Ok so I'm trying something different here, I am introducing a new character who will have a big effect on Brendan's life. The story picks up a few weeks after Brendan tried to seduce Noah, his relationship with Chez is still rocky and Stephen barely acknowledges him.

Danny Houston is still dead but Warren isn't in this story, or maybe he will be in another guise…. Just have to see how it all pans out. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

'Brendan!' I hear Rhys bellowing across the club

I storm out of the office, really not in the mood for this today, especially given Stephen and that Noah are sat around with his flat mates, drinking, laughing and feigning happiness which I'm sure is all for my benefit.

'What now?' I say trying to focus on Rhys who is serving a red haired woman sat at the bar, when all I really want to do is look at Stephen.

'The delivery is finally here and I am on my own for another half hour so can you take care of it?' he says and he does actually look a bit frazzled so instead of giving him my usual sarcasm I just walk off downstairs to take care of the delivery.

I'm back upstairs after 10 minutes and my mood has worsened significantly. I march right up to the bar where Rhys is chatting to the same woman and slam the clipboard down.

'What the fuck have you done this time Rhys, forty barrels, FORTY barrels what the hell were you thinking?'

I know I should calm down, people are looking over and I don't even have to see Stephen's face to know which look he is giving me, I've seen it often enough, it's full of pity combined with relief. Relief he doesn't have to deal with me anymore, we try to work the rota now so we aren't working at the same time unless it's a busy night.

'I…I….. thought you said forty' he says quietly, he knows full well he has messed up.

'Jesus Rhys how long have you worked here? have we ever got through forty barrels of lager in three days? it was supposed to be a fucking promotion now we are stuck with this stuff' This stuff is also close to it's sell by date, that's why I got it in, but if we can't shift it we're gonna be stuck with 40 barrels of useless lager that we can't sell.

'Can't they just take it back?' he asks and I swear it takes all my willpower not to jump over that bar and punch him, does he think I am an idiot?

I close my eyes, pinch my nose and take deep breaths in and out, trying to calm down 'No Rhys, they wont take it…..'

I stop mid sentence and my eyes follow where Rhys is looking. The woman who was sat at the bar has picked up the clipboard with the order info, walked over to the delivery guy and is chatting away to him.

I am about to march over and ask what the hell she thinks she is playing at when I see her put her arm on his, throw her hair back and start laughing with him, he is grinning at her and they walk back towards us and she resumes her position sat at the bar.

'Right Mr Brady, call it twenty barrels and we'll hear no more of it yeah?' before I can answer he is heading back downstairs and I start to follow him.

I turn and call back to the bar 'Rhys, get the lady a drink yeah?' and carry on to sort out this disaster of a delivery.

Once it is all signed for and the barrels are unloaded, Jamie and Steve, two of the night staff arrive and they set about moving the stock into the cellar.

I head back upstairs, walk straight to the bar and position myself so I'm standing right next to the redhead and say ' Rhys, customers' he looks like he is about to contradict me but then he spots a group of lads walking up the stairs and stalks off down the other end of the bar to serve them.

She turns to face me and I take her in for the first time, she is fairly slim with red hair, green eyes with incredibly long lashes that remind me of Stephen. She's probably about 5'6, judging from when she was stood up before and she is dressed causally but with class. She isn't obviously beautiful but there is definitely something there, something that draws you in. I can see why Rhys was so keen to chat with her, even though she doesn't really do anything for me in that sense. She smiles when she realises I'm checking her out and holds her hand out to me.

'Amelia Jones, but you can call me Millie' she says, her voice is soft but full of confidence and in a strange way slightly alluring. I can't place her accent but it's fair to say she isn't from round here.

I place my hand in hers as I say 'Brendan Brady' and shake lightly before removing my hand and leaning back on the bar.

'You often get involved in other peoples businesses Millie?' I ask, my tone is light but it's a weighted question.

'All the time' she says grinning at me as she takes a sip of her drink 'I'm sorry if I was stepping on your toes, I just thought you losing your temper wasn't helping your cause'

'With the delivery guy?' I ask, a little confused by what cause she means.

Her eyes move a little to the left and I follow them looking away quickly when I realise she is looking at Stephen.

'I don't get you' I say as I move behind the bar to get a whiskey before walking back round to her.

'I might be going out on a limb here but I'd say you two aren't over each other yet.' she says softly, fixing her eyes on me.

'What has Rhys been saying ?' I ask feeling irritated at the thought he has been gossiping about me.

'He hasn't said anything, we were just chatting about music. I could see it the moment you walked out of the office, that's some serious sexual tension you two got going on there'

I don't know what to say, surely she has heard the village gossips, she can't have picked up on my history with Stephen just by sitting at the bar and watching. She lifts her drink is about to take a sip but puts her glass back down and continues talking.

'The fascinating bit is the boyfriend, that's an interesting dynamic right there. He is feigning confidence, trying to look in control, putting on a front of unity yet he can't look you in the eye. Now if it was a simple case of him winning your ex from you, he'd be like the cat that got the cream, he would be trying to make eye contact as much as possible, prove himself as the victor, it's human nature. Only he doesn't, like I say he can't look you in the eye which makes me think you've been a bad boy Brendan'

'Oh?' I ask, I can't trust myself to say anymore. How does she seem to know all this? It wont surprise you to hear control is important to me, and right now I am not in control of this situation at all. I don't like it one bit yet there is a part of me that is intrigued by her. I study her as she finishes her drink and I'm thrown by the fact all I see in her eyes is warmth, she isn't challenging me, she doesn't look like she wants use this information against me she just looks sincere.

'Now lets see' she somehow manages to turn to look at Noah and take him in without him noticing 'he isn't scared of you physically, he is scared of himself around you….. Oh Brendan….' she says as she starts to laugh out loud.

Her eyes are sparkling as she puts her hand on my arm, it feels warm and soft and friendly, it goes against every fibre of who I am to have a stranger act like this with me but I am surprised by the fact I don't want to brush her hand off. I like it there, I like this feeling of intimacy she has created with me in a mater of minutes. It's scary but kinda exhilarating.

'You did, didn't you? You seduced him to make a point' For the first time in god knows how long I find myself genuinely laughing.

Rhys chooses this moment to head over ' What's so funny?' he asks smiling, hoping to get another chance to chat to Millie, he's so obvious.

I stop laughing, drain my glass and look at her, I can't explain why but I'm drawn to her, there is some inner instinct inside telling me she will be good for me, she will help me and I am overwhelmed by the urge to give in to it. It's not like my life could get any more messed up is it?

'Hungry?' I ask her

'Starving' she says before turning to Rhys 'It was lovely to meet you Rhys, don't worry he'll be back in a few hours' She says winking at him as she steps down off the barstool . We head towards the stairs with my hand on the small of her back, lightly guiding her. It's an unconscious gesture, I do it without realising but judging by the eyes I feel burning into my back, it hasn't gone unnoticed.

We walk the ten minutes to a local Italian and get a table with ease. On the way here Millie kept the conversation light, telling me she moved here just over a month ago, she had moved around quite a bit before that by the sounds of it.

Now we are sat opposite each other having ordered and I feel a little apprehensive.

'You don't get chance to relax much do you?' she asks fixing those eyes on me. It's going to sound mad but she reminds me of Stephen at times, it's the way she looks at me so intently, like there is no one else in the world.

'What makes you think that?' I ask not wanting to give anything away.

'I can see it in your eyes, there is a tiredness there that goes beyond lack of sleep, which I'm fairly sure you suffer from too. ' she says softly. 'I get the feeling life has been stressful for you lately Brendan and I don't know if it is by choice or down to consequence but I think you are lacking people in your life who can be here for you right now.'

I don't know how but she has bloody done it again, she has this way of reading situations and getting them spot on. I'm quite a guarded person, I don't give much away but she is breaking through the layers, stripping them back and she is seeing me. The real me. To be honest I had started to wonder if it still existed.

I've lost my way recently, it doesn't take a genius to work that out. My relationship with Chez is hanging in the balance, she is finding it really hard to forgive me for everything. I think what has hurt her the most is the lies, the secrecy and the fact other people knew before she did. So she is dealing with it the best way she can, she is avoiding me, when our paths do cross conversation is stilted at best.

Then there is Stephen….. I can't believe how wrong I got that situation.

Millie senses my reluctance to go there and changes the subject, she tells me about her work and everything starts to fall into place, how perceptive she is, how she can read body language, how she makes me feel instantly at ease in her company. She is a fucking shrink. That's not how she describes herself obviously but that's the conclusion I come to. She has her own private practice but she also does outreach work in the community and her face lights up a she talks about some of the people she has been able to help in the past.

Slowly she gets me talking and opening up, she tells me about the fact she has no family which in return results in me telling her I have a sister. She instantly picks up on the fact there is a problem there, she doesn't ask about it but she gets me to talk about Chez, what she is like, her likes her dislikes, funny stories about her growing up.

It is so un me to be talking like this, especially to a virtual stranger but I start to feel better than I have in weeks, months even. She is charming, funny, clever, she takes my sarcasm and turns it right back at me with such warmth and grace I'd defy anyone not to like her.

'Wow look at the time, your barman isn't going to be happy with me' she says looking at her watch, I check mine and I'm surprised to see that it's been best part of three hours since we left the club.

'He'll cope' I say finding myself reluctant to let go of this evening.

'I should get going, I'm moving into my new place in the morning and still haven't finished packing yet.' She says as she asks the waiter to call her a cab, by the sound of it she lives in the centre of town and not in the village.

She pulls a card from her bag, writes on the back and hands it to me.

'I don't need a shrink' I say feeling anger rise inside at me, it's an automatic reflex that I can't help.

She reaches out her hand resting it on my arm, instantly calming me with her touch and her voice 'I'm not looking for a client Brendan'

'Then what?' I ask irritably.

'I don't know, but it strikes me we met for a reason, I might be out of line here but I think you could do with a friend, someone who isn't going to judge or push you to be someone your not ready to be. As for me, I'm new in town, I don't know anyone and for some unknown reason I like you' she says pulling her arm back and grinning at me.

We walk out the restaurant to find her taxi waiting, She turns to me, stretches up and kisses me on the cheek

'Thank you Brendan, I had a lovely evening' she says as she climbs into the taxi and I don't know what to say, turns out I'm not actually that great in social situations, so I do this kind of salute thing to her as the taxi drives off.

I walk back to the club in somewhat of a daze, tonight has been quite possibly the weirdest night of my life. I've never met someone like Millie before, so together, so clued up, so genuine. She has this incredible warmth about her and when she talks, things make sense. Normally I'd find a way to shut people up if they talk about something I don't want to hear, but not with her, she finds a way round me, she says what needs to be said and ultimately I feel better for hearing it.

I walk into the club, check everything is ok with the downstairs bar before heading upstairs to see if Chez has been in tonight. Rhys tells me he hasn't seen her and instantly starts asking about Millie, I tell him to get back to work and head to the office. That's five days now I've not seen Chez. You wouldn't think she owned half this place these days but more than that I miss her like crazy, talking about her tonight made me see just how much.

I sit at my desk, pull out the card Millie gave me and look at it, she left the ball in my court, it's up to me what I do now. I think back to what she said at the end of evening about me needing someone in my life to be there for me and I realise I don't just need that, I want it.

I grab my phone and before thinking it through I've texted her 'Home safe? BB'

My phone beeps less than a minute later with a text saying 'Just! Night hun, Millie x'

I read her message with a sense of relief. Relief that she is ok and relief that she replied, because right now I'm thinking I want her in my life. I can't explain it but I have this feeling with her around things will get better.