“You should check out the balcony next,” Filipe said, interrupting Eva’s thoughts.

She slipped off her shoes and walked toward the double doors across the room. She pushed them both open at once, and was met with the most stunning view of the city she’d ever seen. Even the view from Oasis came second.

The balcony offered at least twenty square feet of viewing space. In Manhattan, that was saying something. It was enough room to fit two chairs comfortably, and it did. Eva took a seat. She didn’t care if Filipe followed. She didn’t care if he was lying. She was absorbed in her own world.

He didn’t follow, either. It was several minutes before Eva heard from Filipe. She figured he was getting comfortable. When she saw him again, he was standing by the open doors without a suit jacket or tie. The light wind was ruffling his hair. She realized that she wanted a photo of this moment, recognizing she may never experience anything this picture perfect again.

“Are you all right?” Filipe asked, speaking softly.

He stepped onto the balcony. He had removed his dress shoes, and Eva noticed that his feet were covered by two simple black socks. It struck her as human. Underneath the fancy exterior, the man wore normal socks. The revelation made her want to kiss him.

“I’m okay,” she said, looking back at the view. “I can’t believe my parents never wanted to see this.”

“Some people don’t appreciate true beauty,” Filipe said. When she turned to him, he was looking at her with a kind of longing. She knew he wasn’t talking about the view.

“I guess not,” Eva whispered.

Filipe kneeled down to where she sat, wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, and kissed her passionately. It was several seconds before she pulled away, and even then, her heart wasn’t in it. She could have let him kiss her forever. But she knew it wouldn’t be right.

“What’s wrong?” Filipe asked. “Was that too much?”

Eva shook her head.

“Believe me,” she said, “I would love to do that again. But I don’t know anything about you. Can we talk first?”

Filipe pulled the other chair over and sat down.

“Eva,” he said. “You are beautiful.”

“Thank y—”

“But,” Filipe interrupted. “I think there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

Eva felt her heart jump into her throat.

“What do you mean?”

“I can sit on this balcony all night long and talk, if that’s really what you want,” he said. “But I don’t feel like you wanted to stop. There’s something compelling you to stop. And I’d like to know what that is.”

“Why?” Eva said, trying to lighten the mood by being playful. “You think that because I stopped kissing you, something must be wrong with me? I think that head of yours might be a little too big.”

“I didn’t say that,” he said, matching her smile. “It’s just that, in the cab, you implied that something from your past is making you uncomfortable. I want to understand. Maybe I can help.”

Eva looked down at the balcony floor and sighed.

“You’re a very handsome man,” she said. “But you aren’t the first handsome man. And the last one wasn’t quite as nice.”

“A boyfriend?”

Eva shook her head.

“No,” she said. “The only boyfriend I’ve ever had was in my senior year of high school. I was young and stupid. I just wanted someone to bring home to my parents.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” Eva said. “I broke up with him. I didn’t feel anything. And I don’t see why I should have. He was a soon-to-be law student. My parents were head-over-heels for him. Me? Not so much. He was pompous and condescending. It wasn’t worth it.”

“Then, who hurt you?”

“Someone very much like you,” Eva said. “I was twenty-two. I had just gotten through my second year of undergrad. I’ve never been into bars or clubs. I shouldn’t have even been at Oasis tonight. But, back then, I didn’t have many friends. One of my classmates asked me to drop by a party in Greenwich Village. I couldn’t say no.”

She felt the tears begin to rise in her throat, but she pushed them back down.

You aren’t going to cry. Wall Street women don’t cry.

“While I was there, this senior bought me a drink,” she said. “I recognized him from a couple of my classes. I agreed to leave with him. I wasn’t exactly sober. I was young and naive. I figured we would talk for a while and maybe something would happen. I thought I still had a choice. But he wasn’t a gentleman, and he knew what he wanted. When we got to his apartment, I realized that I was being used. The polite conversation was over. He wasn’t going to wait.”

“What did you do?” Filipe asked.

“I said no. He called me a liar and a lot of other things. He told me I was worthless. At the end of it all, he said I had two minutes to get out or he’d lose his temper. I had no idea what that meant, and I didn’t stick around to find out. Afterward, he told everyone on campus that I was easy and lousy in bed.”

“That must have been awful,” Filipe said.

“It was,” Eva said. “I never told anyone about it. I figured lots of women go through worse things. At least he didn’t get what he wanted. No one came near me after that. At least, no one who went to Columbia.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“I’m just sensitive when it comes to being used,” she said. “Some girls don’t mind. Some even like it. But the second I feel like I’m in the middle of a one-time hookup, everything is ruined.”

“You need passion,” Filipe said. “You need to feel something.”

“Exactly,” Eva agreed. “You understand.”

“I know what it’s like to be used,” he said, looking up at the stars.

“I told you my story,” she said. “Your turn.”

Filipe shook his head.

“It’s a story for another day,” he said. “Nothing you want to hear.”

“Try me.”

“I really can’t,” Filipe said firmly.

Eva decided not to argue with him.

It was quiet for a few minutes after that. Neither seemed to know what to say. She wondered how long they would sit there, completely silent, until someone broke.

“Do you ever second guess what you’ve been doing with your life?” Filipe finally asked.

Eva jumped. She hadn’t expected him to talk first.

“All the time,” she replied. “Every single day.”

“It makes it hard to focus,” Filipe said. “Work seems more difficult. The world turns slower. I’m in the middle of a transition period in my life. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next.”

“Big career change?” Eva guessed.

“Not quite,” Filipe hedged. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Do I get to hear about it?”

Filipe shook his head.

“Do I get to hear about your questionable life decisions?”

Eva smiled halfheartedly.

“I’m sick of my job,” she said. “It’s not fulfilling. I don’t get to help anyone. I don’t feel happy, you know? I’ve spent my whole life trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be. I’m not sure what I want to be anymore. It feels like I’ve taken control of the car and I have no idea how to drive.”

“I’ve never taken that step,” Filipe said. “There are times when I wish I could start over, make my own decisions, be my own person. You know what I mean?”

Eva paused.

“You don’t strike me as someone who isn’t their own person,” she observed.

“You have no idea,” Filipe said. “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through just to be able to come to New York for a few weeks.”

“Does your company set tight restrictions?”

Filipe seemed to withdraw. He shook his head.

“It’s not really the company,” he dodged. “It’s more complicated than that.”

Eva stopped pushing. She knew she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him. Clearly, whatever he’d been through, he didn’t want to talk about it. She could relate.

“I want to find meaning in my life,” he said. “I want to feel like I’m doing something important.”

“Me, too,” Eva whispered.

“What do you consider important?” Filipe asked.

Eva thought about it for a moment.

“I used to think family was the most important thing,” she said. “If you’d asked me back then, I would have told you psychology or social work was a noble profession. But I’ve grown out of that. The idea of family is overrated.”

“You really feel that way?”

“I’m pretty sure.”

“Does that mean you have no interest in starting a family of your own?”

Eva had to think about that. She’d never considered it before.

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “I don’t want to have kids who grow up hating me, or a husband who I’m legally forced to love. It goes against my nature. I want to be free.”

“I can admire that,” Filipe said. “But I’ve always wanted to start a family. More than anything in the world.”

“Were you close with your parents?”

Filipe nodded.

“That’s probably part of it,” Eva said. “I like the idea of creating another human being. But, after the way my parents raised me, I can’t imagine being responsible for one. What if I ruined it?”

“I know firsthand how controlling parents can be,” Filipe said. “Even when you’re all grown up. I don’t always get along with my parents just because we’re close. Still, they showed me what a good life feels like. They taught me how to love. And I think I’d be a good father.”

“That’s sweet,” Eva said. “I wish I had something like that.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Filipe said quite seriously.

It was quiet again. This time, neither of them broke the silence. Filipe put an arm around Eva’s shoulders. She curled up close to him. She felt safe, like nothing in the world could hurt her.

She would never see Filipe again. Somewhere, underneath the romance, she knew that. But he was a good man, and she felt happy in his presence.

“I think I really like you,” Eva whispered against his chest.

“Likewise,” Filipe said.

Eva sat up. They looked at one another. Then, they were kissing again. She felt two strong hands reach forward and scoop her up. He was carrying her inside now, never moving his lips from hers.

Filipe lowered her onto the king-sized bed.

And for once in her lonely life, everything felt right.