It was Friday morning when Ethan arrived at the office with a serious expression. From the start, Rafa noticed that something wasn’t right, but she continued working as usual, knowing his problems were none of her business. As always, she went to the café next to the company and ordered the boss’s coffee. Knowing he didn’t have a housekeeper, she started buying something for Ethan to eat along with the coffee. Not that he’d asked for anything, but since she’d done it the first time and he seemed to like it, she kept it up. There was nothing wrong with earning points with the boss.Entering the office after knocking on the door, she served him coffee and was about to leave, but Ethan intercepted her."Rafaela," he said."Yes, sir?""What are my commitments for this afternoon?" he asked."This afternoon, there’s nothing major. You just need to sign two reports that have already been reviewed by the legal team.""Damn! There’s nothing important that needs to be done or expedited?" he aske
"I was glad to see you again. Could we meet this weekend? I need your help."When she read the last sentence, she became curious. Why did Tácio Duarte need her? Without thinking twice, she decided to reply, asking what he needed. It didn’t take even a minute, and he called her back. She promptly answered."Hi, Rafa, sorry to bother you. You must be busy, right?" Tácio asked on the other end of the line."No, no problem. Actually, I was just packing my things. I’m heading home.""Are you going home at this hour? Do you have lunch there?""No, I eat near the company, but I won’t be working this afternoon, so I’m going home early.""Did something happen?""No. My boss just let me off early.""It’s nice you have a good boss," he said. "Since you’re free this afternoon, would you like to have lunch with me now?"The invitation caught her by surprise; she never imagined he would call at that time, much less invite her to eat."I don’t think it’s a good idea," she said. All she wanted was to
In the car, Rafa felt strange, sitting next to Tácio. It had been so long since they’d last spoken that she couldn’t bring herself to say a word. "Sorry for taking so long," Tácio said, breaking the awkward silence lodged between them. "You didn’t take long," she replied. "How could I not? You barely left work, and there was already a guy hitting on you." His comment brought a faint smile to her lips. "He wasn’t hitting on me. That’s my boss." "Really?" He glanced at her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the traffic. "I thought he was some jerk bothering you. I almost got out of the car to confront him." There was something in his tone. Even though years had passed, Tácio didn’t seem affected by the distance between them. He felt like the same person as always, with the same familiar closeness. "Good thing you didn’t do that. I wouldn’t like it if you offended my boss," she smiled, joking. "Don’t tell me you’d take his side, Rafa. I was your boss
"Are you sure that's all?" he asked, concerned."Of course, you don't need to worry about me," she replied quickly."Don't ask me that; you know I worry about everyone.""That's really your way," she confirmed."I was very worried when you decided to leave the office. And I blamed myself for knowing it was because of me.""It wasn't your fault," she replied. "I did it for myself. Living here has always been one of my dreams, and now I'm making it come true.""Are you happy here, Rafaela?""Yes, I am. I have a good job, a comfortable home, and a friend who's like a sister. Things couldn't be better.""Are you dating anyone?" he asked with a hint of expectation."Not yet… but I'm really enjoying my life."That answer wasn't entirely sincere, but she also couldn't tell him she felt like a failure in love because every time she met someone, she ended up comparing them to him.Only Ethan had exceeded her expectations; only Ethan would be a worthy candidate to make her forget him. But Ethan
The food they ordered was served, and she decided to ignore what Tácio had just said. There were things that couldn't happen, as she considered it to be too late."You said you needed my help. What do you want to tell me?" she asked, recalling the message he had sent her."All right," he smiled, noticing she didn’t want to touch on that subject. "My younger sister is getting married.""Really?"Tácio had a younger sister who lived with their parents. After college, she graduated in paediatrics and soon found a boyfriend."She invited me to be the best man at her wedding, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to accept," he said with some melancholy. "The offer I received here in the United States will prevent me from attending some of the events for the wedding party, so I’ll only be able to attend the wedding day as a guest.""What a shame. I mean, for her," she corrected. "Because I'm very happy for you, doing work with residents from another country. It means your work is getting more
"I came to the United States all or nothing," she replied. "As much as I love my apartment, if it were today, I would never buy one in such an expensive place.""Why? Are you perhaps regretting it?""That's not it."When she bought the apartment with Kate, she wasn't worried about what she would have to pay; after all, she was single and didn’t have unnecessary expenses. But now things were different; she had another life to take care of."If you're having any problems, you can talk to me, Rafa. Regardless of anything, I'll do everything I can to help you.""Thank you, but there's nothing to worry about."When they arrived in front of her building, she invited him inside. Tácio observed her apartment while Rafa took a shower and got ready. She knew that Tácio wouldn’t spare any expense on the gift for his younger sister, so she was aware that he would go to the most expensive stores in the city. After finishing her shower, she put on an elegant navy blue knee-length dress and threw on
"This is Lauren," the woman introduced a tall girl with golden curly hair. "She will show you the best pieces.""Please, come over here," Lauren said, pointing to the counter next to where Ethan was with his girlfriend.Rafa tried to ignore her boss's presence, following Tácio and the woman to where she would start showing the rings. But as they passed by the couple, she couldn’t avoid Eva."Rafaela. What a surprise seeing you here," Eva said, her gaze fixed on Tácio."Indeed, it’s a surprise for me as well. How are you, Miss Eva?""I’m very well, thank you. Today is a very special day for me, as Ethan and I are going to choose our wedding rings." There was a hint of provocation in Eva's voice, though it was hard to catch at first."Good for you, I’m happy for you both," was all she managed to reply."I see you're well accompanied," Eva continued. "Is this your boyfriend?" she asked."Well, this is…""Hello, I’m Tácio Duarte," Tácio interrupted Rafa’s response.Upon hearing the man’s n
"How much nonsense, Eva. Why don’t you just choose the ring and go home?""I was asking you about the rings, and you seemed distracted.""I told you I wasn't in the mood for this today; you’re the one who insisted.""If I hadn’t insisted, you would keep putting it off more and more," she replied."Fine, pick anyone, and let’s go.""I won’t choose anything in a hurry. We’ll be wearing the ring we choose for the rest of our lives; don’t forget that.""It’s just a ring," he replied, glancing again at Rafaela, who was smiling, admiring another ring that Tácio was placing on her finger.That scene was making him uncomfortable. If he had known she would take the afternoon off for that, he would have left her, working overtime until late. Of all the things he thought about her, he didn’t know she was dating, especially with the man she had compared him to the night they met."And this one, Ethan, what do you think of it?" Eva showed him another pair of rings. "They look more sophistic