ffs

"Hell yeah, you will." And she believed it, too. She believed in him. "I'm sorry I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt. I should've. You deserve that." She said quietly, squeezing him a little tighter for a moment. "I think you may have actually done me a favor with the whole unintentional celibacy thing. If guys like him are the other option...yikes." Looking up at him, there was a much more pleasant flutter in her stomach that she'd never been able to silence when she was close to him even after all the time she'd spent accepting that this was a friendship. She swallowed hard and grinned. "Do you think we could just clone you? I think that's the only chance I have of finding a decent guy I actually like and feel safe around at this point."

When she grinned, he relaxed a little, Maeve had the kind of smile that could really light up the room. Her question made him arch his brow and chuckle. "Maeve, did you just say you like me?"Dario teased lightly but his arms around her held her in place in case she starts to panic and wants to pull away, he needed to look into her eyes right now. "And why clone me when you have the original right here?"he challenged, dipping into dangerous territory that could easy backfire Still, his hand ran up her spine and to the shoulder, slid across her neck and reached the side of her face where he pushed the red streaks of hair behind her ear.

Alicia Vikander photographed by Pierre Mouton for Elle UK (April 2026).

But it was hard to stop imagining how close she'd come at the moment. If he hadn't stepped in, this would've been a much different night. Covering her face with her hands, she sighed so heavily that her entire body deflated. "Oh my god," her stomach lurched again. "Oh my god, oh my god," Maeve reached for safety then, turning back to Dario and wrapping her arms around his middle to hide against him. He'd always been an anchor for her. Now was no different. Just because she was stronger now didn't mean she didn't need that sometimes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I should've let you kill him. Thank you."

As Maeve began losing her mind over it, Dario didn't get a chance to say anything before she turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his mid. Letting out a gentle sigh, he put down the towel and let his strong arms envelop her, keeping her close and giving her comfort. "You didn't know, Maeve."he mused into her red hair, his good hand caressing up and down her back. "And if I was going to do that, there were way too many witnesses."he joked, and let his lips brush against the top of her head before kissing it. "We have a game in less than two weeks - I bet it's going to get pretty heated. But I'll put him in his place, and beat his team of shitheads."

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She stayed quiet for a while. Maeve didn't really care about how he was going to make it up to her. Their friendship wasn't transactional to her. It just...was. It existed in this sacred little corner of the world where things always felt so easy. When they'd been kids, it didn't matter that he'd been the sun and she'd struggled to look people in the eye. She easily looked him in the eye now. "Tell me why you did it. I mean, seriously, what were you thinking? And don't give me some bullshit about him being your rival. I've heard people say some absolutely heinous things to you on the ice and watched it roll off of you. Did you even think for a second that this could effect your standing on the team? What if he reports you? Why would you do something so stupid?"

And the question that followed made his throat clench. He tried to clear it out and pressed the towel with frozen veggies firmer against his hand that actually hurt. "He won't report me, it happened outside of the rink and he'll rather get it out on me at our next game. I know him and how he thinks."he said, Jack was really and truly a disturbing asshole and he wanted Maeve away from him. "I wasn't thinking, Maeve. All I saw is you getting comfortable with him, a kiss almost happening and then I just... saw red. I wasn't in control. Guess I couldn't stand seeing you kiss another guy - especially him. He's been accused of many disgusting things he did to other girls, but most of it was handled by the club administration because he's a good player and they need him. And I wasn't about to let you become his prey."he huffs and looks down at his hands.

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"Are you okay?" She finally asked. "Is it bad?"

He was finally much calmer, his limbs loose, even though the reminder of the party burned his face. As she handed him the towel with a wrapped bag of frozen broccoli, he thanked her and took it before carefully placing it onto his jaw. "I'm fine. Had worse on the ice rink."he mused, and meant it, things there could get quite ugly with how they launched at each other. Things would get even nastier at the next game with Jack and his shitheads of the team. "I meant what I said - I know I messed it all up, and I want to make it up to you. Since you said I owe you more than just dinner, then give it a thought and name what you want as payment. And I'll deliver."

Alycia Debnam-Careyattends the opening night of the 2026 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces "Cartier" exhibition at NGV International on June 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images)

People: Elizabeth Olsen is pregnant with her first child with musician husband Robbie Arnett.

Thomas nodded at her response. "Perfect. Do you need a helping hand? Otherwise, you know where to find me, alright?" The least he could do was offer to help prepare their dinner, even though he had two left feet when it came to cooking.

"No, no, I don't need your big, motor oil-stained hands in my kitchen. You go do your thing and i'll let you know when dinner is ready."Allison mused. Making dinner didn't take her that long, she put on some music, and sang a little to the tune, and danced around the marble floor. Before she knew it, everything was done and she set the table from them. Bringing out two cold beers and their files to go through them. Once he joined her at the table, Allison took a bite of her meatballs and a sip of beer before opening up her file. "Can you believe they named me Patricia? It still feels weird to say. Do I even look like Patricia to you?"she murmured with a chuckle. "Okay, so we met when my car broke down in the middle of the street, you helped me out, fixed it, I invited you out for beers to say thank you... and two years later we were married. We've been married for a year now, no kids. I work from home as a virtual assistant..."she let her eyes skim through the information before sighing and leaning back into the chair. "How did you propose?"the brunette asked with an amused smirk as the information was in the files. @dearxeden

"Besides," she began before holding out her hand as a peace offering. "You need to get some ice on that before the swelling starts, or you're gonna have a double chin, and nobody will want to kiss you either. Come on, I have a bag of frozen broccoli with your name on it."

Looking down at her extended hand, he could feel the situation easing up and slowly he let his large one envelop into his. "But if it bruises, it might be sexy, girls dig that."he joked and began walking with her, keeping her hand comfortably in his. "Can I make it up to you? We can order your favorite once we get there."Dario suggested as he glanced at her.

Ivy let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "That's rich coming from you. Last time we talked, you were taking on every client who so much as looked in your direction." The teasing came easily, familiar in a way that made Ivy's chest ache. At Viola's explanation, Ivy nodded, pretending the answer didn't sting more than it should have. "Yeah, I get it. Life happens." Her gaze lingered on Viola for a moment, taking in all the little ways she had changed. "I was half-expecting to run into you in some random grocery store aisle, honestly. It would've been a lot less intimidating than this." Ivy smiled softly. "And thanks. Paris was good for me, I think. But you've always looked good, so I'm not sure that counts as a fair comparison."

Viola smiled at her and shook her head. "That was forever ago, I don't really do that anymore. I kinda got overwhelmed at one point and that was no good, for both the clients and me."she explained, realizing it's been a long time since two of them talked, which made her feel utterly bad. Ivy's gaze on her felt familiar yet heavy, as if she was looking for something in her body language or the way she looked at the other. "Yeah, well... here we are, so we crossed that line, and you also got to meet John."she pointed out a little awkwardly. "Are you seeing anyone?"the brunette then asked, as if the answer to that would make her feel somewhat better. "Oh please, you're going overboard with your compliments, but thank you. So, what's next on your agenda? Are you back for good?"