Page 78 of Loving the CEO

Step by step.That's what I told myself every day so I wouldn't get overwhelmed.

Around lunch, I took a break from work. I’d chosen to stay in my bedroom today. It was my last day at Leo’s, and I wanted to soak it all in.

And that’s when my mind started to wander. Was it smart to live so close to him? It made perfect sense right now, but what if things turned weird down the road?

I shook my head. It was no good thinking about that.

The whole point of starting over was to do things differently than before, which was why I was now opening the first page of the glitzy gold journal I’d just bought. I simply wrote downResolutions. I couldn't very well putNew Year's Resolution, since it wasn’t the New Year. I was tempted to putSingle Resolutions, but that felt a bit odd because of Leo.

I smiled and felt myself blush. Then I put the pen down and buried my face in my hands. The man was absolutely incredible. Part of me wondered if sex with him was so amazing because I knew him so well. I allowed myself to be carefree with him.

But no, that couldn’t be it. Walter and I had been together for years, and I never felt as special or satisfied as I did with Leo.

But did it even matter why it was so delicious? We were both having the time of our lives. And I was determined not to think how that could impact our friendship long term.

Opening my eyes, I started on my list again.

1. No overthinking

2. No manifesting/visualizing the future

That had backfired so damn badly, it wasn't even funny.

3. Jump Leo’s bones whenever I have the chance

I was doing that anyway, but it was a worthy goal. I liked seeing it in writing. It made it more official.

Closing my journal, I scarfed down lunch before going back to work, but who was I kidding? I was too excited about moving to be able to focus.

I kept checking my texts, too, to see if Leo wrote anything. At 5:40 p.m., he finally texted me.

Leo: I just left the office. I'll be at your apartment in 20 minutes.

Tory: Perfect. I'll walk over there too.

Leo: You sure you don't want me to pick you up?

Tory: Thanks, but I want to stretch my legs a bit.

I had a lot of pent-up energy—not that walking the few blocks would help me get rid of it. But it was a very nice evening, and the temperature was pleasant. Many of the trees had bloomed down the street, and it smelled incredible. I couldn't tell one tree from the other, but I appreciated them nonetheless.

I walked leisurely, wondering how this was my life now. I'd never thought I'd be back in Boston, not in a million years. I also never thought Leo and I would be anything more than friends, but lately, life was determined to surprise me. I was starting to enjoy it.

I wanted to tell my mom about my plans when I was in NOLA, but I didn’t want her to try to persuade me one way or the other. For once I wished she’d just let me live my life and not worry that what happened with her and Dad will also happen to me. I wasn’t even sure if she truly liked Walter, but the fact that he came from a “good” family with a lot of money was enough for her. I wished she understood that other things were far more important.

When I arrived, Leo's car was already in the driveway. He was just turning off the engine.

Stepping out, he dangled the keys in front of me. “The apartment is officially yours.”

I barely kept myself from jumping up and down with joy. That was a bit childish, after all.

"Let's go up," he said.

The place was spotless, so I could move in right away. I'd packed all my stuff after we came back from seeing it yesterday—yeah, I was really hoping this was going to work out—so we just had to bring the bags over from Leo’s. The building was fairly new, which I liked. While I adored old buildings, I'd lived in enough of them in New Orleans to know that repairs were necessaryall the time.

Leo put a hand on the small of my back as we went up the staircase. I lived on the second floor. Since we didn't have the bags, there was no need to bother with the elevator.

"I'm so excited," I confessed.

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