Ian watched Mina slowly close her eyes, almost as if she were considering how she should phrase her next set of words. He knew he may have been asking her questions that were too personal, but he needed her to see that Paul was not a knight in shining armor. The man was there when she did not need him and gone when she did. Ian knew he could not be the one to say it; Mina had to figure it out for herself.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I was just curious."
"It's fine, it's just that when my room and board was revoked, I was homeless. If Willow and Ash had not helped me get an apartment and pay the rent six months out, I would have been forced to drop out." Ian bunched his hands into tight fists in his lap, but Mina did not notice. "Their parents were aware of them helping me, and we made an agreement that it was going to be the last time."
"Because both families were afraid you were using their daughters for money," Ian said, but it was more of a question.
