We made it to the hotel with some help from the musicians, who took off a hefty sum from Aiden's wallet, but he didn't seem to mind. We didn't let go of each other's hand the whole ride, nor in the lobby and neither in the elevator ride up. When we reached my floor, the elevator doors opened and I stepped out rather unwillingly.

"Goodnight, Thea," Aiden said, making me turn around. His hand was still loosely in mine, and before I could stop myself, I stepped forward to bring his lips to mine one last time, to confirm that this was in fact, true, real and not a part of my imagination. Any surprise he faced was masked quickly by the softness of his lips and the way his hands touched my face. God, I could freeze this moment and live in it forever.

Reluctantly, I let him go, watching the doors close and separating us, memorizing the adoring expression on his face. God, how could I have not seen this coming? I needed to digest this news, needed to let my mind comprehend the full weight of my thoughts and not being drunk would be the ideal time to do it. For now, I had simpler, no-thinking-required tasks in front of me, which I was quick to get to as soon as I entered my room. Taking the dress off with a large range of acrobatic moves, I slipped into the bathrobe provided to me and wiping all the makeup of the day off. Even if it wasn't much, just concealing and hiding some parts, I still wanted my skin to breathe as I fell asleep. My forty-year-old self would thank me for this.

Face cleaned and ready for sleeping, I dug out a nightdress from my suitcase, slipping under the cold sheets. My tired and aching legs welcomed the feeling, and my exhaustion was fighting a losing battle with my overactive mind replaying the scene in my head over and over again. It was nothing short of magical and beautiful and all things wonderful under the sun, and as far as first kisses went, this probably topped my very small list. Most of all, it was romantic, not something I'd expected from Aiden in a million years, and suddenly there was hope blooming in me. Hope that someday –

The buzzer in my room sounded, and I didn't have to think twice to guess who it might be. Straightening my dress, I opened the door to find Aiden standing there in a white tee-shirt and grey joggers, hands thrust in his pocket. I didn't even have to ask why he was here, but I pulled him in the room, slipping under the covers again. The bed dipped beside me, and his arms reached over to pull me closed to him. We didn't speak, we didn't need to. I pressed my lips to his throat before settling in his arms comfortably, feeling the rhythm of his breathing calming me down.

There were so many things we needed to talk about, but all of it would wait. Tomorrow morning, we could talk about every little question in my head. Tonight, it was just us, and I was okay with that.

For several minutes I simply lay there, breathing in his scent and trying to relax, but his fingers moved over my dress and on my bare arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps everywhere he went, brushing my hair softly. My eyes fluttered close on their own accord, revelling in this feeling. I sighed as his hands rested over my shoulder finally, rubbing small circles with the pad of his thumb.

"Thea..." My name on his lips was barely above a whisper, but I caught it, looking up to find his lips already waiting for me. If there was a way to get addicted to something this quickly, it would be illegal in every country in the world. The room was silent, save for the occasional parting of lips and the shuffling around the sheets.

"I think I changed my mind..." I said when we were catching a break, breathing in the cold air of the room. Aiden raised himself on his elbows, staring at me, confused, "What? Did I do something wrong?"

Oh. I'd worded and timed it all wrong.

I sat up too, taking his face between my hands, "Not about you." I kissed his forehead, pressing his shoulders down, his head falling on the pillows again. His fingers dug into my hips, pulling me over him. Sitting on the waistband of his pants, I traced the lines of his face, kissing his chin before sitting up again. "I mean, I'll probably pay more ransom for you now."

A brilliant smile lit Aiden's face, followed by a silent laugh. "Is it? How much am I worth now?"

"Wait let me get the exact amount." I grabbed my phone from the other end of the bed, checking my account balance and reading it out, "$38, 243."

"You can't give up your entire bank balance for me." The bridge of his nose was vexed. "Have I taught you nothing?"

"You're a blue-chip stock." I argued, "I make investments wisely."

"I'm worth all of it?" He questioned still. And maybe I was being silly like the women in novels that Aiden hated talking about. But just maybe, I'd let the world burn to save him.

"All of it," I confirmed hoarsely, overwhelmed with emotion once more. Aiden pulled me closer to his chest, kissing me once again, turning us over so I was flat on my back, his arm keeping my chest raised and touching his. His kisses were harder, more urgent, and he followed a trail down my jaw, biting and sucking at the sensitive skin, sure to leave a mark. I couldn't help but moan, biting my lip to prevent any strange sound from escaping.

"I have the self-control of a high schooler around you." He said finally, soothing the agitated skin, my harsh breathing coming in soft pants.

"Is that a bad thing?" I could feel the full weight of him press on me, even things that had no business being around me at this exact moment.

"We'll see." I raised a brow at his nonchalant response. Aiden liked plans and certainties. He liked being sure and he liked knowing all the answers. This casual behaviour was new and welcome, and we moved on to other topics of conversation between more kisses. I have no memory of falling asleep, but I remembered listening to Aiden's heartbeat, and he told me all the ideas and plans and dreams his father had. While the company was obviously rolling in billions, Aiden's personal wealth had become stagnant, needing just a small push to cross over the billionaire territory.

I gained consciousness before fully waking up, not understanding the absence of a warm body beside me. I opened my eyes, hoping to see Aiden standing around or in the bathroom, but he wasn't anywhere to be found in the room at all. Next step, I patted the bed till I located my phone, checking the time.

11. 48 am

We didn't have anything planned this morning, did we?

Maybe he's just gone upstairs to freshen up or something. That would be it. I sent him a text asking where he is before sliding out of bed and inspecting the damage of last night's alcohol. The puffiness under my eyes seemed to be adding to the roundness of my cheeks, and I pulled my hair in frustration. Being named after the fucking chipmunk wasn't humiliating enough, now I had the face to go with it too. The mark on my neck wasn't as glaring as I'd thought it would be, but it still took a fair bit of concealing before it could match the hue of my skin. I stared at myself in the mirror, taking a second to just think this through.

I had kissed my fucking boss.

There had to be a million examples in all of history to tell me I was in the wrong for doing this, but where was the nagging guilt in my head telling me I was a horrible person? No, my mind was like a girl with a schoolgirl crush, fingers running over my lips and reminiscing the taste of his lips on mine. I remembered the goosebumps and the softness of his hair under the tips of my fingers. How could something wrong feel this right? I wished I could speak to someone about this, someone who would understand the full extent of the situation, and no one really came to mind. Kylie was probably the worst person to be talking about this, considering she had the gossip-holding capacity of a toddler and the moral compass of a drug dealer. I still didn't trust Monica enough, nor could I tell her about my NDA, which left me with only Lydia, and I didn't think she'd be interested in hearing about me screwing her ex-boss.

When my phone signalled, I had a new text, I saw it was from Monica, asking me to meet her downstairs so we could go out for lunch. I chose a pink round collared top to hide my shame, even if it wasn't all that visible. We spoke about the most mundane things over pasta and lobster at a streetside café. She told me that Aiden had a meeting in the morning that he hadn't come back from yet, and how she was getting frustrated that he hadn't prepared anything for the next meeting after lunch. I gave her the details I knew, but this wasn't a file that I had been familiarized with. Lydia and I used to divide the work often, and this might have been something she had been working on.

Aiden was in the lobby when we came back, and Monica seized the opportunity to grab him and ask for more details on the project. Aiden looked stressed, more than usual, and I pinned it down to his meeting, which probably hadn't gone too well. I itched to know what it was about, but I figured I could ask him later when Monica wasn't hovering around us. He assigned some work to Monica, looking into his phone and typing something away furiously.

"And me?" I piped in, miffed by his lack of attention. You kissed me last night for fucks sake! Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in me making unreasonable demands. Rein it in, Thea.

"Upstairs." He muttered when more people entered the elevator. Monica left on her floor to finish up the work while Aiden and I moved upstairs to his penthouse suite. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he threw his tie away and took the cufflink off one hand. Remembering his inability to remove the other one, I reached forward to help him and he slid his coat off, flinging it elsewhere too.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What's wrong?" Aiden laughed bitterly, in a strange dazed way I had never seen him before, "What's fucking wrong?" His voice rose, almost scaring me. He wouldn't hurt me intentionally, but.... "You should go, Thea."

Of course, I wanted to play the hero, "Not until you tell me what's wrong." Maybe my suicidal tendencies didn't manifest the usual way. Maybe I needed therapy.

Maybe Aiden needs lessons in anger management.

"Go, Thea." He pinched the bridge of his nose, collapsing on the sofa. Bravely, or stupidly, I moved towards him, hoping to ease the headache that was forming. Reminiscent of the day I'd massaged his temples in the office, I brushed his hands away, soothing the tension forming there. Aiden remained stiff but quiet. I moved my hands down to his shoulders, trying to release some tension, but he remained agitated and annoyed, even though his mouth hung open slightly in relief from the massage.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" I tried one more time, one last time.

His jaw tightened again, "No Thea."

"Okay." I continued working my way up to his neck, "Do you expect something from me in the next meeting?"

"No." He exhaled, "Actually, there's no need for you to join us there."

What? Why?

"Okay." I accepted, "What should I be doing then?"

"Fuck if I know, Thea." He grumbled, pissing me off. God. I had been the nicest, most docile thing ever, and he still had the nerve to be pissed at me? And for what?

"Whatever's crawled up your ass, don't throw it on me." I stepped away from him, heading towards the elevators so I could go downstairs and get some work done. With the tools at my disposal thanks to Steele Enterprises, I had all the means necessary to finish working on my drafts and plans from anywhere around the world, and if Aiden wouldn't let me focus on my internship, then I could focus on my business instead. I had most of my files ready on my laptop, and sheets upon sheets of data to run through. Aiden and I had still not agreed on a name, which was putting a lot of the branding on hold. He wanted the Steele name to be visible in our brand, while I wanted to include it in the footnotes, considering Steele was only an angel investor and would really have only a 15% share in the business. There was no way I would give him the name brand of my company.

I spent all afternoon working, taking breaks only when my legs got too stiff or when nature called. My fingers were cramping and my back hurt, but there was just so much to be done and so little time. I was scrolling through Pinterest when there was a knock on my door, and I checked the time. Oh damn, it was nearly time for dinner. Aiden stood on the other side, which was a pleasant surprise, but his face was soured and I was too exhausted to deal with any of that at the moment. He stepped into the room before I could make a sound, settling on my bed.

"I'm not even going to ask," I said, sitting next to him.

"It's better that way." He pressed his lips in a thin line.

"Okay."

The silence in the room was suffocating, maddening and infuriatingly tense until Aiden cleared his throat. He pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his blazer, handing it to me, "I think you should get back to work."

The envelope contained a ticket to New York scheduled for the next morning. "Monica couldn't manage to get first-class in such a short time, but I hope the economy works for you. You can start working with Jason when you land. He's starting with some market research on a new product Steele Insurance is developing and I think it will help you in your own tasks as well."

Understanding dawned on me, and the slump of my shoulders straightened. Aiden Steele was a thorough asshole, and with the number of times I'd changed my opinion about him, I was a certified idiot too. "That's all?" If he regretted kissing me so much, why did he not have the balls to say it?

He nodded.

"Then I think you need to leave." He looked up at me in surprise, masking it quickly with an impassive face.

"Have a safe flight." Fuck off. I watched him leave the room, slamming the door shut and throwing my suitcase on the bed. Packing was one of my least favourite tasks, but I was quick at it, throwing away everything into the bag. My fingers brushed against the soft fabric of a black dress, making me stop in my tracks. I had packed it for Ireland, where Monica and I were supposed to spend a night in a dive bar soaking beer like a sponge. We'd been so excited too. If not Irish beer, then French any-alcohol would do. Rage and determination were a horrible combination, and I found myself locating the nearest club to spend the night. My flight was at noon, and I had to be at the airport early, but rationality could be an afterthought I didn't care to pay attention to.

The club I'd found was loud and tacky with music that didn't make much sense to me considering it was all garbled French, and I found a seat at the bar to drink my woes away. Stupid me, for thinking Aiden was capable of romance, stupid me for bothering to think that Aiden felt the same way. It must have been the alcohol last night, and it must have been literally every other thing on the planet. But Aiden Steele wasn't building castles in the air with me. Nor was his mind-boggling him with what-ifs and I-wish-I could. Nope. Those were all reserved for the idiot in me, stumbling my way back to the hotel at 2 am. A concierge helped me get to my room safely, and then I set ten alarms before falling asleep.

When I would get to New York, I would leave my heartache and emotional baggage in France. Whatever happened in France will remain in France for the rest of my life. 

It will officially be my birthday in 2.5 hours, so y'all are not allowed to be rude to the birthday girl, alright?

Even when I tell you that the next update will be on Monday instead of your regular schedule of Fridays.

Sorry?