All Chapters of contractually yours : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Ethan had been staring at the last line of the email on his screen for the better part of five minutes, but none of the words were sinking in. He’d already sent the text to Layla—“Any chance you’re free for lunch today? I promise I won’t bring blueprints to the table."—but she hadn’t replied yet. He told himself she was probably busy, maybe at a meeting, maybe caught up with her friends again. Still, a part of him was waiting, restless in a way he hadn’t been in years. His coworkers were buzzing around the office—phones ringing, printers whirring, chairs scraping across the floor—but all he could think about was Layla. Specifically, Layla sitting across from him at lunch. He’d been around women before, plenty of them, but Layla was different. Too different. “Earth to Ethan.” He blinked and looked up. His coworker, Mason, was leaning against the edge of his desk, grinning like he’d just caught Ethan doing something he shouldn’t. “You’ve been staring at the same email for, like, fo

Layla woke up the next morning with the sunlight streaming through her curtains. She blinked against the brightness, groaned, and pulled the blanket over her head. But it was no use. Sleep had already slipped away, leaving her with the memory of the conversation with her best friend.She could still hear Nora's teasing voice— “You like him more than you admit.”And Layla’s own flustered response— “It’s not like that. He’s just… Ethan.”But of course, Ethan wasn’t just Ethan anymore. He was showing up in her mornings, in her texts, in her thoughts when she was supposed to be focused on work. And that was dangerous. Because she knew this was supposed to be fake. Pretend. Temporary.Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, startling her. She reached for it, her heart skipping before she even saw the name."Morning. You up?" The text read. From Ethan. She smiled without meaning to. Then she typed back quickly. "Barely. Why?"The three dots appeared, disappeared, then appeared again. "Because

Layla was sprawled out on her bed late in the morning, her phone dangling in her hand, when the notification buzzed. She thought it would be Ethan again, probably teasing her the way he’d been since their lunch together. Her lips curved at the thought. Ethan’s texts had started becoming the kind she actually looked forward to. Silly one-liners. The occasional photo of his coffee mug with a sarcastic caption like, "Fuel for another day of pretending I’m a functioning adult."But when she unlocked her phone, the name flashing at the top of the screen wasn’t Ethan’s.It was Jay.Her chest gave a small, uncomfortable squeeze. She hadn’t seen him in a week. That was unusual — usually, he was the kind of guy who thrived on being in and out of her life just enough to keep her hooked. Her rebound. She knew that’s what he was—the guy she ran to after her breakup with Derek when she needed something, someone, to fill the emptiness. He was safe in the sense that he wasn’t Ethan… wasn’t Derek… wa

By the time the sky had begun softening into shades of orange and pink, Ethan finally stood from the bench.“Come on,” he said, brushing his hands against his jeans.Layla blinked up at him. “Where are we going now?”“Home,” he answered simply. Then, after a beat, “Yours or mine?”The question made her heart stutter. He said it so casually, like it didn’t carry a hundred different implications. She hesitated, glancing at him.Ethan noticed. “Relax,” he added with a small grin. “Just making sure you don’t end up walking alone after today. I’ll drive you.”Relief and something else — something warmer — flooded her chest. “Mine,” she said softly.The drive was quiet but comfortable. Ethan didn’t push her to talk, didn’t bring up Jay again, and she was grateful for that. The silence wasn’t empty. It was steady, filled with the faint hum of the radio and the occasional glance she caught him giving her when he thought she wasn’t looking.He pulled up in front of Layla’s apartment, the golde

Ethan couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this restless before a family dinner. He’d faced clients who threatened lawsuits, investors who asked impossible questions, and even his brother Chris’s disastrous karaoke birthday party without blinking. But tonight? Tonight his chest felt too tight.his palms wouldn’t stay dry. His tie felt too tight even though he wasn’t wearing one, and the thought of walking into his parents’ house with Layla beside him made his pulse skip.She wasn’t really his girlfriend. That was the problem. She was not really part of his life the way his family thought. And yet, as he stood outside her apartment, watching her open the door in a navy dress that made his words stumble, Ethan thought, "God help me if they believe she’s real. God help me if I start to believe it too."“Relax,” Layla teased as she locked the door and slipped her bag over her shoulder. “You look like you’re about to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.”“Trust me,” Ethan mutter