I couldn't believe he was here. But then again, of course he would be here. Hail didn't seem to understand boundaries at all, and I don't know if I had the energy to tell him. There was nothing that I could do to stop him from being here, but I didn't want to talk to him. I had nothing to say to him, but he was standing in the bathroom, waiting for me to get out of the shower.

I tried to collect myself while I dried off and wrapped the towel around me. The last thing I needed was to be alone with him without clothes on. I knew what happened if that occurred. I couldn’t take it again. I wasn't going to be able to handle Hail anymore. I had fallen for the wrong man and I had done something that I promised myself I would never do.

“I think you should leave Hail. I don't really want to talk to you tonight.”

“I don't blame you Evony. I just talked to Mark.”

“I should have known better.”

“It's not like that at all. Really, it's not. I just wanted to talk to you. Mark does not know what he's talking about.”

“So, you didn't tell him that we were together?”

He paused for a moment and I knew that it was true. He had told Mark everything and my face got hot just thinking about it. The last thing I wanted was for somebody to know what happened between us. It was supposed to be just for us. our little secret.

“I had to tell him that we were together, because he wouldn't back off of you.”

“You don't own me Hail.”

I started to walk out of the bathroom, but he stopped me with my hand on my arm.

“I know that I don't own you. Of course, I don't own you Evony, but you are mine.”

He kept saying that like I was just going to roll over and go with it. What did he even mean that I was his? We had been together a couple of times, that's it. I know where I stood with a guy like him. He was just like Mark.

“I am not yours Hail. I am nobody's. What we had was just... I don't even know what it was. But it didn't mean anything, because you went around and told Mark about it.”

I wanted to leave the bathroom before I started to cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. He’d hurt me and even now, all I wanted to do was run into his arms because I knew I would feel safe there. It was the only place I ever felt safe.

“Please stop and listen to me Evony. You have to know that you mean more to me than just a couple of times in the sack. I love you.”

His words made me stop and I tried to settle down in my heart, just so that I could make sure that is what he really said. Did he really just tell me that he loved me? Me?

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything if you don’t feel the same way as I do. I don’t want you to say ii if you don’t mean it, but if you do, I’d really like to hear it back.”

For once since I’d known Hail, he seemed vulnerable. I know it was hard for him to be that way and it was hard for me to see him that way. Was he vulnerable because of me?

We were standing so close to each other, that I could feel the heat coming off of him and I knew that I wanted more of him. I always wanted more of him and today was no different. Now I wanted him to kiss me. I didn’t want to talk about how we had messed this up between us, or how we both loved each other. I wanted to feel his body against me, his lips on mine. That was the only time when I was able to think straight. I just wanted him here with me again. It was all I could think of, all that I needed.

I pulled him down for a kiss and I think I surprised him because he started to chuckle at my need.

“Am I supposed to take this as you care for me too?”

“I don’t care for you Hail, I love you and I think you know it.”

He smiled in the sweetest way possible, the sort of way that made me go warm all over. Why didn’t I know ,that it was exactly what I wanted to hear? I knew that he was perfect for me, even if he was far out of my league. For whatever reason, this worked.

The kiss deepened and I knew that I was lost in his arms. It’s the way it always was, and it wasn’t long at all before he was asking me where my bed was. I shouldn’t have showed him, knowing what that would entail, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed him. Right now.

Mark became a problem that was insurmountable and instead of staying with his firm, Hail and I started up our own Sales Staffing company. We hired in all the best in sales and we were hired out to anyone that wanted to go to the next level. It was a dream of mine, that I never thought would be fulfilled.

I was happier than I'd been in a very long time and in the end, I got what I wanted. I wanted to be loved and I wanted what I waited for all this time to be worth it. Hail was definitely worth it. I never believed that I would find a man like him and I'm thankful that I did. I don't know what I would do without Hail.

“This is a really good lunch party. I can't believe how many people came. I know a lot of the people from when I worked with Mark. It is weird to have them all here and Mark not be here.”

I know that Hail and Mark used to be really close, and I was sorry that they weren't as close as they used to be. I knew that I had something to do with it, but I wanted Hail to be whole again. No matter how I felt about Mark, I knew that they were meant to be friends.

“Well maybe you should look behind you, because Mark is here. He asked me to come and I know that you wanted him here.”

He looked behind him and I loved the surprised look on his face. “Are you serious?”

“Just because I don't like him, doesn't mean that you guys haven't been friends for over twenty years. Go say hi to him. I am going to go find Allison.”

I know that I didn't have to give him permission to be friends with Mark, but in a way, I think he needed it. He didn't want to mess things up with me and I didn't want him to have to sacrifice because of it. All I knew for certain was that I loved Hail and that meant doing things sometimes that I wouldn't want to do. This was one of those times, but the kiss that he gave me before he walked over there, told me everything I needed to know.

While Mark may have known him longer, Hail was mine in the end. And I was his. Nobody could mess with that.

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