Freakum dress

Mallory

I was finally going on a date.

Me, Mallory Lynch going on a date with Kian Holland.

With 'freakum dress' by Beyoncé blaring through my speaker, I danced around my room as I figured out what dress to wear.

I settled on a short black slip dress—simple, but enough to make a statement. Enough to make Kian stop and stare.

Not that I cared about that.

Okay, maybe I did.

Just a little.

With a final look in the mirror, I smoothed my dress down, swiped on some lip gloss, and grabbed my phone from the bed. Kian would be here any minute.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed.

Kian: Outside, princess.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the smile that tugged at my lips.

Slipping my shoes on, I headed downstairs.

Mam was in the kitchen, scrolling on her phone, barely looking up when I walked in. "Where you off to?"

"Out," I said, grabbing my bag.

"With?"

"Kian."

That made her pause. She glanced at me, giving me a once-over before humming. "Right."

That was it. No questions, no warnings, no curiosity.

Not that I expected much.

"Don't be out too late," she added before looking back at her phone.

"Yeah," I muttered, shoving my jacket on. "Love you."

She didn't answer.

I exhaled through my nose and walked outside, pushing the thought away.

Kian was leaning against his car, hands in his pockets, looking me up and down like he'd just been hit by a truck.

"Jesus, Mal," he muttered, shaking his head. "Tryin' to kill me?"

I smirked, flipping my hair over my shoulder. "Wouldn't dream of it."

He chuckled, opening the passenger door for me. "Come on then, let's go."

As I slid into the car, I felt my mood shift.

Mam might not have cared.

But Kian did.

I buckled my seatbelt and glanced around the car, my eyebrows raising slightly. It wasn't fancy or anything, but it was decent—definitely better than the shite most of the lads at BCS drove.

"When'd you get a car?" I asked, resting my arm on the door as Kian pulled away from the house.

He smirked, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear stick. "Took it from my da."

I blinked. "Took it?"

"Aye." He shrugged like it was nothing. "He was too pissed to notice. Keys were on the counter, so I helped myself."

I stared at him for a moment. "You just... took it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"So he...really doesn't know?"

Kian shot me a look, amusement flickering in his eyes. "What do you think?"

I shook my head with a small laugh. "You're gonna get your head kicked in one of these days."

"Wouldn't be the first time," he muttered under his breath, eyes flicking back to the road.

I frowned, but before I could say anything, he reached over, resting a hand on my thigh, giving it a light squeeze.

"Relax, princess," he said, grinning. "Just enjoy the night, yeah?"

I exhaled, pushing away the nagging concern in my chest.

"Fine," I said, smirking. "But if we get pulled over, I'm blaming you."

Kian chuckled, his thumb brushing over my skin. "Wouldn't expect anything less."