Mending Heart |18+|

Chapter 32 🔥

The City of Sin

"But you've always been good enough. You've just been giving the best parts of you to the wrong people." – r.h. sin

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"I miss Chicago!" I whined as Ethan and I stepped out of the cab and onto the bustling New York sidewalk. Immediately I was hit by a blast of cold air, and the smell emanating from the various restaurants and street vendors tingled my nose. The mixture of onion, garlic, and spices made my stomach growl.

A loud honk caused me to jump, and I looked out at the traffic. Cars and motorcycles were moving at considerable speeds, and they didn't seem to be in the mood to make way for any pedestrians. Multiple cars screeched to a halt behind the white lines across the road, all except for one that dashed past even though the lights had changed to red.

"You weren't kidding when you said you don't like New York." Ethan chuckled as he paid the cab driver and pulled out both of our suitcases from the trunk. Taking my black carry-on from him, we walked towards the large revolving door entrance.

When Ethan asked me to go to New York with him last week, my initial response was hell no. New York and I just didn't mix. I had spent enough time here in the past couple of years to know that.

But of course, Ethan could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. Hence – the present day situation. 

In the short amount of time since we'd stepped off the plane, I was pulled aside by TSA so they could check my bag because one of the sniffer dogs walking around started barking near me, a cab outside the terminal splashed me with water from a puddle, and our own cab driver nearly got into three accidents on the drive to the hotel because people in this city just didn't know how to fucking drive!

"Dislike is an understatement," I grumbled, shooting him a sideways glance as we walked through the hotel lobby and towards the reception area. Granite floors, large chandeliers, and extravagant flower arrangements adorned the lobby. It was one of those fancy hotels right in the middle of Times Square.

"That's because you've never come to New York with me, Cupcake," Ethan smirked, before greeting the receptionist. I scoffed and waited for him to finish checking. 

As the two of us walked towards the elevator hand in hand, I smiled sweetly up at him. "Just because we're here together, doesn't change anything about New York. The smelly trash is still present, and the people are as rude as ever – you just happen to be next to me to witness it as well."

"Ouch!" He pouted, pressing the floor to the 15th floor.

"What can I say," I shrugged, my gaze fixated on him. "It's part of my charming personality."

"You call that charming?" He snorted, pushing off the elevator wall just as the doors opened. "Baby, we have very different definitions of charming then."

"Baby?" I cocked an eyebrow, inputting the keycard into the lock pad until I heard it click. Pushing the door open, my eyes scanned the room. One large king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room with two nightstands and a lamp on either side.

"Do you have a problem with that?" He challenged, setting his phone and wallet down on the black rectangular table just below the large TV mounted on the wall.

"Nope." I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling. The expression coiled my abdomen with unexpected flutters, and I found myself smiling for no reason.

"Good." He smirked, pulling me towards him. As his arms snaked around my waist, I gently placed my hands on his chest. "Have I told you how sexy you are lately?"