavy stuff. "Sam and Roshni are waiting for me. I can tell the party's going so well with you guys and I don't want to ruin it."

"Wait, Kira." Liam holds my hand so that I don't leave. "Are you mad at me, baby?" He sounds concerned.

"Not really. I just got worried since I couldn't get through you on the phone."

"Okay. Why don't you join us over here? You can ask Sam and Roshni to come as well," he suggests.

"Are you serious, Liam?" I blurt. "You want us to sit in the same place with those women? Do you think I haven't noticed the way that witch . . . I mean, Monique or whatever her name is, keeps a close tab on Malik and how the other one looks at you?"

Jeez, I'm not that gullible.

"The witch?" Liam chuckles heartily.

"No, that came out wrong. What I mean is . . . I don't want Roshni to witness this; regardless what her relationship with Malik is. And . . . I do trust you enough to not breath under your neck, even though you have some explaining to do."

"Okay." Liam sighs.

"And make sure you come back early, Liam, or else you're sleeping in the lobby," I warn seriously, and Liam tries hard not to laugh. "And you better behave, Liam Darcy." I kiss him swiftly.

"Okay. Please don't drink too much, Kira. We're going back to the hotel soon," he says.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to. In fact, I think I'm not staying here longer. I'm tired, I had a long day," I answer, and back into the bartender I mutter, "He's the one paying for my drink."

Liam nods at him.

"Take care. I love you," I whisper.

"I love you, too," he replies and I head toward the exit, my mind back on that woman named Scarlet.

I've seen her before.