CHAPTER 217: BETTER VERSIONS OF OURSELVES

Ian came back a few minutes later, a huge shopping basket in his arms.

He dropped it gently on the counter in front of the cashier.

I blinked at the contents.

Skincare bottles. A set of soft cotton pajamas. Hairbands. Face wipes. A mini perfume. A tape. Even a pair of white crocs.

"Wow," I said, trying not to sound nosy. "That’s... a lot."

He nodded, bringing out his card from his wallet.

"They’re... uh, female stuff," I said, pretending not to know exactly who they were for.

"Yeah," he replied casually, unloading a few more items. "Figured since we’re spending the night there, June’s gonna need a few things. She won’t sleep without her thirteen-step skincare routine, or change into something comfortable."

I raised a brow. "So the crocs and tape too?"

He gave a small smirk. "Yeah. She’s been limping all night. Blisters. I saw her trying to hide it earlier. The heels gotta go."

That caught me off guard. "You actually noticed that?"

He shrugged, nonchalant but clearly proud of himself. "I notice everything about her."

I pressed my lips together, smiling softly.

"Wow," I leaned closer to him, "you’re dangerously close to setting boyfriend standards way too high."

The cashier started scanning everything, humming quietly to the music playing in the background. She glanced up once, eyes flicking over Ian’s arms, then his face.

"She’s so lucky to have you," she said, her eyes trailing over him. "And you look... well, you look like someone who knows how to take care of a woman.... In every way."

I almost choked on air.

Ian raised a brow. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

The way he said it, made her freeze.

"What? No..uh...."

"Mhm," he cut her off gently, shaking his head. "Cos that would be very unprofessional."

I burst out laughing before I could stop myself. The cashier turned bright red.

He picked up the paper bags like they weighed nothing and started walking out.

I followed quickly, still trying to process what I just saw.

"Wow," I said. "You actually handled that better than I thought you would."

He smirked. "You thought I’d flirt back?"

"Kind of."

"Nah," he said, pushing open the glass door. "I’ve got better taste."

I rolled my eyes, smiling despite everything.

Is this really the Ian I know?

What the hell happened to him?

Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.

"Thank you."

He turned slightly. "For what?"

"For taking care of Juney," I said softly. "Apart from her dad, she only has me. Seeing someone else care about her this way... it means a lot."

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Just walked beside me, bags swinging lightly in his hand.

Then his voice dropped, quieter. "Yeah," he said. "Honestly, I really love her. She makes me want to be better version of myself."

I nodded, feeling my chest tighten.

"I don’t even know what kind of spell she had on me," he continued, almost laughing at himself. "But....."

He stopped walking. His eyes were fixed ahead, on the car.

"But?" I asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think she still has feelings for Ren. And now that he’s single again...I don’t know, Ash. What if she realizes he’s the one she wants?"

His voice cracked slightly. "I’ve never been in this position before. Never been second choice before. It’s weird."

I frowned, walking slower. "What if she also has feelings for you, Ian? She gave you her first kiss. Her first almost-everything. You think that doesn’t mean anything?"

He looked at me, then nodded slowly.

"I think," I continued, "she’s trying to figure things out. And honestly? I get it. So just... give her time, okay? Don’t give up on her yet."

He nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth twitching like he wanted to smile but couldn’t. "Yeah," he muttered. "You’re right."

When we got to the car, June was already asleep in the front seat....head tilted against the window, her phone was still glowing faintly in her hand.

Ian stopped for a second, just watching her.

He took off his jacket and gently laid it over her shoulders.

It was such a simple thing, but the way he did it... it made my chest ache a little.

"Let’s go," he whispered, glancing at me before starting the car.

For a second, I thought about Dominic....about how he’d probably make some dumb joke about Ian being a simp and then secretly grin because he loved seeing his friends care for each other.

The thought hit me harder than I expected. Maybe it was just the exhaustion, or the leftover ache from everything that happened tonight... but seeing Ian do something so thoughtful felt like a quiet reminder that even when things fall apart, we still try to take care of each other.

As the headlights cut through the quiet road, I looked out the window, smiling at myself.

——-

By the time we pulled up to the beach house,

Jasper was already outside, waving lazily as he opened the gate.

"Finally," he said, grinning tiredly. "Took you guys long enough. I was about to go look for you."

You could hear the waves even from the car, like they were breathing.

The moment the car rolled in, a salty breeze swept through, brushing against my face.

Everything felt cooler here....calmer, like the air itself was trying to soothe what the night had broken.

I wondered if that’s why Dominic chose this place.

Ian parked near the porch and turned off the engine.

He glanced at June, still asleep in the front seat, her cheek pressed against the window.

"Hey," he said softly, leaning closer. He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Juney. Wake up."

She stirred, blinking like she was trying to remember where she was. "Hmm?" she mumbled. "Are we... there?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, smiling just a little.

I stepped out of the car first.

Ian came around to her side, opening her door.

June rubbed her eyes. "I think I fell asleep when you guys left," she muttered.

"Yeah," Ian chuckled softly. "You did."

He reached into the backseat and pulled out one of the bags. "Here. Wear these."

She looked confused at first, but then saw what he was holding...:a pair of white crocs and some bandage tape.

"You didn’t have to.."

"Yeah, I did," he cut in, gently taking off her heels. "Your heels are evil, you’ve got blisters."

She blinked down at him. "You noticed that?"

"Of course." He said it like it was obvious. "You were trying to hide it, but I could tell."

She opened her mouth to argue, then just... didn’t.

He wrapped the tape around the small blister on her ankle, his head down, his fingers brushing her skin.

I kept thinking about Dominic again... how he never let anyone see him when he was soft like this.

Softness wasn’t weakness. It was quiet strength.... the kind that showed up when everything else fell apart.

"There," he said after a moment, helping her slide her foot into the crocs. "Better?"

"Thank you," she said softly.

He looked up, eyes flicking to hers. "You’re welcome."

Then Ian stood, grabbing the bags and slinging them over his shoulder.

"Let’s go before it gets colder."

The wood creaked under our feet as we climbed the steps.