Courtney: Present Day

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THE NEXT MORNING, I turned off my alarm an hour before Taylor Swift’s “Style” could start. I’d been on edge all night—tossing and turning every few minutes with the knowledge that Jace was sleeping right next door. I’d racked my brain to see when he could’ve moved in and realized it must’ve been the weekend I was at Mila’s. I realized that the fact that we never ran into each other in the hallways or the lobby during the past week was probably due to my super early mornings and super late nights.

Sighing, I tossed the covers off my body and slipped into the shower. I let the water sting my skin until it was red and raw—until I couldn’t take the stifling steam in the room anymore.

I wrapped myself in a robe and made a cup of coffee—deciding to start my day in a way I never usually did. Checking work emails.

The second I read the top unread subjects in my inbox, I remembered exactly why I never looked at them until I made it to the office.

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SUBJECT: Is Mr. Kennedy Single?

Subject: So... Can You Do Me a Favor? (Hint: It’s About Mr. Kennedy.)

Subject: Are you Fucking Mr. Kennedy? (Saw You Leaving Late Together Last Night O_o )

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UGH.

I continued scrolling down—only clicking on the ones that actually pertained to work, and stopped at one that was from an ex-boyfriend.

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SUBJECT: HEY YOU.

Hey Court,

Hope all is well. I’m missing you. Hoping we can try “us” sometime soon again?

Call me,

Will

PS—If you don’t want to try “us” again...Maybe we can be fuck buddies? *wink wink*

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I SET MY PHONE DOWN and groaned. I was starting to feel like the universe was playing a wicked trick on me, that this was karma for something I’d done in the past.

Wait...What the hell have I done in the past to deserve this?

Will and I hadn’t been “together” since I was in law school, and even when we were, our time together was far from being worthy of a second chance. I could still remember faking it whenever we had sex—feeling like I had to brush up on my porn-watching on weekends to make sure my moans were believable. I could still remember him cheating on me with my roommate a week after my birthday and blaming it on being “just shit-faced drunk babe.”

The break-up was a welcome relief, though. Just like every other break-up I’d experienced before. Every kiss from every boyfriend felt fake—never natural like it was with Jace. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that our high school affair was “young infatuation” or an “intensified crush,” no man I’d met over the past ten years made me feel anything close to what Jace once made me feel.

Jace’s mouth still looked as if it was made for kissing me, and I knew—all these years later, that his piercing blue eyes could see right through mine.

As I was debating whether I should block Will from emailing me again, I heard music coming through the walls. Then I heard the sound of the water pipes slightly rattling as the shower next door came to life.

So, now he’s going to get up for work two hours early, too? Shit.

I rushed to my bedroom and started to get ready.

I didn’t want to see him until work. I needed a couple more hours to think about how I was going to handle living next door to him.

I snapped on a bra, pulled on a dress, and slipped into my heels.

Grabbing my briefcase and my coat, I downed the rest of my coffee before heading straight for the elevator.

I hit the “door close” button repeatedly and just as they were shutting, Jace stuck his briefcase through. Then he stepped onto the cart.

He was dressed in an impeccable grey suit—looking even sexier than he did in my dream from the other night.

“Good morning, Courtney.” He stepped in front of me, glaring.

“Good morning, Mr. Kennedy. I’m surprised you’re up this early.”

“You shouldn’t be.” He stepped even closer, closing the gap between us. “Especially since someone called the building manager last night and filed a complaint about me.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Oh. This person claimed she thought that there was a strange, marijuana smell, so they told me I needed to be out early. Something about needing to investigate the matter and make sure I wasn’t breaking my contract.”

“Oh, wow,” I said dryly. “I had no idea you smoked weed. That’s such an awful habit. But, if you’re going to continue to do that, maybe you should just request to move to another floor.”

“Do you want to start this game with me, Courtney? I can guarantee you’ll lose.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m sure you’ll go out of your way to make sure I feel like shit in the end, just like you did ten years ago.”

“You’re remembering things completely different from how they happened.”

“No.” I swallowed. “I’ve always had the better memory between us. That’s why I’ll never forgive you.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. But for the record—childish games or not, I’m not moving out.”

“We’ll see.”

The elevators stopped at the lobby, and he stepped off first. Then he looked me up and down.

“Are you not wearing panties under your dress on purpose?” he asked, smirking. “I think it’ll definitely enhance my view of you at the office, but if not, you may want to change before you start a so-called war with me. I would hate for you to be unprepared.”

Embarrassed, I hit twenty-two, and the doors closed again.