The fourth time he lost it was when pretty eyes the color of the summer sea looked up at him. (389)

She was sitting in a quaint little cafe, her booth tucked away in the corner where it was quieter and private. She had changed, he noted.

Auburn hair tucked into a messy side braid and a soft knit hat perched on her head. Clad in a pea coat, long dress and boots, she didn't look an inch of the Amy Cahill he had known since they were six. No, she looked even better.

He had come in after class to find shelter from the bitter Cambridge cold. Going to university in America had been good for him, but there were days where he missed the country air of England and sometimes, Natalie - when she wasn't calling him to nag about when he was going to stop hiding in the states and come home.

For some time, he had known they were attending the same school, but with thousands of students between them, he never shared any classes with her, never bumped into her, never saw a glance of red. Ian watched her for a long minute, standing oblivious to his surroundings until someone brushed past him for the exit.

The last time he had seen her was nearly two years ago after the Vespers incident. Everyone had moved on. At first, they only ever saw each other at branch meetings, but eventually, he began sending Natalie in his stead, not wanting to face her. Not wanting to see her attached to someone else's arm - again.

But she had grown even more beautiful with time.

You hesitated before and you lost your chance. Are you going to let her go again? A voice whispered meaningfully, the painful reminder fresh in his mind of those that came after Evan Tolliver.

Taking a careful hold of his coffee as he shuffled his books into the crook of his arm, he approached her table. The uncertainty that hummed in his body was something new as he swallowed the hard lump in his throat.

"Hello, love."

The nickname fell abruptly from his lips before he could stop it, rusty from being so unused, but easy because she was the only one he would use it for.

But the bright smile and tender jade eyes that met his apprehensive gaze were more than enough to ignite something in his heart that Ian Kabra thought he would never feel.

Hope.

.

.

.

Notes: A cupcake for you if you know what school they go to! And Rapid Fire: Crushed is about Ian. He's about to go see Amy, but a visit from dear ol' mum makes him hesitate and doubt so he backs out of seeing her.