Alethia could barely recognize the image of what she looked like in the mirror. She was pale. Her eyes felt heavy in their sockets as if they could fall off if she kept her face down for too long, and her head weighed a ton on her neck that she could barely keep her face straight. It had been a mind-boggling week, and she hadn't been having much sleep. She'd spent most of the nights thinking of how to deal with being alone in the house with Ethan, while they seldom said a word to each other.Ethan hadn't spoken to her for days, though they were the only ones in the house now. He made breakfast on time, packed lunch in the fridge for her before going to work--left her notes telling her to make sure to microwave. The notes were always charming, but they were beginning to rile Alethia up. Why notes when he could just talk to her?And he always made her favorites for dinner. But he made sure he avoided her enough so that they didn't have to eat at the same table. And he spent his time a

Alethia and Ethan didn't hear Segun knock, but he'd let himself in anyway. And selfishly, he kept his presence unnoticed as he watched Alethia holding Ethan dearly to herself on the bed, like a baby she'd sang to sleep.Segun almost burst into laughter while watching Ethan sleeping calmly in Alethia's arms. Categorically, love could make even the strongest of men vulnerable. And though he wasn't a love-doctor, he understood that a man doesn't even have to make efforts to be strong in the face of such emotion.He'd never succeed anyway. And he was right after all. Alethia and Ethan did feel something for each other, and they weren't so good at hiding it.But as lovely as the two of them seemed at that moment, Segun couldn't help but sense the danger that seemed to loom in the room. He sighed worriedly as if he could feel the eeriness, the calm before the storm, and the disaster that seemed inevitable. He worries for his friend. But who was he to blame him or question his feelings? At

Olivia turned back as she stepped into the room, wishing she could disappear from the moment. She had knocked, and when no one answered, she'd tried the doorknob and it allowed her in."Olivia!" Ethan said, with a strangled smile just enough to acknowledge the perfect escape that had been presented to him. He strode away from Alethia's front."Hey, you're here."Olivia giggled drily as she turned back, and she almost choked when she met the scowl on Aleth's face. Her aquamarine eyes had darkened with rage, so Olivia knew best what to do."I'll come back later," she said and made to turn back, but Ethan grabbed her by her shoulder immediately, as if his life depended on her presence."You just got here," he said, determined to keep her for as long as she might not even want to stay. Ethan was scared that if he spent another minute in the house alone with Aleth, he might not be able to stop himself from grabbing her to himself, and making what was probably going to be the biggest mistak

Alethia could feel the ripping effect of her heart beating against her ribcage, like the cacophony of disaster, and it didn't make it easier on her that she was constantly taking a deep breath to create a kind of pathway through her clogged lung.She rose from her bed and sat back on it to take a deep breath. Somehow she wished her mom had explained more on how a woman should approach a man and express her feelings for him. Instinctively, she looked at her phone and considered dialing her mom, but it felt like calling her rival to ask how she could get the man they were both vying for. And though her mom didn't know about Alethia's feelings for Ethan, Alethia decided she'd preferred that her mom never had an inkling about it. And wouldn't that be the best for both of them?She swallowed and gathered her energy in her chest before she took a deep breath as if wearing a garment of boldness. But she halted at the door and watched her hand tremble on the doorknob. "Alethia?" Alethia's

Ethan's chest constricted within the seconds he waited eagerly for the door to open, but it had just closed a few minutes ago, and he knew he'd have to condone his overbearing mind. He tried not to think too much, to consent that it was normal for Alethia to go on dates and have fun, but the pain of seeing her with another man was excruciating like a fresh wound. And somehow, trying not to think about it made it the core of his thought.He tried to drink--it was normal--men drink when it gets hard--but whiskey tasted like dishwater in his mouth. And no matter the amount he downed, it was never enough to take his mind off the thought of what Alethia and her supposed date might be up to at the moment. Ethan tried not to think past the guy's curious hands touching Alethia constantly just to make a point, while he gave unsolicited smiles to look cool, but even that ignited the hair on his head so that he ruffled his hair and rose immediately with a frustrated sigh. He looked keenly at th