TWENTY-ONE

Lyra stood by the roadside, her arm outstretched, trying to hail a taxi. She silently prayed that she wouldn't come across Kian again, the memory of him offering her a ride and making her uncomfortable still fresh in her mind. Just as she was thinking this, Kian's car pulled over in front of her.

"Lyra, get in. I'll give you a ride home," Kian said, a sly grin on his face.

Lyra hesitated for a moment, knowing that she didn't want to be alone in a car with Kian, but also not wanting to anger him. As she was about to argue, she heard a loud car honk on the other side of the street.

Lyra turned to see Abby waving to her from inside the car. A feeling of relief washed over her as she moved closer to Kian's car.

"Sorry, Kian. I'll be going with Abby since we're going to drop by somewhere," Lyra said, hoping to avoid any further confrontation.

Kian knew what she was doing, but he was cool about it. He said bye and drove off.

Lyra rushed over to Abby's car, relieved to be away from Kian.

"Thanks for showing up at the right time," Lyra said, getting into the passenger seat.

Abby grinned. "No problem. I always have your back."

Lyra smiled, grateful for the friendship she had found in Abby. But her relief was short-lived as Abby began to tease her about Kian.

"So this is not the first time he's offered you a ride? You must be quite the charmer, Lyra," Abby said, playfully nudging her friend.

Lyra rolled her eyes. "He just offered to drop me off because he did so a few days ago when it was raining. It's not a big deal."

Abby raised an eyebrow. "Come to think of it, I've noticed that you have some kind of relationship with each of the three brothers. You seem to have known each other before. You'd be lucky if you ended up dating any of them."

Lyra shook her head, brushing off Abby's comments. "You're overthinking things, Abby. Just drive and stop talking."

Abby laughed. "Okay, okay. But you have to admit, it's interesting. Three rich and handsome brothers all interested in the same girl."

Lyra sighed. "I'm not interested in any of them like that. It's just a pure employer-employee relationship."

Abby nodded, sensing that Lyra wasn't eager with the conversation.

"Okay, okay. I'll drop it. So where are we headed?"

Lyra smiled, grateful for the change of subject. "There's a new ice cream shop that just opened up. I thought we could check it out."

Abby grinned. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."

*****

Lyra and Abby were still cruising down the highway, listening to music and chatting about everything and nothing. The sun was setting, and the orange sky was breathtaking.

“So, have you met any guys lately?"

Abby rolled her eyes, "Ugh, don't get me started. I don't always seem to attract the guys I really like, and the one I end up with turn out to be complete twats."

Lyra chuckled, "Why is that?"

Abby sighed, "I have no idea. Maybe I have a bad taste in men."

Lyra laughed, "Well, you're not alone. We all have that problem sometimes."

Abby grinned, "Yeah, tell me about it. So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

Lyra hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "No, I'm not. I've been too busy with work and stuff."

Abby raised her eyebrows, "Really? I find that hard to believe. You're gorgeous, and you seem like you'd be a catch."

Lyra blushed, "Oh, stop it. I just haven't had the time or the energy to date."

Abby smirked, "Well, you should make some time. You never know, you might meet someone amazing."

Lyra smiled, "Maybe I will."

Abby suddenly remembered something and grinned mischievously, "Hey, speaking of bad dates, let me tell you about the worst date I ever had."

Lyra leaned in, "Ooh, I'm all ears. Do tell."

Abby took a deep breath, "Okay, so I met this guy on a dating site, right? And he seemed really cool, we had great chats, and we decided to meet up for dinner."

Lyra nodded, "Okay, so far so good."

Abby continued, "Well, I got to the restaurant, and I saw this guy sitting there, and I thought, 'No way, that can't be him.' But it was. He looked completely different from his profile picture. He had put up an someone else's photo or something."

Lyra gasped, "Oh no. What did you do?"

Abby laughed, "Well, I was so shocked, I just turned around and walked out of the restaurant. I didn't even say hello or anything. I just left him there."

Lyra burst out laughing, "Oh my God, that's hilarious. What did he do?"

Abby shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out."

Lyra wiped the tears from her eyes, "Wow, that's crazy. I can't believe you did that."

Abby chuckled, "Yeah, well, I didn't want to waste my time on someone who wasn't honest with me. Life's too short for bad dates."

Lyra nodded in agreement, "You're right about that. So, have you gone on any good dates lately?"

Abby grinned, "Well, I haven't been on any dates lately, but I'm hoping to change that soon. Maybe I'll meet someone amazing like you said."

Lyra smiled, "I hope so too. You deserve to be happy. But that reminds me, qhat about the chef guy at the cafeteria? You seem very into him, so…."

Abby blushed as Lyra brought up the chef . She had been secretly admiring him from afar for weeks now, but the thought of asking him out made her stomach churn with nerves.

"I don't know, Lyra. What if he's not interested?" Abby said, wringing her hands on the steering wheel.

Lyra turned to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll never know if you don't try, Abby. Plus, if he says no, at least you can move on and stop obsessing over him."

Abby sighed and looked out the window, watching the buildings and trees pass by. "I guess you're right. It's just scary putting yourself out there like that."

Lyra nodded in agreement. "It is, but sometimes you have to take a chance and see where it leads. Who knows? He could be the love of your life."

Abby chuckled. "That's a bit dramatic, Lyra."

Lyra grinned. "Hey, you never know. Stranger things have happened."

Abby playfully nudged her friend, "I never took you for a relationship guru though."

Lyra raised an eyebrow, "What? You don't think I give good advice?"

Abby grinned, "I'm just saying, the best coaches are usually the worst players. It's like those who can't do, teach."

Lyra laughed, "Well, I've had my fair share of bad relationships, so I've learned a thing or two."

Abby leaned back in her seat and sighed, "Tell me about it. I feel like I always attract the wrong guys."

Lyra nodded, "It happens to the best of us. But that's why you have to take a chance with the chef guy. You never know, he could be the one."

Abby bit her lip, "I just don't want to make a fool of myself."

Lyra reached over and took Abby's hand, "You won't make a fool of yourself, Abby. You're an amazing person, and any guy would be lucky to go out with you. Just be confident and go for it."

Abby smiled, feeling a surge of courage from Lyra's words. "Thanks, Lyra.”