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If he ever met a woman more capable or more breathtaking than the one he called his best friend Nolan was sure it would turn out to be a long lost twin to Emily. She possessed a unique presence that both turned him on immensely and scared him. 

Spending time with her made him able to see beyond the beautiful exterior and sense glimpses of her soul. Only glimpses mind you, for she was a woman with a lot of layers and though she appeared to be open on the surface she was really a private person and she didn't let just anyone in.

The first time he met her, all he saw was her fire, he could barely remember the color of her hair or what she wore, but he knew then and there that he would know her anywhere from the fierce presence she possessed.

When he saw her again on the boat party he thought she was beautiful and familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. Going through the pictures he took of the party, and especially of her, he paused at a picture that only showed her face. She was lost in thought in a highly focused way and that's when he made the connection between the mysterious woman on the boat and David Clarke’s daughter.

As he told her on several occasions, and himself every single time he saw her, all he had ever really wanted was friendship. Somehow that was getting harder and harder to say to himself. It was the pang of unease in his stomach when she kissed Daniel. It was the cold chill he felt when she held Aiden’s hand. It was the way he wanted to vomit when she smiled that soft smile of hers to Jack across the bar. It was also the way he couldn't help but smile whenever he heard or saw her. That he couldn't stay mad at her. And, perhaps most importantly, the way he couldn't imagine his life without her.

When she confided to Jack and him what her plans were and that they involved her essentially dropping of the face of the earth, he thought about all the ways they could communicate by encrypted video calls, phone calls and that it was lucky that he was rich and could afford to fly to her, wherever she might hide. When she clarified that she wasn't planning on coming up, or even resurfacing again his heart froze and his mind went blank.

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He’d known for over a week now that Emily planned to vanish from the face of the earth permanently just as soon as she had taken care of the last of her business. Logically he understood her need to sever her ties cleanly and start over somewhere else. A clean slate. Free to become whatever she fancied. Free to befriend anyone she felt like. Free to pursue hobbies other than plotting and scheming and backstabbing.

He knew and understood all this, but at the same time he didn’t understand a thing. Why did she have to leave him as well? Were their memories together really all that bad? He had been reluctant at first whether or not Emily could act out the plans for revenge she had made. Perhaps it was the gentleman in him that wanted to protect her. Perhaps it was the fact that he had promised David Clarke that he would look out for his daughter. Perhaps it was none of those things and simply because of selfish reasons: he wanted to be a beautiful maiden’s savior. To be someone’s Prince Charming. To feel needed and appreciated.

As he recollected the second time he and Emily… no, she was Amanda then… interacted, he began to smile to himself. Yes, she certainly had made a deep impression on him from the start. Toying with him like a jungle cat toys with a mouse. Finding his weak spots quickly and pressing them one by one in such a manner that he didn’t even mind it. Having her charm and full attention on him was an intoxicating thing. No matter how she manipulated him.

He remembered it like yesterday. She was at a club, drinking and dancing, when he happened upon her. Or, well, to be honest he had tracked her down through the use of her phone and made sure to be in her vicinity so that they could bump into each other. He watched her from a vantage point at the bar for a while. Seeing her writhe and shimmy on the dance floor as men and women alike tried to catch her attention was thrilling. Not to mention arousing. He had to order a stiff drink and look away to settle his hormones, feeling like a school boy again. After he downed the drink he felt her presence before he saw her. Then he felt her body brush up against his arm; the heat from her body scorching him despite having two layers of clothing between them.

“Hello Nolan, fancy meeting you here” – she said before he could get a word out.

Nolan recovered and greeted her with a simple “hi” with as cool an attitude as he could muster up. Amanda smiled and seemed to see straight though his façade. Nolan smiled back and was just about to ask her if he could get her a drink when the bartender came over to Amanda and leaned over to take her order. The bartender seemed to be in no rush at all despite the fact that the place was packed and looked like he was undressing her with his eyes while he waited patiently for her to decide on what to have.

“Could I get a Cosmopolitan please?” she finally said to the bartender, with a coy smile on her lips. The bartender smiled back and started to make her drink from scratch even though Nolan could see a pre-made mix that looked a lot like Cosmopolitans in a pitcher right next to him. He even chilled a glass for her drink. My, how you managed to wrap that poor sucker around your pinky quickly Nolan thought to himself.

“Thank you… Jesus” she said after reading the bartender’s name tag.

"You are very welcome, beautiful” the bartender replied and watched her go sit down in a nearby sofa.

“Fuck, I’m hard just looking at her” the bartender muttered to himself before he resumed his work behind the bar. Nolan was torn between telling the man to shut up and agreeing with him. In the end he did neither and just sauntered over to where Amanda sat instead.

“So how’s everything been” he asked her after he managed to procure the seat next to her when the man sitting there got up to dance with his companion.