"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
The way Ethan expressed himself was strange, leaving her completely embarrassed."If you ever like me, show it by not firing me, okay?" she responded with a laugh, but her smile didn’t last long, as Ethan looked at her with an enigmatic gaze. "I’m kidding," she said, lowering her head, feeling awkward."Why didn’t you tell me you were dating?" he asked."Why would I talk about my personal life with my boss?" She didn’t want to reply with the truth."We are not only talking about work, in case you haven’t noticed.""True, but only talking about my personal life isn’t fun.""What do you mean? Do you want me to talk about myself?""Maybe. Your life seems more interesting than mine.""You wouldn’t say that if you knew the truth," he said in a melancholy tone."Now I’m even more curious," she joked.It was strange how different Ethan seemed outside of work; she felt he was easier to communicate with when he was away from the company. Not to mention it was much easier for her to talk to him,
"I even tried to answer no, but you ended up showing up at the right moment. Really, I think they got the impression we were choosing rings for ourselves." "Can I be honest with you, Rafa?" he asked seriously. "You know you can." "I did it on purpose, wanting them both to think that." He revealed. "I think his fiancée is jealous of you. Thinking you’re dating someone else might make that feeling go away." "I don’t think Eva feels that way," she replied, laughing. Eva was beautiful; she looked like the model Gisele Bündchen in her younger years. Why would she feel jealous of someone like her, someone with such an ordinary appearance? "Trust me, Rafa, some people are just like that," he insisted. "And as for your boss, the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off you while we were choosing rings made me a bit uneasy." "I think you’re just catching wind." "How long have you been working for him, Rafa?" he asked, intrigued. "It’s almost a month, why?" "Has he ever disre
It was already night when Rafa was sitting on the sofa in her apartment's living room. With the remote in her hand, she was flipping through channels, searching for something interesting to distract herself. Her mind was racing, thinking only about what Tácio Duarte had asked her.How dare he ask that question? Even though they had already been very close these years, it didn’t justify asking something like that. What kind of person did he think she had become? This was just another confirmation that he also couldn’t find out about her pregnancy. If he knew the child she was carrying was Ethan’s, he would definitely give her a moral lecture, as if he were the voice of reason. That was his flaw, thinking he could weigh in on everyone’s life just because he thought he had the right to do so. The apartment door opened, and in came Kate, as always, looking cheerful. Unlike Rafa's situation, Kate’s love life seemed like a bed of roses. "Why do I feel like you're a bit restless?" K
"I am enjoying it. And you should too, when a guy like that shows up for you. Don’t waste your time overthinking. Girl, we live in downtown Manhattan, we have good jobs, we didn’t buy apartments here to marry just anyone.""Wow, I didn’t know you had such a gold-digging side.""It’s not gold-digging; it’s investment," she joked. "Look, I’m going to get ready because I’m going out with Robert, so don’t expect me to sleep here.""No problem, I’ll embrace my solitude and turn it into serenity."Kate left the living room, and a few hours later, she emerged from her room with her red hair brushed and makeup perfectly done for the night."Robert is waiting for me outside. See you later, girl. Take care." Kate left, leaving her alone.Rafa liked what was happening with her friend, but at the same time, she felt that this time of year was terrible for staying home alone. Christmas was almost here, and the city was beginning to get busier. Rafa spent every New Year on Fifth Avenue, close to her
Seeing once again that Tácio was getting carried away, she stepped away."I’m going inside; I think you should go back to your place," said Rafaela, turning to leave."Rafa, why are you acting like I’m a stranger to you?" he asked."And why are you acting like you can control or have an opinion about my life? Do you realize what you just said?""I only want the best for you. I don’t see good intentions in that man’s eyes, and I feel like if you stay there, you’ll end up getting hurt.""It’s none of your business what happens to me; you can’t just show up here and talk about someone you don’t even know.""Why are you defending him again?" he asked nervously."But I’m not. It’s you who’s making your own assumptions.""Do you think I’d say anything if I didn’t notice what was going on?""Then tell me, Tácio, what’s going on?" she got closer to him. She knew that Tácio was a well of inconvenience sometimes, and saying whatever was on his mind was quite common."I think you could get hurt b
"I don't think that's the right question to ask now," he said, touching his eye and noticing blood on his fingertip. "Come with me," she said, worried about her boss. Ethan followed her to her apartment. Once they entered her home, she asked him to sit on the sofa, saying she’d get the first-aid kit. While looking for the kit in the bathroom, she tried to calm herself, considering what had just happened. Finding the first-aid kit box, she took a deep breath and returned to the living room, finding Ethan standing in front of the shelf where the framed photo of her and Tácio was placed. "Come here, let me see how the cut is," she requested. He turned and walked over to her, sitting on the sofa. "Your boyfriend seems violent," he said. "He's not my boyfriend," she revealed. "No?" He looked surprised. "What are you doing here?" she changed the subject. "I was just passing by when I saw him grabbing your arm." She remained silent as she started cleaning the small wound
It was the last thing she could imagine, of all the ways she thought her Friday night might end, having her boss sitting on her living room sofa was the very last scenario she would have envisioned.Her apartment's doorbell rang, and she immediately went to answer. It was the delivery guy with the pizza she had ordered."Thank you very much," she thanked the man, giving him a tip.Closing the door, she took everything to the kitchen and started setting the plates. While waiting for her order, she had prepared some juice.She was setting the table when Ethan walked into the kitchen."Your kitchen isn’t hard to find," he said, reminding her of his apartment's kitchen."Good thing you didn’t have to open any wrong doors," she joked."I wouldn’t mind if I opened a door and saw the same view you had at my place."Her face flushed in seconds. How did he have the nerve to say that?"Grab a slice of pizza, it’s still hot," she turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see her embarrassed expressio