çťĺ
ĽAva
The moment the doors closed behind me, I knew it was a mistake. The house did not fall short of my expectations. Sleek, expansive. And quiet in a way that felt expensive.
Floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the city with lights that seemed to stretch on forever.
Untouchable.
Just like him.
âYou can leave.â He said suddenly.
âWhat?â I asked, as I turned around.
âThe door is still there. If you think this was a mistake.â
It wasnât conceit, nor rudeness. It wasnât polite nor was it inviting. It was something I had not encountered before.
âThen why did you bring me here?â I swallowed. âIf you thought I would leave?â
âI wanted to see if you would.â
âAnd?â
âYouâre still here.â
There was something about the way he said it. Not victory, not triumph. Something more⌠complicated.
âI donât do thisâŚâ I said, more to myself than him.
âNeither do I.â
A laugh escaped me.
âWhat?â He asked.
âI find it hard to believe that.â
âYou donât have to.â
He steps closer, slow, calm, measured.
Heâs giving me time to pull away. The right thing to do. But I donât.
âYouâre overthinking this.â He says.
âIâm not thinking enough.â
Because if I was, I would be gone.
Six years. Six years of living behind the walls I had built around myself. Closing myself off to everyone around me. Only Noah mattered, and that was enough.
But now, these walls were breaking. I watched helplessly as they did.
One man.
One night.
âYouâre still deciding.â His voice cut through my thoughts.
âI have to make sure Iâm not the same girl from back then. I have to make sure Iâm not making the same mistake twice.â
âSomeone hurt you.â It was calm, soothing.
âThatâs not your concern.â
âItâs affecting your decision right now. It is very much my concern.â
He stepped closer.
âIâm not sure about this, Liam. Iâd be lost if this ended badly.â
âHow are you sure you already arenât? You live for everyone but yourself.â He was closer now. âI recognize it, becauseâŚâ
âBecause youâre the same.â I responded.
We were in that moment again. At the gala. Nothing mattered, nothing existed, just us. Two people who understood each other more than they dared to admit.
I was in his arms again, but I didnât pull away. I couldnât. Because I wanted it just as bad as he did, if not more.
âThis is a mistake,â I said, my heart pounding.
âI know.â
âBut you arenât stopping.â
âYouâre not asking me to.â
The space between us vanished.
Our lips locked, his hand held me gently, as he pulled me in even closer.
I felt his heat, his presence, his warmth. Something exploded inside me.
It had been long.
It had been too long.
He worked the robes behind my back, and I worked on removing his suit.
I was soon freed from my gown. And like a feather, he lifted me in the air, and carried me deeper into the house.
Our lips never separated. His tongue ran through my mouth hungrily, starved.
He kicked open the door to his bedroom, and lay me gently on the bed. I took off my underwear, and he did the same. Revealing his tumescent hardness.
I blushed in spite of myself.
His lips found mine again, and his fingers were exploring.
I ran my hands across his back and against his rock hard body.
God, he had a great build!
He cupped my breasts lightly, and brushed his thumbs against my nipples. I moaned, softly, as I arched my back.
He went in.
Smooth, gentle, careful. I held on to him tightly, and he went in again, and again.
His speed increased. And with every thrust came the explosion. The sensation I had yearned for, but repressed.
He was moving faster now, taking me with him on his journey to inexplicable bliss. Grabbed onto the sheets around me, as the pleasure was too much to contain. I moaned at his thrusts, willing them to go faster. Harder.
As though reading my mind, he obliged.
He was faster now, but still careful. Thrusting harder, and yet gentle.
And I was nearly at my peak. And he didnât stop. And he kept going, and it was faster, and faster, and better, until I lost all feeling for a second. Until every inch of me felt it. The indescribable sensation of bliss.
And it filled me. As though stored forever, he released, and released, holding me firmly, as his balls contracted again and again. And then it was over.
He lay weakly on the bed beside me, his tumescence still in me.
He was out of breath, but he was making an effort not to show it.
I touched his face gently, brushing my thumb against it, the face that held nothing but conceit and indifference since I had met him. Was just a facade to conceal the vulnerable man beneath.
âDo you still think this was a mistake?â He asked, staring at me with eyes full of something I hadnât seen before.
âYes. But itâs a mistake I donât regret making.â
And we lay there, each one staring at the other, eyes and hearts full of emotion. And soon, something else.
I wanted to feel it again.
âSit up.â I said, as I left my position.
He did not protest. He let me lead him to the headboard, and I sat him up against it.
I took his member in my hands, and watched it grow tumescent again. Then I sat on it.
I moved with care, with caution, moving against him with rhythm.
His left hand was wrapped around my waist, and his right gripped the sheets firmly.
I increased the speed, and a low groan came from deep inside him. I rested one arm on the headboard, and another on his face.
I looked into his eyes, and there was no mistaking what was in them.
I closed the distance between us, and locked lips with him, moving at an even faster speed now.
He was reaching deep inside of me, and I pulled away at the raw sensation, hitting my center again and again. I arched my back, running my hand through my hair, removing it from my face as I bounced in him repeatedly.
Once again, I was nearing it, the point of inexplicable bliss.
Liam pulled me in, holding me tightly, as he groaned softly.
He exploded holding me tightly against himself, and so did I.
We soon separated, laying side by side, gasping for air.
Neither of us said a word. We quietly gathered our thoughts, as I wondered how long I had wanted this.
Lying to myself was a part of keeping my feelings safe. It was a part of keeping people out. But now that the walls had finally been torn down, I could be honest.
Had I always wanted Liam?
Liam was soon ready again, and with a ravenous hunger, he entered me. Pulsating as he reached deeper and deeper.
âOhâŚfuck.â He exclaimed unconsciously.
I moved with his rhythm, giving in to the pleasure coming from my center. âOh, Iâve wanted this for so longâŚâ
Soon, we were at the highest peaks again, and gasping for air.
Our rest did not last long. Because soon, we were ready to go again.
***
I open my eyes, and morning light is spilling through the windows. Iâm alone.
For a moment
I donât move, donât think, donât feel.
I sit up, and the other side of the bed is empty.
Cold.
Like he was never there at all.
And just like that,
I had made the same mistake twice.
The strange thing about change was thâ at mosâ t timeâs it diâdnââ t anâ nounce itself.It entâ ered quietlâ y.â Like one differentâ mâorning.One phone call.One conversatâion you almâ ost ignored.And somehow later yoâu lookâ back and realize that was tâ he exaâ ct day everything started mâoving.Tâhree days passed after tâhe board coâ ntactâed Liam.Nothing haâppeâned.Which somehow made Ava more uncomfortabâ le.She knew dârama.Draâma had noise.Drama gave warning.Bâ ut qâuiet things?Quiet things scared her more.Becausâe quiâet things had space to grow.Life still continuedâ normally though.Brâ eakfast happened.People argued ovâ er stuâpid things.The litâtle one still talkâed too much.Noah still acted like beinâ g seventeen made him wiser tâ han evâerybody.Liam still pretended he wasnât soft.Everything lâ oâ oked normal.But Ava nâoticed small tâ hings.Liam câ hecking his phone more.Closing work emailsâ fasteâr when sâ he walked past.â Sâtanding outside longer after dâ inner.Nothing huâg
It was suppâoseâd toâ be a normal dâ ay, the kind of day noboâdy remembeârs lâ aâter because notââhingâ drâamaticâ happens in it. Ava acâ tually liked days like tâhat now. The hâouse wâ aâs already awâaâ ke wheâ â n sheâ came downstairs, wâ hiâcâh meâ ant sheâ â didnât eâ veânâ get the câhanceâ toâ preâ tend sheâ wasâ the first one upâ like she useâd to yearâs ago. Thâ e lâ ittleââ oâ â ne was aâlready talâ kiâ ânâ g loudlyâ in the kitâchenâ abâout something tâ hat probâaâblyâ diâdnât matâteâ r,â Noah wâ â as siâtting at tâ he tââ able scrâollinâg on his pâ hoâne with onâe eye stillâ half clâosâed, and Liâaâm wasâ sââ tanding by tâhâeâ stove târâ yiâng tâ o figure ouât brâeâ akfast liâkeââ itâ waâs a seriousâ lâife decision.ââ Ava stopped fâorâ a sâecond aând jâustâ watâ ched theâmâ. She didnât even reaâlize she waâs sâ miliânâg until sâ he felt it on herâ face.â Itâ was strange how normalâ eâverythiâng loâ oked now coâ mpâarâ âed tâo how câomplâicâateâd life used to be. There wâ as aâ time wâhen mornings felt like su
It was late in theâ night, tâ he kind of niâght where the whole hoâuse finally stopped making noise and evenâ the smallâ esât sound felt too loud. The kids were asâleep upstairs, the little onâ e still huâgging a stuffed toy tigâhâ tly like it was the only thing keeping her safe from bad dreamsâ,â anâd Noah hâ ad his door slightly oâ pen even though he always claimedâ he needed pârivacy now. Ava stood by tâhe kitchen counteâr forâ a while just loâ okingâ at how everything had settled into place. Pâlates were washed, lights wâ eâ re dimmeâd, and the house felât full in aâ quiet wayâ she still wasnât used to even after all these yâears.Liam was outside onâ the smâall back porchâ. He aâlwaâys wâent there when he thought too much.â Ava knew that habitâ now, sâ he didnât even need to ask. So she took two cups of tea and followâed him without saying anything. Whâen she sâ tepped oâutside, she saw him sittâing on the stepâsâ like he had done so many times befâore during difâferent phases of their life
â Nobâodyâ expecâted thâ e morning to feel strange.That was the annoyinâg thing about change. It neâver knockâ ed firâ st. It just sâhowed up disguised as normal.â The hâouse still looked the same.Breakfast stillâ happened.Somebodây stâill forgot someâthing.Sâomebody stâiâll complained.Buât everyâboâ dy knew.Today waâs different.Noaâ h wâasâ leâ aving.Not forevâer.Noât dramâaticallây.Jâust university.But somehow that felt biggâ erâ than people admitted.Ava wokeâ up before everybâody else and stood in tâhe kâitâcâhen fâor a whâile doing absolutely nothing useful. She made tea and forgot to drink it. She opened the fridgeâ three timeâ s withouât tâ akiânâ gâ anything. She checked Noahââs packed snacks even though he was old enâough to laugh at her fâ or it.She told hâeârself she was fine.ââ Sheâ wasnâât.âNoaâh came downstairs arouânâ d eight carrying too many bags andâ acting suspâicioâusly relaxed.âHe lookeâd arâ oâund anâ d frownâed.âWhy doâes eâverybody look weirdâ?âNobody answer
The qâ uesâtion câame from nâ owhere.Dinner wasnât evâenâ ready yet. Aâva was sâtâanâ diâ ng in the kitchen prâetending sâ he knew eâ xaâctlây what she was cooâking while secretly fixing three misâ takes nobody nâoticed. Liâ aâ m had jusât come hâome aând châ aânged into someâtâhinâg câomfoârtable. Noah was upstaiârs doiâ ng hâomework, orâ at leâ aâ stâ claimiânâg toâ . Their lâittle oneâ was sittâing at tâhe taâble drawing stars aâ rounâd her maths assignmâ entâ instead of answâering it.It shâould have been an ordâ inary eveninâ g.âTâhen sâhe suddenly looked up anâd aâ skedâ, âDâaâddyâŚâ will you still lovâ e me whenâ I become annoying?ââNoboâ dy answered immedâ iateâlâ y becaâuâse the qâuestion soâunded too serââious foâr somâebââody wâho stâill neededâ â help oâ pening juice cartons.â Liaâm looked at heâ r for one sâ econd and repliâed without thinkinâg.âI raised Nâoah. Iââmâ trained.âThere was one second of silence beforeâ Noah shoâuted from upstairsââIâ CAN HEAR YOU.âââ The entireâ housâe exâ ploâded
Ava wokâ e up beâ forâe evâerybody else.Not becausâe she had to.Not because she was worried.Not becaâuse shâe heaârd a sounâd anâd thought sâomebodâ y had left.Sheâ just woke up.For a fâew sâ econdsâ she stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling.The room waâ s quiâ et in that noârmal way. Not emâpty. Not lonely. Just quâiet.Beside her, Liamâ was asleep.She turned her head and lâ ookâed at him.âYears ago she useâd tâo think riâ ch people sleptâ differently. More peaâcefully. Morâe perâfectly.Turns outâ they snored toâ o.She smiled to herself.His reâadiâng glassâ es wâ ere stillâ on the bedside table and oneâ book was open face-down because apparently successfuâl men stâill ignored bookmarks.Ava carefâullây got out of bed.â The floor felt cold.She stretched and walked downstairs.The kitchen lâookâed liâved in.One school bottle on theâ couânter.A half-finished draâwing tapâed badlây to the fridge.Aâ grocery list.A missing sock that nobody claâimâed.Normal.She stood there for a mo
Tâheâ hâousâe had beenâ quiet all mâorniânâ g in a way that dâidnât feel normal.Not peaceful.Jâust⌠waiâ tinâ g.Ava stood by the kitchen counter sâtaring at a glass of water sâhe hadnâât touched in ten mâinutes. Her mind kept dâ rifting,â slipping into thoughts she couldnât fully catch.Lâiaâ mâ had
The message was sâtill gloâwing on Avaâs phone when herâ fingeârs staârted shaking so badly she almost dropped it.You should enjoy this while it lasts.No name. No explanatâion. Just that single line sâitting there like a threatâ pâ retending to be calm.For a sâecond, Ava didânât breathe.â â It wa
The first thingâ Ava noâ tâicedâ wasâ thatâ the mâorningâ felt wrong. Notâ baâd. Noât painful. â Just wâ rong. Sometimes fear didnât enter loudly. Somâetimes iât sat quieâtly beâsâide you and waited foâr you toâ notice. She woke before sunrise. The house was sileânt. Liam stillâ asleep beside
Thâ e appointâmenât wâas at ten inâ the mâorning but Ava had been aâwake sinâ câe five.âNot beâcause she was excited.Becâause she was scared.Again.She sâat at the edge of theâ beâd staring at the window while the sky slâowly turned lighter.Her hand stayeâd over her stomachâ.âNothing lâ ooked diâ







