FreeNovel
Chapter 320 He’s Been Paying Attention to You
The stairs proved themselves to be almost a little too fancy. Sometimes it was a wide, flat platform. Sometimes, it
had a series of narrow steps. And that was not counting the twists and bends, too!
Deirdre was hopeless against the stairs’ unpredictable aesthetics. She finally miscalculated and missed her step.
Before she fell, though, she felt a firm hand holding her tightly by her waist. It was warm and strong, and it helped
her regain her footing.
Deirdre immediately knew it belonged to Kyran.
Eilis panicked so hard that her face turned white. She only sighed in relief when she saw Deirdre was all right.
Patting her chest, she cried, “Thank God you’re here, Mr. Reed! Thank you! She could have seriously hurt herself if
she fell from here!”
Declan snickered. “Well, it’s not like Kyran’s famous for being seriously meticulous and observant… Or that he’s
been quietly guarding Miss McKinnon’s six… Or that he’s readied himself to catch her the moment she trips, right?”
he teased.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDeirdre was a little stunned. Kyran had been standing behind her this whole time just in case she needed. help?
Even the way Eilis looked at him changed. Sheepishly, she began to praise the man for being so amazingly
attentive.
Deirdre listened to the older woman’s effusive litany and found herself agreeing to every single praise. Even she
herself might not have thought that far ahead.
But Kyran was attentive enough to care. This was a man who was mindful of the people around him. At man who
would notice the little things. It was probably the biggest difference between him and Brendan.
Maybe, it was a trait developed from the sensitivity of one who saw the world differently, all because of his
disability.
Suddenly, Deirdre felt like she resonated with him just a little more.
Declan led them along to their destination. He seemed to have reserved the entire first floor for the banquet, Eilis
told Deirdre, because the villagers were not alone. There were other unrecognizable people, too, who all looked like
rich businesspeople.
Eilis immediately took off to join a conversation between Alnwick villagers. Meanwhile, Deirdre found a quiet spot
and made herself comfortable.
A few moments later, she felt someone sitting nearby. There was no prelude to a conversation, so she knew it was
Kyran again. Her mind drifted to her incident at the stairs. She turned to him and said solemnly. “Thanks for saving
me back there. It could have been a very nasty fall.”
She could feel movement from the other side, so she instinctively reached her hand out and opened her. palm.
He stiffened. Then, he rapped on the coffee table with his knuckles lightly as if to tell her he heard her. “So, what
did you want to say to me just now? Why don’t you write on my hand?” she asked.
There was no reply. Deirdre heard the sound of fabric being lightly grazed. Suddenly, a computerized voice spoke.
“I don’t want them to gossip.”
It came from his phone.
Deirdre reeled in realization and giggled softly. He was actually worried about that? About what Eilis had said?
“Oh, I doubt they have the guts to say anything about you.”
Kyran furrowed his brows. “I meant gossiping about you.”
“Me?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“I don’t care about what other people think of me. But you’re a member of the village. I will not stand for them to
turn you into some dehumanizing form of entertainment.”
Deirdre froze. Never in her mind had she imagined anyone-who was a complete stranger to her just two days ago-
would care so much about her. Shaking herself out of her daze, she replied, “It doesn’t bother me.”
She laughed mirthlessly. She did not need Kyran to become the talk of the village. She was blind, and her face was
ruined. And she got into hot water several hours ago. All that basically cemented her as Alnwick’s gossip target.
She was used to it.
Kyran seemed to be at a loss for words. He was tapping away on his phone at one moment only to delete. the
entire thing the next.
Deirdre tried again. “Hey, didn’t you have something you wanted to tell me?”
Before she could get her answer, a new crowd had formed around them. The leader of the congregation, face
ruddy in the afterglow of his beer, pushed his mug close. “Yo, is that you, Deirdre? Mr. Reed! What are the two of
you doing, squatting in this corner?
“This is a paaaaartay! Woooooooo! Where’s your godd*mned drink? Ain’t no one’s weaseling their way out of this
one, especially you, Dee Dee. When was the last time all of us old mates got together? The last time we saw each
other, you were just 18!”
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