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Chapter 53
publish date:
2026-09-13 00:02:08
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The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. 76
Callum's apartment smelled like garlic and butter when Ivy walked in, and for a second she just stood in the doorway and breathed it in."You made the real kind," she said."I told you I would." He was at the stove with a dish towel over his shoulder, hair messy from running his hands through it. "Fresh pasta. I watched a video. I have no idea if it worked."It worked. It was a little thick and a little salty, and she ate two helpings, and he watched her do it with such open pride that her chest hurt.This was the problem. Every time she looked at him, she wanted to tell him. Every time she opened her mouth, the sentence climbed up her throat and stuck there.I got a call today. Someone in Washington wants to talk to me.Seven words. It shouldn't be hard."You're quiet," Callum said, refilling her glass."Long week.""Want to talk about it?""Not really." She smiled, and it felt like holding a heavy tray steady. "Tell me about your day instead."So he did. A client call that went side
The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. 75
Ivy didn't sleep much that night. Callum stayed, but they lay on opposite edges of her bed, careful not to touch, and she listened to him pretend to be asleep for almost two hours.In the morning he left early. At the door he kissed her cheek, and she let him, and neither of them said anything about the text.She told herself it was nothing. Venting to a coworker about a family schedule was normal. People did it all the time. If Callum had told Priya the same thing, she wouldn't have blinked.But Priya hadn't written Told you she'd take it badly.That sentence sat in her head all morning while she worked through a deposition summary, rereading the same paragraph three times.Victoria stopped by her desk just after eleven, two coffees in hand."Peace offering," she said, setting one down. "I think I may have put my foot in it last night."Ivy looked at the cup. She didn't pick it up."You saw the text," Victoria said."Callum showed me.""Of course he did. He doesn't hide things." Vict
The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. 74
They didn't talk about the holidays that night. Ivy told herself that was fine. It was only Thanksgiving. There was time.Then December came, and the time ran out.She was at her desk on a Tuesday, three days into a brief that refused to behave, when Callum called. She had a highlighter in one hand and a half-eaten granola bar in the other, and she answered with her shoulder."Quick thing. My uncle asked if we're coming for Christmas Eve. I told him yes."Ivy put the highlighter down. "You told him yes.""He's been asking since October. I called him back on Friday and said we'd be there.""Friday." She counted backward. Thanksgiving was almost two weeks ago. "Callum, we said we'd decide this together. You said soon.""I know. And then he kept calling, and it seemed like the obvious answer. Christmas Eve at his place, Christmas Day at your mom's. It splits it evenly.""It splits it evenly in your head. You didn't ask me.""I'm asking now.""You're telling me now." Her voice came out lo
The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. Chapter 73
By seven the next morning, Ivy had three pages of notes, two pots of coffee's worth of focus, and a theory she wasn't yet confident enough to say out loud.She brought it to Renata, who'd flown in for the client meeting, before anyone else arrived at the office."Walk me through it," Renata said, barely glancing up from her own prep."Two invoices. Same client, same vendor, nearly identical line items. Different dates, three weeks apart. Both marked paid in the ledger." Ivy slid the printouts across the desk. "The client's statement to us specifically denies any duplicate payments to this vendor. I don't think it's an administrative error. The amounts are too specific, and the second invoice has a revised PO number that doesn't match anything else in the file."Renata studied the pages for a long moment. "What's your read?""I think someone inside the client's accounting department processed the same invoice twice, deliberately, and the paper trail was built to make it look accidental
The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. chapter 72
By the third week in Chicago, Ivy had learned three things about her new life.The train was never as reliable as the timetable promised. Callum considered leaving one plate in the sink a reasonable domestic choice. And the work at Hargrove & Associates was nothing like law school.At school, a badly researched argument cost her marks.At Hargrove, it could cost someone money."You're looking at that paragraph like it's personally offended you," Victoria said.Ivy glanced up from her monitor. Victoria stood beside her desk, coffee in one hand and a thick file tucked under her arm."I'm trying to work out why opposing counsel has cited a case that appears to say the exact opposite of what they've claimed.""Have you checked the full judgment?""Twice.""And the subsequent history?"Ivy paused.Victoria took a sip of coffee. "That's usually where the fun starts."Ivy turned back to her screen. Ten minutes later, she found the later ruling that had limited the original decision. Opposing
The Boy I Wasn't Supposed To Want. Chapter 71
Bar preparation consumed May and most of June.Ivy's days revolved around practice exams, timed essays, and outlines that seemed to grow longer every time she opened them. Diane kept the kitchen stocked with food Ivy could grab between study sessions. Callum called every evening, though some nights they barely spoke for ten minutes before Ivy returned to her books.The Hargrove placement issue had taken three phone calls to resolve.The firm had reorganized its Chicago team. Her position was still available, but the associate she was supposed to work under had transferred to another department. Hargrove offered her a place on a different team, with her start date dependent on her bar results.Ivy had accepted.It wasn't the arrangement she'd expected, but it was still a job she wanted.The night before the exam, Callum called while she was checking her admission ticket for the third time."You're going to pass," he said."I appreciate the confidence. I don't currently share it.""That
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