Page 17 of We Never Kissed

Thankfully, her head tilt told me she wasn’t taking me seriously. “I just got out of a long-term relationship and you… Have you even ever had one?”

“Define long term.” I winked at her.

“Oh, yeah, you’re ready for this, Alex…” She shook her head. “Let me get my life in order. We’ll…keep in touch, see how things go, okay?”

Wow… Ava was calling the shots and so casually. I felt like I was riding the bench. I knew I’d think back on this when I was in bed tonight and wonder what the hell happened.

I saw Ava off, giving her a hug before she got into an Uber. Just for good measure I texted her moments after she drove away:Say hi to Gunter!

She replied with a laughing emoji, then wrote:You’ll love him… And you better call him by his correct name.

One kiss… That was all it had taken to throw me into a tailspin. Ava was right to pump the brakes. So, why did I feel like every emotion I’d ever felt for her…just rose to the surface and demanded to be acknowledged and accounted for? Everything I had pushed back and told myself wasn’t real suddenly consumed me.

I had to switch gears, though. I had a meeting with my clients, and despite riding the bench with Ava, I was the star player, running the show on this deal since day one. Icouldn’t drop the ball now. Still, on my way to the hotel, I couldn’t resist texting Ava one more time.That kiss, though…

Chapter 10

Alex

Sitting at my desk, I enjoyed a rare second cup of coffee since my 10:30 a.m. conference call was canceled. My mornings typically flew by with no breaks: a 5:00 a.m. wakeup, checking emails from home, then I’d hit the gym, shower, and then off to the office where I’d start with two back-to-back meetings, the second one being with my team. Some might find my schedule too hectic, but I reveled in it. I’d earned my spot at this firm. I went from analyst to associate in less than two years and associate to VP in less than three. It wasn’t unheard of but it was rare.

Bringing my own deals to the table was the best part of my job, and the one I was currently working on,would go a long way to solidify my value. Which was why I had been in Vegas. Except for not getting to see Ava again—despite being in the same city at the same time—the trip had gone exceptionally well, and I definitely planned to take a breather once everyone signed on the dotted line.

Would Ava be ready to spend some time together then? Was I?

I sat back in my chair, a smile curling my lips. Typically, I took the occasional moment to gaze out my window, but on this day, I pulled up an image of Ava on my phone. Had I dreamt that kiss? It didn’t seem possible that a little more than a week ago, I’d held her in my arms, something I’d only dreamed of doing.

I still held a crapload of reservations about any future that looked like us being together. A war waged inside me—fighting to have Ava as mine and convincing myself it would never work. That I’d fuck it all up, and the Steadmans would abandon me.

While I held very few memories of my biological mother, Sue was the one who received the Mother’s Day gifts and the flowers for no reason and could call me away from work just to help her carry boxes in from the garage. And Denny…he was more like a father to me than the man I had lived with, who had often been away and was barely present when he wasn’t.

I swiped from the image of Ava and pulled up mymessage thread with her, my finger hovering over the screen. I’d never hesitated with a woman I wanted, but with Ava it was so much more complicated, and it had me questioning every decision. This was why staying busy was a good thing. Despite my reservations, I tapped out a message:

Me:Where are you?

Ava:Who is this?

Me:Very funny.

Ava:Gunnar and I are out looking at apartments. Remember I told you that…

Me:Oh, yeah I forgot. How is it going? Any good prospects?

Ava:Good, yes. Affordable, no.

Me:But you’re still working right?

Ava:I am, but editorial assistant doesn’t exactly bring in the big bucks. I haven’t really been dedicating a lot of time to furthering my career. And even though Gunnar is a trust fund baby, he’s tired of living off his parents and then hearing about it afterward.

I had to admire that, but until I spent some time with this guy, I wasn’t about to start doling out compliments.

Me:Maybe you need to look outside Ladera Ranch.

Ava:Trust me, we are.

Me:You know, you could let me help…

Ava:What are you going to do, be my sugar daddy?

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