The kiss kept replaying in her mind. The feel of his hands on her bare skin; his lips on hers, on her neck, her shoulder. She almost came right there. That’s the price she had to pay for her four years of celibacy. But no one has ever made her feel that way, no one ever shared that much intense passion. It might as well have been a lifetime of celibacy, until now. So that was problem number one. Gerald. He was too good, too y, too delicious, too much for her.

Second problem, Kevin. What was she doing with Kevin in the first place? Yeah, he was attractive in that “I’m perfect for you…and everyone else” way, but he didn’t do anything for her. He didn’t make her hot.

Now Gerald, he didn’t making him her hot. Hot would be an understatement. She was in an inferno whenever they were together. But it wasn’t just about the . She opened up to Gerald without thinking twice about it, without any shame or fear.

What is going on with her? She wouldn’t dare herself to wear only a T-shirt that barely covered her bottom half. But she did, with black, laced lingerie for goodness sake! She straddled him on the couch without even thinking about the consequences. That was not her!

Kim’s smart, intelligent, conservative, responsible. Reliable, self-conscious. She still believed in fairy tales. She loved romance and cheesy love stories. She was not the type of girl who dated one guy and then almost sleep with someone else.

But she had to admit, she enjoyed the thrill of the unknown, of the almost getting caught. And if this is what she’s doing, Gerald is the perfect guy to do it with. with no strings attached. He was a playboy, and had the reputation of sleeping around. And there was obviously a ual attraction between them, so why not indulge.

‘Because it’s not you,’ she thought. could never be just to Kim. It was too personal, too intimate to just have it with anything. And having with Gerald was crossing a line she could never get back to.

So there is it was. The solution to her problems. If she kept her distance from Gerald, then she won’t fall for him and she can keep dating Kevin, and possibly feel for him the way she feels for Gerald right now.

Kim wasn’t smiling at this solution. It was a way to fix her problem, but it wasn’t an easy one, especially after what just happened.

She looked at the clock on her nightstand. 2:12. She’s been awake for four hours thinking about the gorgeous man in the room next to her. Way too much time spent on a man that’s supposed to mean nothing for her.

BANG. The sound came from outside her door. BOOM, “Ow.” A voice now? She sat up and looked underneath the creak of the door. There was no light, so whoever was out there was walking in the dark. It couldn’t be an intruder because she double locked the door and has a security pad by the door, and unless she dozed off and gone deaf, the alarm did not sound. BANG BANG, “Damn it!”

Kim got up and threw on her robe which was by the bed. She opened the door and saw Gerald hopping on one foot, holding his toe. His eyes met hers, and she leaned against the wall behind her and crossed her arms, holding her robe closed.

“Did I wake you?” He asked.

Oh no, he was shirtless, wearing only his boxers. Did he have to sleep in such little clothing? “Surprisingly not. What are you doing/”

He looked around searching for an answer. In complete honesty, he was trying to check if she was asleep. He was somewhat relieved that she was still awake. “I’m…I was…I was going to get a cup of water. But the light…I couldn’t see the light.” He looked at the four tables that he hit while walking. “Why so many tables?”

“For that reason. So someone will get hurt before they ever intend to hurt me,” she smiled. He nodded, but raised his eye brows in scepticism. “No, I like flowers, and tables here was the only way to keep them instead of not buying them.” She laughed. “And the light is right here,” she said pointing the switch outside his room.

“Thanks,” he said flipping it on. “Are you going to go back to sleep?”

She looked back into her room, “I don’t think I can.” She admitted.

He smiled, “How do you feel like going for a ride?”

“If you forgot, my car is still in the parking lot, which now I realize I have no way to school tomorrow.” She laughed at how childish it sounded.

“One second.” He walked back into his room and took his cell phone. “Aaden, the address is 4276 Luxen Avenue…Yeah…We’ll be waiting. Thanks. Bye.”

“You have a driver?”

He chuckled, “Among other things.”

She realized she had no idea what he did for a living. What made him this rich and this gorgeous? “How? Are you rich?”

“My parents are rich. Well, my Dad, and so is my brothers, and I’m well off.” He answered.

“That’s what rich people say.” She said, going back into her room and changing into some jeans and a sweatshirt. Since the fire went out, she could feel some of the November chill. “So you didn’t answer my question!” She yelled from her bathroom, putting on some eyeliner, lip gloss and blush on her cheekbones.

“I work in an office,” he said pulling on his jeans and T-shirt.

She walked out of her closet and into the hallway, standing at his doorway, seeing him put his jacket on, “And we have a winner for the vaguest answer!”

He laughed. “I’m a publisher’s assistant.” He said walking out, meeting her. “Harlequin Enterprises.”

She laughed, “The publishing company who’s motto is ‘We Are Romance’, yet you don’t believe in romance?”

“It’s the reason I don’t believe in romance,” he expanded. He took her hand and took her outside.

Gerald told the driver to go home, and gave him money for a cab. He opened the passenger seat for Kim who got in rather quickly, wanting only the heater on, and Gerald climbed in the driver seat. “So I’m still waiting for an explanation. No romance?”

He laughed, driving in the middle of the night, or very early morning with no destination in mind. “Look, I read all the books and travelled all around the world. My parents were my first valid reason for romance not existing, but reading all these stories about men who realize that love is in the person in front of them…there’s a reason it’s called fiction.”

“So why work for them? Why assist publishing the stories that you have no faith in?”

“I didn’t say anything about having no faith in them, they’re just fiction. I don’t believe in the romance or how they end up happily ever after in the end, but the stories are good. I mean the authors have an amazing hand, just not really any imagination.” He said without taking his eyes off the road. He couldn’t meet her face, but in the pit of something deep inside him, he was beginning to rethink everything he believed in, because of this one girl.

Kim laughed, “No imagination. HQN is my favourite publishing company! They help me believe in everything that I already believe in. They have these characters who are so realistic who fall in love in situations where you’d never deem possible. Yeah, they end up all happy, but…Gerald, not all love ends in heartbreak. Some do, some hurt more – I definitely know what that feels like – but some last.” It was back to the age old debate they constantly have.

“And what about what you have Kevin?” He blurted out without thinking.

“What about Kevin?”

He closed his eyes opened them again, “You’re dating Kevin? Do you believe you guys are some sort of path towards your end destination?”

“I thought you said I have to take a chance, that’s what I’m doing with Kevin. He’s a chance to the end destination. But to be honest, I don’t think it’ll work out.” She admitted.

That’s when he turned to her. “What? Why not?”

Because she wants you. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never dated him in the first place. I just…he’s not who I’d pick to marry.”

Something inside him leapt for joy, “And who is?” Did he really want to hear the answer.

She shrugged. “Hopefully I’ll meet him soon.”

They continued driving and driving, and finally Gerald found what he was looking for. They were on a bridge looking over an almost frozen river. He took her hand, and she walked close to him to keep herself warm. “Where are we?”

Gerald took a seat on a bench looking over the river. “This is the place I go to sometimes to think, or to clear my head, or to just listen to nothing.” Kim stared at his features. His jaw was tight, and she could feel his body shiver with the wind. “Do you know what about love? It’s the way that unpredictable. You can never know what the other person is thinking, wanting. In the books I publish, the narrator says it all, but in reality…”

“You’re on your own.” She finished. “My last boyfriend, four years ago, proposed. Happiest I ever been. My parents were young when they got married, I was 21, figured history was repeating itself. I’ve known this guy for years, he was my next door neighbour since I was 8, and he was my first kiss in sixth grade. We finally got together in eleventh grade. I knew I was in love and I was loved.” She laughed. “On our rehearsal dinner, he left early for a business call.” Her eyes watered, and shivered. Not because of the cold wind, but the hurtful memory. “I got home to find him in bed with another woman. The bed I slept in…He was with my maid of honour. I wish I had narrator, I prayed it was a nightmare, pinched myself so many times. It was real. I know that shows that love is a , another reason to put it off. But I know that it wasn’t my time.”

“That’s how you got the scar.” He said. “On your wrist. I noticed when we…well, you know.”

She nodded, “Another way to try to make myself wake up.” No one knew about that scar, now Gerald did. She played it off as a birthmark. Her sisters didn’t even know about the scar, or the affair. Kim called off the wedding an hour later saying she was too young. “That’s when I made myself believe I was in love with the idea of marriage, rather than him.”

“She ran away on the day of the wedding. Humiliated me in front everyone, family, and friends. She told me she needed to think about things. But if she loves me and I love her…what’s there to think about?” He spat at the memory.

Here they were. Two shattered souls from heartbreak brought together by differing beliefs. What they were about to find out was how perfect they were for each other.

“I feel so comfortable with you, it’s weird. We met, fought, and now I’m sharing things with you no one else knows,” Gerald said.

Kim laughed, “Sounds like a story to me.” Her chin was on his shoulder and she looked up to meet his gaze. “I spent the entire night awake thinking about you. You make me blush, act in ways I never thought were possible.” She chuckled. “And you’re keeping me warm in a freezing cold, empty bridge with just your gaze. Let me tell you, you’re worth almost more than half the guys I ever dated, and probably ever date. Your reputation suits you well.”

He kissed her forehead, “Let’s get back to warmth.” He drover her back home and drove himself to his house.

The entire night was devoted to her. Thinking about her, wanting her, loving her. But all he ever was to her was a playboy, someone with a reputation. He couldn’t blame her, he set himself up, but now he was madly in love. An emotion he tried to ignore his entire life, and now she was unattainable because of a guy he wanted to test his theories on. She’d be going on her third date with him, and all them men the third date is the night. A night he wanted all to himself.

On Sunday, Kim went to Kevin’s house. It was a small bungalow where he decorated the living room with petals and candles. He had every intention of having with her. Someone he barely opened up, and someone who barely opened up to him.

They had dinner and spoke about work, the weather, what was TV last night, and him wanting to see her again.

They moved onto the couch, and she held her half-empty wine glass in her hand. She laughed at his jokes, fake laughs. She nodded when he told her another story from work. “Tell me about your family. Where’d you grow up?” She asked him.

“Why not tell me where you grow up?” He countered.

Kim smiled, “I grew up here, in Manhattan. Your turn.”

He nodded, and looked at her glass. “Let me fill you up.”

She shook her head, “Why are you avoiding every personal question I ask?”

He laughed, “You’re smart.”

“I’m a teacher. You’re smart because of me.” She answered.

“Well, teacher…maybe you know what I want to do now.” He took her glass and set it on the table. His mouth found hers, and she had her eyes opened. She kissed him back unwillingly, but kept her hands to herself. He began undoing the zipper on her dress, but she pulled his hand away.

Kim looked at him, “I can’t do this. I should go.” She got up and left the house. It was one thing giving it a chance, but it was another when she knew they’d never end together. She wasn’t going to set herself for heartbreak. Then why was the only thing she knew would give her pain, something she ignored: staying away from Gerald.

SORRY IT TOOK LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE. I WENT ON A MINI VACATION. NO MY BEST CHAPTER, I JUST WANTED TO UPDATE, BUT NEXT CHAPTER GET READY. I HAVE EVERY INTENION TO GIVE YOU GUYS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!!!! STAY TUNED!