Irish Luck

Chapter Thirty-One

I have absolutely no idea where we're going. I've decided not to badger Hugh with questions because he's highlight how irritating he finds it and well with it being 3am I'd rather not end up arguing with the same man that could probably argue with his own reflection for hours on end given half the chance.

So instead I keep quiet and allow him to carry me down the stairs and out the manor to his car. I don't even question him when he heads back inside and comes back out with my backpack in his hands, practically throwing it into the back seat when he gets into the car.

"Where heading back into the city so there is no point us coming back out this way if we don't need to" he grunts when he sees me looking back at it.

"Okay" I reply bluntly and turn to stare out of the window as he starts the car and pulls off.

It's least a full 20 minutes of complete silence before he speaks again.

"I don't hate you Anastasia" he says completely catching me off guard.

I can't let my head snap round to look at him, his features illuminated by the dashboard in the otherwise darkened car.

My lack of response has his eyes flickering over to mine, away from the road ahead of us only briefly.

"I-" he begins to say but I cut him off this time.

"So you've already said but I don't believe you and I don't care" I say, the latter part a complete lie but I'll never admit that to him.

Never admit that the fact my presence seems to infuriate him so much hurts more than I can put into words.

"Anastasia" Again he sighs my name like it's a loaded weapon, like merely saying it will defuse me but he's wrong. 

"Here's the thing Hugh, I have done nothing to you to deserve the way you've treated me and frankly it says a lot more about who you are as a person" I say easily knowing it's the truth. "I don't think your hang up has anything to do with what's going on between me and your brothers, and to be honest I don't care what the real reason behind it is either" I then add and hopefully from his expression each and every word it getting through to him. 

"You don't like me and I don't like you but for your brothers benefit I can at least try to be amicable, I just hope you can do the same" Once the words are all out I feel a sense of pride wash over me and I can't help but smile as I go back to looking at the darkness on the other side of the window. 

The rest of the journey is set in awkward tentative silence. It's highly uncomfortable and I hate every moment of it and that's mainly because it's not that I don't like him because in truth even though he's hurt my feeling continuously I don't particularly have any negative feelings towards him. I just know that if he thinks the feeling is mutual then he may back off a little bit, and in doing that it'll make life for his brothers so much easier. 

I meant it when I said I had no intention of coming in between any of them. My only reprieve is that when we pull up to what looks to be an industrial estate, both Finn and Blake are waiting lent against Finn's truck waiting for us.

As soon as the car pulls to a stop beside them, Finn is already striding towards us and comes straight over to my side. When he opens the door he dips his head in with that bright smile of hi spread across his face. 

"Everything okay beautiful?" he asks me but I don't miss the glare he quickly flashes his brother. 

"All good, what's going on?" I reply and give him a false smile to keep up the facade that everything is in fact fine between me and Hugh.