Page 45 of My CEO Neighbor
Epilogue
Monica
Six Months Later
Monica woke to the sound of Ted's breathing, deep and peaceful beside her in the bed they'd been sharing for four months now.Officially, she still lived in 12B, but practically, they'd been splitting time between apartments depending on whose schedule demanded what.
This morning, they were in Ted's place because he had an early investor meeting for their new venture, Mindful Productivity.The app was still in development, but early beta testing had been so positive that venture capital firms were calling daily.
Monica slipped out of bed quietly, not wanting to wake Ted before his alarm.In the kitchen, she started the elaborate tea ritual that had become their morning routine—green tea with honey for her, coffee with a shot of her adaptogenic blend for him.It was a compromise that somehow perfectly represented their relationship: honoring both their needs while creating something new together.
Outside the window, Monica could see her fire escape garden, which had expanded to include Ted's balcony space as well.Herbs and flowers spilled from containers that Ted had insisted on buying, claiming that if she was going to teach him about plant care, they might as well do it properly.Monica smiled at the memory of Ted researching optimal soil pH for lavender like it was a quarterly projection.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Monica turned to find Ted padding toward her, hair mussed from sleep, wearing only pajama pants that rode low on his hips.Six months of regular meals and adequate sleep had filled out his frame, softening the sharp edges of stress and exhaustion that had once defined him.
"Good morning yourself."Monica accepted his kiss, tasting mint and possibility."Ready for the big meeting?"
"As ready as anyone can be to ask for money to revolutionize corporate wellness."
"You're going to be amazing."
Ted pulled Monica closer, his hands settling on her waist in a gesture that had become automatic."We're going to be amazing.This is our thing, remember?"
Their thing.Monica still felt a flutter of disbelief when Ted talked about their shared future so matter-of-factly.Six months ago, she'd been convinced that men like Ted were incapable of real partnership, too consumed with their own success to make room for anyone else's dreams.
Now Ted sent her articles about meditation research, asked her opinion on business decisions, and had learned to make her grandmother's kombucha recipe because he wanted to understand every part of her world.
"Speaking of our thing," Monica said, "I have news about the training program."
"Good news?"
"Twenty-three applications for our first corporate wellness instructor certification.Including three from CloudSync employees."
Ted's smile was brilliant."That's incredible."
"It's scary.What if I'm not ready to train other instructors?What if—"
Ted silenced her anxiety with a kiss, soft and reassuring."What if you're exactly as ready as you need to be?What if trusting yourself is the whole point?"
She loved hearing her own words thrown back at her.
