LOGINThe elevator doors had been shut for eleven minutes.Ava pressed the button again, as though repetition might convince the elevator into moving faster.The numbers flickered- 34, 35, 36, and the elevator hung there between floors with a low electrical hum. The paper cup in her hand had gone soft and the coffee bled through the cardboard, hot enough to sting. She shifted her grip instead of letting go, because letting go meant walking into the most important interview of her life without a caffeine boost.She took a gulp out of the cup and sighed, savoring the taste before it went cold.The numbers started flickering faster until it got to 42, then the electrical hum seized and the door of the elevator slid open."Great." She mumbled and stepped out. Her stomach grumbled and she wondered if it was the after effect of gravity, hunger or nervousness. Ava reasoned it would be the latter. The executive floor did not seem like the rest of the building. The carpet was thi
Sneak Peek Ava stepped closer to his desk.“Do I make you nervous, Mr. Blackwood?”He almost laughed.“Nervous?”“Yes.” She nodded.Adrian stood. The movement was so sudden that Ava instinctively stepped back.He walked around the desk, until there was barely any space between them.“Nervous isn’t the word I would use.” He said almost in a groan.Ava tilted her chin. “Then what word would you use?”He looked down at her.“Trouble.”Her lips parted slightly and his hand settled against the edge of the desk beside her.Ava was boxed in without him actually touching her.She could smell his cologne now and it was far too intoxicating.“You have rules,” she whispered.“I do.”“No dating employees.”“Correct.”His eyes dropped briefly to her lips.“You are very familiar with my rules.”“You made me memorize them.”“And yet you are standing very close to me.“So are you.”That silenced him.Ava’s heartbeat quickened.She could see the tension in his jaw. The way his fingers curled again
~One year later. It was New Year’s Eve. Bowie's parents' house was loud.The kind that came from too many people in one house, too much food in the kitchen, music playing from the living room, and everyone talking over one another.The counters were covered with food- mac and cheese, brown-sugar glazed ham, collard greens, cornbread, and a pie Wesley had helped make that morning.He ruined the crust, but according to Bowie's mother, it was still edible.The TV was on in the living room.The countdown to midnight was still hours away, but someone had already turned the music up- Old Motown filled the house.Marcus was outside on the back porch, standing beside the grill despite the cold.He had insisted that real men cooked outside, even in December.Bowie's mother was in the kitchen with her sister, both of them laughing about something Wesley couldn't hear, and at the dining table stood Christopher.His sleeves were rolled up. He was holding a carving knife like he had absolu
The restaurant was cozy and there were small amber lights along the walls, soft enough to make everything feel warm and white tablecloths covered the tables, catching the glow from the lights above. Somewhere in the background, someone was playing the piano, but Wesley couldn't recognize the song.He had walked past this place more times than he could count and had never once thought about going inside.It was exactly the kind of restaurant his father would pick.Expensive, quiet and private.The kind of place where you could have a difficult conversation without worrying about anyone else hearing it.Bowie's hand was still in his.She hadn't let go since they got out of the car."You okay?" she asked quietly.Wesley looked at her.She changed at her apartment after the game. She was wearing a dark sweater, her hair still a little damp from shower.She looked so calm.Like she could handle anything.And Wesley knew she could because she already proved it."Yeah," he said ho
As Wesley jogged toward the stadium lights, he could hear the crowd before he could even see them. The sound was low at first, then grew louder, until it became a roar of forty thousand voices.He was already sweating, his jersey sticking to his skin.Everything he had worked for had brought him here.Every early morning. Every painful practice. Every time he wanted to quit but didn’t.He pushed through the entrance and the stadium lights hit him all at once. They were almost blinding.The noise was even louder now.He slowed as he made his way toward the sideline, his heart pounding against his chest. He didn't need to look around.He already knew where she would be.Bowie.Third row.He felt it before he even looked.And there she was.She was small compared to everything around her, but somehow, he always found her first. He had given her his grey jersey, the one with number 12 on it, and she was wearing it like it belonged to her.Her hair was loose around her shoulders,
Third person pov Wesley eyes roamed over his phone as he read the message about three times until the screen dimmed and went dark, then he set the phone face-down on the nightstand.The room was quiet and still dark, the sun was just rising and the curtains barely let in the pale morning light. Bowie was beside him, turned slightly toward him, with one hand resting near his chest.She didn’t say anything, she didn’t need to. She just rubbed his back soothingly.Wesley could still envision the message and yet he could not decide what it meant.It was the first time in his life his father had done this. His father apologizing was something Wesley had spent years imagining and, eventually, stopped imagining altogether.Christopher didn’t apologize- he provided and manipulated, but he never apologized.Wesley turned his head slowly to Bowie, she was watching him.Neither of them spoke for a moment, then he broke the silence.“You saw the message.”“I did.”“I don’t know what it
Chapter 6Dian POV Trina’s voice cut through the air so sharply that, for a split second, I honestly thought my mind tricked me. It didn’t fit the moment at all, the heated, dangerous tension Yas and I had been sinking into. It was like someone threw cold water across my face. My heart paced
YasThis is crazy. I thought He has a girlfriend.I am his best friend.But then I imagined her here. Her hands on him. Her laugh in my living room. Him touching her the way– my jaw clenched again.With trembling fingers, I flipped the main breaker, sending the apartment into total blackness. Ev
YAS“Yas…” I startled as he called out, his voice was thick with sleep.My heart dropped straight to my stomach. I snatched my hand away like i had been burned and stumbled backwards .“I..I was just–“ I stammered, my mind racing for an excuse. “You…you were having a bad dream.” I lied, my face tu
Yas POV“Stop it!, Stop it, Dian!.” I laughed as I ran away from my best friend who was currently splashing water at me from a water pipe.I groaned, My clothes were all wet now.“You started it first you know.” He smiled, showing his perfect canine teeth, then shook off the water from his long dark






