I'm walking back to my room when there's a knock at the door. Assuming Mya left something behind I double back and yank the door open.

“Did you forget–” My voice dies when I see Ethan standing there.

“I didn't forget anything. But I guess this means you forgot that we have a meeting this morning?”

“Fuck.” I walk away leaving the front door open. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Was that Mya I just saw leaving?” Ethan yells at my back.

“If you’re here to give me another lecture about corporate policy or whatever, you can fuck off.”

The sound of his laughter follows me into my room. The front door slams. Apparently giving me a lecture isn't worth losing the opportunity to ride my ass. One of his favorite pastimes.

“I'm not here to give you a lecture. When has speaking sense ever worked with you?”

“Good point. So why are you here? We usually meet at the office.” I grab the first suit my hand lands on. Then I select a tie to match.

Ethan leans against the door jamb. “Call me crazy but I thought you might need a friend. There's been a lot going on lately.”

It's hard to admit but I am glad to see him. Waking up with Mya was intense and not at all what I thought it would be. We're doing this dance but neither of us knows the steps. She's slowly becoming integral to my life but neither of us has put a label on it. Normally that's exactly what I would like. No labels. No strings. No commitment.

But that's not what I want with Mya. I want strings. Hell, I want to tie her up in them so she can never get away. That doesn't sound right but you know what I mean. Tie her up in a loving way. Loving bondage? Jesus, now I even sound creepy in my thoughts.

This whole time Ethan has been watching me. “Damn, you really have it bad, dude.”

Somehow this is more embarrassing than calling him in the middle of the night while watching Mya sleep.

“I didn't say anything,” I protest.

“You didn't have to,” he responds without missing a beat. “It’s written all over your dumb face.”

“Why do I talk to you again?”

“Because you need someone to tell you the truth. So as the resident asshole in your life, I guess it falls to me to tell you you’re fucking up. You work together. What happens when this runs its course?”

I think he expects me to joke back. This is how we relate to each other, jokes and insults, mixed in with useful advice and camaraderie. But this time I don't feel like joking around. This is not a new experience having Ethan come over right after some chick leaves. But watching Mya walk out the door… it was different.

Because she's the only one I've ever wanted to stay.

“I don't think that’s going to happen, E. For the first time, I'm not the one running away.”

His face betrays his surprise. We've been friends ever since I got hired at Mirage. I get the sense that he doesn't let many people in. Neither do I. But he's one of the few people that know about what happened with Tessa. I don't normally like to talk about it but after too many beers one night, the whole story came tumbling out. Surprisingly he's a very good listener. I get the sense that he's been hurt in his past, too.

“Well, hell. You know I think Mya is fantastic.”

“Yeah, she is. Beautiful, smart, and not afraid to hand me my ass.”

Ethan shakes his head. “Never thought I'd see the day. But maybe you’ve done it. Maybe you’ve found the one.”

Somehow hearing him say it out loud makes it sound ridiculous. And that makes me angry. I don't want to fast forward to thinking about when this all ends.

Maybe I just want five fucking seconds to live in a world where a guy like me deserves a girl like her.

As if he knows what I'm thinking, Ethan tugs at his tie. “Not every girl is like Tess. Mya seems genuine. Like the type who’ll stick.”

I want to believe that more than I can express. But wishing for things won't make them real. And putting my feelings out there won't make Mya feel the same.

“Make yourself at home. I just need to jump in the shower.”

Ethan looks like he wants to say something else but just knocks on the wall. “Take your time. I need your pretty mug to convince the client to sign.”

“Is that why you take me to these meetings?”

He points at his scowling expression. “There’s a reason I’m a lawyer. You think this is going to convince anybody to part with their money?”

Now I know he’s joking because he’s a good-looking guy and since he’s a partner in his own law firm, wealthy too. He’s basically where I want to be in life.

“Ethan, do you really think the forever thing is even possible?” Not sure what comes over me but I suddenly want his take on it.

“I thought I’d found it once. I can relate to this situation more than you know. I was her boss. She was the only one who would take my shit and give it back just as good. But in the end, her heart belonged to someone else. And things weren’t the same after she left. That’s part of the reason I left Virginia and opened a new location in D.C. I needed to get away.”

Then he sighs. “I’m the wrong person to ask, man. You should never ask a lawyer to comment on the human condition. We see people at their worst.”

It’s a measured answer and a mature one. But it’s the look on his face that tells me how he really feels. He thinks getting involved is a mistake.

He’s a smart guy, one I respect highly. He’s got his shit together. If a guy like him can’t make a relationship work, then what the fuck am I doing?

* * *

The next two weeks are intense. Mya and I focus on the project, holing up in my office to work on the campaigns. Our other clients have been handed off until the Lavin presentation is finished. We don't take off early, we work through lunch and each night we stay longer and longer.

But I didn’t mind the long hours because it gives me an excuse to be with Mya all day.

She’s funny, impatient as hell and loves to play devil’s advocate. We bicker, tease and push each other to discover new strengths while also compensating for each other’s weaknesses. I’m exhausted but I’ve also never had so much fun.

To reduce the chance for leaks, James has asked us not to use any of the interns or junior associates. So Mya and I have done all the research ourselves and created our visual aids and graphics on our own. Not that I mind, it’s actually kind of fun to go back to the grunt work.

In the beginning I thought he was just being paranoid but once the news about Lavin Bridal is announced, the fashion world goes mad. All my industry contacts are salivating for news on who has the account. We’ve made it past the first round but we’re well aware that Andre Lavin has plenty of options when it comes to marketing. We have one chance to impress him. If we screw it up, this chance won't come again.

“I think we finally got it,” Mya says on Friday afternoon.

Making an executive decision, I lean over and save the presentation on her computer and then log off. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”

“What? No, no. We have so much work to do.”

But I’m already pulling her to her feet. “We’ve done as much as we can do. Both of our campaigns are ready. We’ve practiced how to present them and done several run throughs. Now we need to get out of here because I think this chair is starting to form a permanent mold of my ass.”

Her eyes sparkle as she peers behind me playfully. “Really? Well, it is a pretty spectacular ass, I have to say.”

“Don’t let Ethan hear you say that. Otherwise you’ll be getting the sexual harassment lecture, too.”

She’s laughing at me but at least she’s moving. We’ve put in the work and done our research. I don’t think either of us is really worried about the quality of our work. There’s a certain point where you just have to trust that you’ve done all you can do and then you have to let the work stand for itself.

Mya shrugs into her coat and grabs her bag from the floor by her desk. “Not sure why I feel guilty for leaving at five when we’ve been practically sleeping here this week.”

“Whenever Mr. Lavin has time in his schedule, we’ll be ready for him. That’s all that anyone can ask of us.”

Anya waves goodbye as we pass her desk and after a short elevator ride, we’ve escaped!

“Fresh air! How long has it been?” Mya spins around in a circle before collapsing against my chest with a giggle.

“Too long. I think we were both starting to get a little punch drunk after being in that building for so many hours each day. Your place?”

We’ve fallen into the routine of spending our evenings together lately too. I have to admit I do prefer my place simply because it’s bigger and I can lay her naked on any surface without worrying about a roommate interrupting or overhearing. Ariana teases us about being loud and makes a show of putting her headphones on whenever I show up now which is funny but I know Mya finds it kind of embarrassing. Her relationship with Ariana seems to be more like that of a sibling than just a roommate. When I heard Ari refer to Mya’s ex-boyfriend as the “bad-sex-ex” I knew we would be friends.

“Yeah. I need to do laundry. But maybe we can go to your place tomorrow. It’s nice to be alone.” She hooks her arm through mine as we walk over to my car.

“You just like my huge bed,” I tease. She likes to take all her clothes off and roll around in my sheets. It smells like her for days. I love it.

Twenty minutes later we’re parked outside her building. It always takes a while to find a space in her neighborhood, one of the reasons Mya doesn’t own a car. Having a car in the city is a pain and expensive but I like having the freedom to go visit my mom and my brother whenever I want. So I pay the exorbitant price for parking in my building.

“You know what, I think I’ll just change my clothes and then we can go to your place after all. After this week, I think we both need some peace and quiet.”

I nod in agreement. As much fun as Ariana can be, quiet she is not.

Mya opens the door and I follow her inside. An older woman looks up from the pot she’s stirring at the stove.

“Baby! You’re home!” The older woman bustles from behind the counter and holds her arms open to Mya. Then she turns to me, a speculative gleam in her warm brown eyes. “And who is this handsome man?”

Mya turns to me with an apologetic smile. “Mom, this is Milo. He’s my… he’s my…”

“I’m her boyfriend. It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Taylor.” I extend my hand and am immediately yanked into a bone-crushing hug.

Over her mom’s shoulder, I see Mya wringing her hands and hopping from foot to foot.

Mrs. Taylor finally releases me with a soft exclamation. “Call me Martine, please. Oh, I need to turn the stew down. Mya, don’t leave that nice boy in the doorway! Invite him in. Your father will be back any minute. He went to the store to get some more milk.”

“I’m so sorry about this,” Mya whispers. “You can go if you want. I’ll catch up with you later. My parents like to drop by sometimes out of the blue.”

“Leave? You think I’m giving up this opportunity to find out more about pre-ballbuster Mya? Not a chance.” I close the door behind me and hang my coat by the door.

When I turn around Mya is watching me, her face both hopeful and wary. I don’t think she knows how easily her face expresses her emotions but honestly, I hope she never stops giving me these little glimpses into what she’s thinking and feeling.

Because I may not know where this thing between us is going but I know I haven’t had nearly enough of her yet.

Not even close.