Ava knows who Jimmy O'Brien is - her first love and soulmate. Forced to spend time apart, Ava and Jim deal with their trust issues and insecurities.
When the lovers finally reunite and resolve to fight for each other, their fragile happiness is put...
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July
At only nine a.m., the offices of The Cultural Digest seemed to be the busiest place in the entire business district. I blamed it on the plethora of important events we would attend and cover later this month and Virginia's ability to always find more. Emerport had no shortage of book fairs, theater plays, and concerts, and my boss kept track of everything article-worthy. Maybe that's why our magazine rose above the competition.
I glanced at my watch and flipped my agenda open. Only one item on my to-do list remained unchecked — emailing the owner of a new bookstore dedicated solely to romance books. Virginia wanted me to interview him upon returning from New York and write an article about his business.
As soon as I was done, I got up from my chair and shoved my phone and agenda into my oversized purse. A knock pulled my attention toward the doorway.
"Come in," I said, examining my desk for things I might've forgotten to take.
The door opened, and Kim and Leslie strolled in, coffees in hand.
"We wanted to say goodbye before you leave," Kim said, handing me a paper cup.
I took the coffee and gave her a brief smile. "Thank you. I was waiting for Virginia to finish her video conference."
Leslie let out a dreamy sigh. "I can't believe how lucky you are. I'd kill to see that show."
"Must be so hard for you, though." Kim stirred the sugar in her cup, giving me a pitiful look. "Spending months without your boyfriend isn't cool at all. I'd be going crazy."
I shrugged. "It's not that bad. We manage."
I liked both girls. While they weren't my close friends, we had a good relationship, and because the three of us were in our early twenties, unlike the rest of our colleagues, there was never a shortage of stuff to gossip or fangirl about.
However, trusting someone fully proved to be harder now than it was before. Being Jim's girlfriend put me under people's scrutiny, and after the way Tasha hurt me, being cautious was a necessity.
While I had no problem mentioning generic stuff about Rebellious Hearts every fan knew, Jim and our relationship were never subjects of a discussion.
"I'd feel bad if my boyfriend was away for so long," Kim went on, oblivious to my unwillingness to engage in that talk. "And I'd be so jealous."
I took a few generous sips of my coffee to avoid reacting to her words. Did I feel bad? It was hard not to on the first night I spent alone in our bed. There were tears and long phone calls from Jim whenever he sensed I needed reassurance. I told him I didn't want to seem needy, to which he laughed, saying he was and wasn't ashamed of it. Riley told me it'd get better with time, and I trusted her words. She and Noah spent stretches of time apart whenever she had to film at a faraway location. If anyone could understand how Jim and I felt, it was Riley and Noah.
