ELLIE How I wished to say yes. His lips seemed so inviting, so close, almost irresistible. All I wanted was to lean in and kiss him while pulling his hair. And then, to rip off his clothes and feel the warmth and weight of his body on mine. But everything between us was undefined, and sex would only further complicate things. We needed to talk before anything else. "We... we need to talk first," I managed to say. He nodded, his lips curving into a weak smile, a failed attempt to hide his frustration. "Okay, let's do it on your terms," he said, stepping back, allowing me to breathe. "Dinner then?" "How about a run in the park tomorrow morning?" "A run?" "Unless December's cold is too much for a beach girl like you," he teased. "I know what you're trying to do." "What?" he asked, trying to contain a smile. "You're making it a challenge because you know that's how I operate." "So... 7 o'clock?" "You also know I hate waking up early." "Think of it as an attempt to do things
ELLIE You know that phase in life where it seems like all your friends are happy and have achieved everything there is to achieve? That was the phase I was going through. It seemed like all my friends had achieved professional success, found the perfect partner, and were getting married or planning to have children. And I was the outlier in this story. At twenty-seven, I'm starting to feel like I'm stuck, even though I'm happy with my work as a scientist and researcher and extremely happy for my friends, I couldn't help feeling unhappy with my love life. It was hard not to feel a little jealous of each couple's story in my large group of friends. Bennett or simply Ben, and Zoe, two cretins who fell in love before they could kill each other, I don't know how they were still alive, maybe because they took out all their anger on each other in sex. Anna, my best friend, and William or Will, former jerk and tattooed nerd, the most handsome and hottest I had ever met. I was still trying
ELLIE I woke up around eight, much earlier than planned. I really hated waking up before ten on a Sunday. The thought reminded me of the conversation with the jerk last night. The bastard had the nerve to invite me to have sex after two minutes of conversation. Unbelievable! All that beauty accompanied by character would be asking too much, Ellie. It's a shame... I got up and sent a message to Anna, asking if she was still sleeping. She responded shortly after, inviting me to have breakfast. I remembered that Will must be running with the jerk. I really didn't want to bump into him. I got up, took a shower, and put on something for the end of winter cold. Anna lived only a few blocks away, which allowed me to walk and visit her whenever possible. She had only been married for two years and chose the apartment with Will. I was extremely happy to have my best friend living nearby. She opened the door as soon as I knocked, wearing a sweatshirt set. "Is it cold as fuck outside, right?
ELLIE On Tuesday, we agreed to have lunch together. When I arrived at the bar with Anna, Zoe and Ben were waiting with Will, already seated at a table in the corner. Anna leaned in to kiss Will without any shame as we approached. I greeted everyone with a general 'hi.' "Is everything okay, El?" Will asked after a few minutes, noticing my silence while they talked. My mood was terrible this week, probably PMS. "Just a headache." "Maybe my gift can make that better," Zoe said, leaning down and returning with two bags from Victoria's Secret. She then handed one to Anna and one to me. "It's not my birthday or anything..." Anna said, not understanding as she opened the bag. "But thank you." She took out the box and put it on the table as I thanked her. "Wow! It's... pink," Anna said after opening the box and unwrapping a tiny lingerie with lace and bows in baby pink. It hardly covered any skin. Zoe laughed from the other side of the table. Will had a naughty smile and Bennett shook
ELLIE On Friday, after a tiring week of work, we were gathered at Anna and Will's house, this time playing Truth or Dare. In fact, our game could be called Truth or Truth, because nobody played Dare. The game boiled down to guys asking embarrassing questions to each other, girls to girls, or their respective partners. But this time, Ethan was there. I knew he would be present before even coming, so I mentally prepared myself for any games, but I wasn't prepared for that. The question that had just come out of his mouth. I looked at the faces as shocked as mine. "Vanilla sex or wild sex?" he asked, serious as if he were asking if I preferred coffee or tea. "I... I think it depends," I finally answered, wondering if there was any other interest beyond provocation and trying to embarrass me behind the question. I was honest in my response. I preferred wild sex, but making love with someone you're in love with could be hot and mind-blowing, at least that's how I imagined it. "No scient
ETHAN I dropped by my brother's apartment for breakfast on Monday. I missed New York, it was good to be back. After six years of living in London, I had already acquired enough English customs. But I knew that soon I would start missing it, the people and their polite and reserved behavior that made me feel good and aligned with my ideal of a peaceful life without disturbances and commotion. "I'm leaving, honey," Zoe approached to kiss my brother. If someone asked me, I would vehemently deny that a part of me deep down envied what they had. Zoe entered my brother's life like a hurricane. I still remembered how he had gone crazy when he met her, more stressed and grumpy because he couldn't stand her and, at the same time, felt attracted to her. Bennett went through hell. That thought reminded me of a certain mad scientist who was spending more time in my head than I would like to admit. I pushed the thought away. "Goodbye, Ethan, we'll finish that conversation later," she smiled at
ETHANOur new client was the Independent Research Laboratory at Columbia University. Finances were always finances, regardless of the type of company we served, that's what we always said. Our job was to put the numbers in order and provide the most efficient solutions to the client. Morgan and Harris Financial was born from scratch about eleven years ago when my brother and Will decided to start a company even before they finished university. I joined as a partner some time later.I don't think they ever imagined we would achieve the success we have, earning millions each year and opening a second office in London shortly after we started, precisely six years ago, all thanks to hard work. I never thought that at twenty-five I would have to manage an office in another country, but now, at thirty-one, I could only feel proud of managing it and grateful to Bennett and Will for trusting me.Work meant everything to me, regardless of the reasons that led me to become obsessed with this pa
ELLIEHatred was what I was feeling when I returned to my office. This couldn't be happening. At my workplace? It couldn't be just a mere coincidence. He could bother me anywhere else, but not at my job. I could tolerate his teasing, but I wouldn't let him take it to this extent. Son of a bitch. How did he not know that Anna and I work here? Was it true? And where was Anna? It should already be lunchtime. Was she going to be out all day? I needed to talk to her. Maybe she could help me understand. Why didn't Will mention this? It must be a lie from that jerk Morgan.Anna only showed up in the late afternoon. She stopped at my door, holding a cup of coffee. She coordinated another department and also taught at the university sometimes."Where have you been?" I asked when she sat in front of me and placed the cup of coffee on my desk."I had to take care of some matters at Columbia. I brought coffee, strong as you like it. What happened?""You have no idea who showed up here. Or rather,