Chapter 18
The clouds make a rumbling sound as I stand in front of the Grand Princeton, trying to hail down a cab, causing me to hiss under my breath. It has been raining awfully a lot these days.
Not that I’m complaining, but the rain just always seems to have horrible timing. Why doesn’t it rain while I’m at work or already in my apartment? Must it always come when I’m outside?
I am finally able to hail a cab, and just as I’m about to get in, I see a guest of the hotel walking out of the hotel. She is an elderly woman and she is also in need of a cab, so I allow her to take mine instead.
I’m sure my mom will be proud that she trained me well. I pull my coat closer to my body as I try to get another cab, praying that the rain holds off until I get home before it starts raining.
Soon, another cab stops, and just as I’m about to get in, a guy comes out of nowhere and jumps in before I do.
“Hey, that’s my cab!” I scream at the douche, who doesn’t seem to care as he tells the cab driver to drive.
“Asshole!” I scream at the moving cab.
“I don’t think he heard that.”
I spin around to see Ethan stepping out of the hotel through the revolving doors, wearing a gray coat and a black scarf wrapped around his neck. His hair looks a little ruffled, like he had been pulling his fingers through them. A habit of his I’ve come to notice that he has.
It should be illegal for someone to look this incredibly handsome. I clench my hands by my side because I want to pull my fingers through his hair and arrange them.
“Having a hard time getting a cab, huh?” he asks, with a lazy smile on his face.
When I found out that it was Lysa who recommended me for the promotion, and not him favoring me because we had sex, I felt terrible. When I went to apologize to him in his office two days ago, he acted better than I had expected him to.
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so chill, either. Now, our relationship has been more cordial, with him only talking to me about work.
“Yeah, I seem to have a knack for being unable to stop cabs these days,” I say with a sigh.
“Rush hour, and the impending rain too.” He has his eyes on the sky as he speaks, his hands tucked in the side pockets of his coat.
“Yeah, it’s the reason I want to get home before the rain starts.” I keep trying to hail a cab, but they all zoom past me.
“Come on, I will take you home,” he says as his driver brings his car around.
“No, thanks. I’m sure I will get a cab in no time.”
He looks a little surprised. “You would rather take a cab instead of agreeing for me to drive you home?” He points to his black Bentley. “Now, I’m offended.” I know he’s anything but angry with the cute smile he flashes me.
“No offense, your car is great and all, but the problem has nothing to do with the car.”
“So, what is the problem, then?”
I groan, rolling my eyes as I look away from him. “Ethan, you and I both know what happened the last time you offered to give me a ride.”
His smile widens as he nods in understanding. “Uh…now I see. But if I remember correctly, we both wanted what happened that night.” He takes a few steps closer so we are standing side by side, and he brings his lips closer to my ear.
“Jessy, darling, are you scared that you won’t be able to keep your hands to yourself on the ride to your apartment?”
His breath fans against my skin, sending shivers through my whole body. I have to take a few deep, steady breaths before I could get any coherent word out.
“That wasn’t what I said.” I take a few steps away from him before any of the other workers see us. I don’t want them getting ideas.
“But it seems like that’s what you’re implying.”
“Why are you insistent on taking me home, anyway?”
“Because it will be cruel of me not to. I hate to see my employees in need and not help out.”
“So, you give all your employees a ride home when it’s about to rain?”
He doesn’t answer my question; he just walks over to his Bentley and holds the back door open for me. “Get in, Jessy. I would hate to see you wet, at least not out here with everyone watching. Except you are into such things, of course,” he says, winking at me.
My mouth hangs open when I realize what he’s talking about. Not wanting to stay out here and argue with him, seeing that he was not going to give up and it might start raining any moment, I decided to get in.
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” he says, closing the door.
When he slides in next to me, I try my best to keep some distance between us.
“Don’t worry, I won’t allow you to touch me inappropriately,” he whispers mockingly after calling out my address for his driver, surprising me that he remembered the address I gave him that night he was supposed to take me home.
Not long after we left the hotel premises, it starts to rain.
As the rain begins to patters against the windows of the car, I pull out my phone, my fingers tapping out a quick message to Chloe. I tell her about my encounter with Ethan and how he insisted on giving me a ride home despite my protests.
Her response is almost immediate, a string of laughing emojis followed by a message urging me to “have fun” and “spill all the juicy details later.” I roll my eyes at her playful teasing, but a small smile tugs at the corners of my lips, nonetheless.
Glancing up from my phone, I catch Ethan watching me with a knowing smirk, his gaze warm and teasing. “What?” I ask, feeling a flush rise to my cheeks.
“Nothing,” he replies, his tone light. “Just curious to see what’s got you smiling.”
I roll my eyes, but the smile remains, stubbornly refusing to fade. “Just texting a friend,” I say vaguely, tucking my phone back into my purse.
Ethan nods, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Ah, gossiping about our little car ride, are we?”
I bristle at his insinuation, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. “Hardly,” I retort, refusing to rise to his bait. “Just catching up with an old friend.”
He chuckles softly; the sound sends a shiver down my spine. “I see,” he concedes, leaning back against the seat with a relaxed sigh.
The rest of the car ride passes in relative silence, the soft hum of the engine mingling with the rhythmic beat of the rain against the windows. Despite my initial reservations, I find myself relaxing into the plush leather seats, the tension that had coiled within me slowly melting away.
Before I know it, we arrived at my apartment building, the rain still pouring down in a steady drizzle. Ethan first steps out of the car, holding an umbrella over my head as I scramble out after him, my coat pulled tightly around me to ward off the chill.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say, turning to face him with a grateful smile.
He nods, genuine warmth in his gaze. “Anytime, Jessy. Just remember, next time it starts to rain, don’t hesitate to call me.”
I raise an eyebrow, a teasing glint in my eye. “Oh, so now I have your number on speed dial, do I?”
He chuckles, a playful twinkle in his eye. “Something like that,” he replies, his smile turning mischievous.
I shake my head, unable to suppress a laugh. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, stepping back towards the entrance of the building.
As I watch Ethan climb back into his car and drive away into the night, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for us—whether our paths will continue to intertwine or whether this fleeting moment will be nothing more than a passing memory.
As I reach for the doorknob of my apartment, a sudden realization washes over me like a wave crashing against the shore—my phone. I left it in Ethan’s car, completely forgotten in the rush to escape the rain.
Before I can even register my surprise, I feel a presence behind me, and when I turn around, there he is holding out my phone with a bemused expression on his face.
“You forgot this,” Ethan says, holding it out to me.
“Thank you,” I reply, taking the phone from his outstretched hand. “I can’t believe I left it in your car.”
He chuckles softly, a warm smile playing at the corners of his lips. “It happens to the best of us,” he says, his gaze lingering on mine.
We stand there in silence for a moment; the air charged with an electric tension that I can’t quite name. It’s as if we are caught in a moment suspended in time as we stand here in my doorway. It’s as if the world has faded away, leaving just the two of us standing there in the doorway, caught in a moment that feels suspended in time.
And then, before I can even process what’s happening, Ethan leans in, his lips capturing mine in a soft, gentle kiss. It’s like a spark igniting between us, setting my heart ablaze with a fire that I can’t ignore.
For a moment, everything else fades away—the rain outside, the hustle and bustle of the city, even the doubts and fears that have been weighing on my mind. All that matters is this moment, this connection between us that feels so undeniable, so right.
When we finally pull away, our breaths mingling in the air between us, I find myself at a loss for words. But in that moment, as I look into Ethan’s eyes and see the same longing, the same desire reflects back at me.
“Ahem…” I clear my throat, trying to come up with something to say. “I should get inside…thanks for my phone.” I quickly go inside and shut the door before he gets to say a word.
I lean against the door, my heart pounding in my chest and my mind racing a mile a minute as I try to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me.
I had sworn to myself that I would stay away from him, that I wouldn’t allow myself to get caught up in whatever this was between us.
And yet, here I am, standing in my apartment with his kiss still lingering on my lips.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart and clear my muddled thoughts. I know that I need to be careful and that I can’t let myself get swept away by the intensity of my feelings for Ethan.
My mind goes back to the conversation that we had in his kitchen the morning after we slept together.
Two Weeks ago
I wake up to the soft rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains, the warmth of the bed enveloping me like a comforting cocoon.
For a moment, I’m disoriented, my mind still clouded with the remnants of sleep. But as the fog begins to lift, the memories of last night come rushing back to me like a tidal wave, hitting me with a force that takes my breath away.
We had crossed a line, blurred the boundaries between boss and employee, friend and something more. And now, as I lie here in Ethan’s bed, the weight of what we did weighs heavily on my mind.
I push myself up onto my elbows, glancing around the unfamiliar room as if searching for answers that I know I won’t find. It’s then that I realize I’m alone in the bed, Ethan nowhere to be seen. Maybe he already left for his trip like he had said he would.
With a shaky breath, I throw back the covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed, my feet touching the cool hardwood floor. I wrap the sheet around myself like a makeshift robe and make my way out of the bedroom, my heart pounding in my chest with each step.
As I enter the kitchen, the smell of coffee and something delicious cooking on the stove fills the air, and I’m surprised to find Ethan standing at the counter, a spatula in one hand and a skillet in the other.
He looks up as I enter, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Good morning,” he says, his voice warm and inviting.
“Morning,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re up early,” I say, trying to fill the silence with small talk. “I thought you said you were going on a trip?”
Ethan nods, flipping whatever he’s cooking in the skillet with practiced ease. “I changed my mind,” he admits, his gaze flicking briefly to mine before returning to the task at hand.
I swallow hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak. “You’re cooking,” I say, stating the obvious in an attempt to lighten the mood.
He chuckles softly, setting the spatula down and turning to face me fully. “Surprised?”
I nod, a faint smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “You don’t strike me as the cooking type.”
Ethan shrugs, a playful glint in his eyes. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Jessy.”
Before I can stop him, Ethan steps closer, his gaze burning into mine with an intensity that steals the breath from my lungs. And then, before I can protest, he leans in, his lips brushing against mine in a soft, tentative kiss.
For a moment, I’m frozen, my mind racing as I try to make sense of what’s happening. But then, with a surge of clarity, I pull away, shaking my head as I take a step back.
“Ethan, we can’t,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “What happened last night was a mistake. We can’t let it happen again.”
Just that—it happened again.
Oh, Jessica, you can’t even keep to your word!