Chapter 2
A couple of days later, Flynn returned from his business trip.
I took time off from work so I could pick him up at the airport.
When I got there, I realized he wasn't alone.
Tanya was right beside him.
She was carefully supporting his arm, her eyes filled with tender worry.
When Flynn saw me, there was a barely noticeable flash of panic on his face.
He instinctively jerked his arm away from Tanya.
Only then did I notice his right arm was heavily bandaged, making my heart clench with worry.
"Megan, hear me out..." Flynn began.
But before he could finish, Tanya cut him off in a hurry. "Flynn tried to stop a robbery at a gold shop a few days ago and ended up getting slashed with a knife.
"I was the one who insisted on coming here to bring him back, so don't blame him."
Flynn's brow furrowed as he stepped in, cutting her off.
"That's enough, Tanya," he said firmly.
He looked over at me, his voice gentler now. "Don't worry. It's just a scratch."
I hadn't gotten a word out and Tanya had jumped in, making it sound like I was about to blame him.
But I ignored her completely—my attention was fixed on Flynn.
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? Does it hurt a lot?" I asked.
Flynn let out a soft sigh.
He wrapped his left arm around me, pulling me in close and murmuring comfort. "You've been so busy with your project lately—I just didn't want you to worry about me."
"Don't you know you're always number one in my heart?" I said, worry etched on my face as fear gripped me. "Seriously, nothing matters more to me than your safety."
"Honestly, it doesn't hurt at all," Flynn replied, trying to soothe me. "Really, it's nothing."
Tanya stood off to the side, listening in on our conversation.
She could barely hide her frustration simmering underneath her bland expression.
She handed Flynn's backpack over to me, clearly reluctant, then started rattling off instructions. "His meds are inside. And don't forget to change his bandages at the right times—"
I took the backpack from her with a calm nod, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Thanks for the concern, Miss Yates. I'll take it from here—he's my boyfriend, after all."
After graduation, Flynn and I both chose to stay in the city for work.
Tanya hung around too.
She shut down her food truck.
With the cash she'd scrimped and saved, she started studying on her own to finish the schooling she'd had to put on hold.
She started out in an entry-level office job.
But with nothing but stubborn grit, she eventually made a leap to Flynn's company—one of the top five in the city.
Maybe her position was still low on the ladder, but I honestly had to admit, that kind of tenacity? It made me see her in a whole new light.
She stopped wearing her feelings for Flynn on her sleeve like she used to.
Most of the time, she just quietly watched me and Flynn from the sidelines.
It wasn't until the night Flynn and I finally decided to live together that everything changed.
That was the first time Tanya ever truly lost control of her emotions.
But the very next day, she showed up at my office with a fancy set of skincare products, begging for my forgiveness in front of everyone.
With all my colleagues and even my boss watching, I didn't want to turn my personal life into office gossip, so I just said it was fine.
But from that moment on, I just lost all patience with her.
Tanya was like a silent camera in the background, always watching.
Her mere presence was enough to make my skin crawl.
*****
Flynn hissed.
I got totally lost in my own head, replaying the past in my mind.
As I was disinfecting Flynn's injury, my hand slipped and the cotton swab poked straight into his wound.
Flynn winced in pain, then shot me a teasing remark without thinking. "Wow, Miss Top of the Class—how are you worse at changing bandages than Tanya?"
My temper flared, and my face instantly turned cold.
"If she's so amazing, maybe you should date her instead," I snapped.
Regret flashed in Flynn's eyes.
He hugged me tight, his voice low and hoarse.
"I'm sorry, Megan. I was just talking nonsense—don't be mad at me, okay?" he said, holding me close.
He dug through his backpack and pulled out a small box, handing it to me.
"I picked this up for you while I was away. Consider it my way of making it up to you, okay?" Flynn said, his tone gentle.
I opened the box, and my heart skipped a beat.
It was the gold bracelet I'd shown him before.
I loved its unique design the moment I saw it.
However, I just couldn't find it in any of the regular shops.
I casually griped to Flynn about it that day, but he actually remembered and went and got it for me.
Suddenly it clicked—the place where Flynn got injured was right near the gold store.
My heart clenched.
"Did you get hurt because you were buying this for me?" I choked out.
Flynn just smiled at me, not giving me a straight answer.
He reached out with his good hand and gently held mine.
After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, his voice low and husky. "Megan, the project went off without a hitch, and I could get a pretty nice bonus."
He paused for a moment, his gaze intense as it lingered on me."I was thinking maybe I could use that bonus to buy gifts for your folks. How about I finally go and meet your mom and dad, officially?"
We'd been together for three years now—it was about time we took things to the next level.
When my parents found out Flynn was the one who brought up meeting them, they were absolutely thrilled.