|A L W A Y S & F O R E V E R| B O O K 1

40||L a t e N i g h t D i s c u s s i o n s

Date: 2/ 21/16
Day of the Week: Sunday
Location: Los Angeles, California
Place: Ciara's House

Russell
About a month passed, and I was in Los Angeles visiting Ci. I haven't seen her since she flew back home for her therapy session last month. We've been pretty busy with our careers. So we haven't got to speak to each other as much. Today, she didn't have anything on her work schedule, and I decided to take off for a couple of weeks. I trusted my employees to keep everything under control at the firm. So I wasn't worried about being gone from Seattle. I did bring my work equipment with me in case I needed to handle some business on my own.

Today, we were staying at Ci's house instead of the condo. She wanted to change scenery. Her condo is located in a building with many others, and she said she wanted more privacy. She hardly stayed here because it's a good drive from the city limits of LA. So, it's easier for her to stay at her condo when she has photo shoots. Right now, we're sitting in the living room watching an episode of Martin on Netflix. She was lying on my chest while my fingers ran through the curly coils of her hair. Her arms wrapped around my waist as her eyes focused on the TV screen. Holding her in my arms felt perfect, and I couldn't imagine her being in anybody else's.

The past months that I've been with her have not been the easiest due to us being in a long-distance relationship. We don't get to see each other as much as we want to, but we make it work as best as we can. These months have also been a little rocky for Ci. Her personal problems have been a lot for her to deal with. I've been there for her through it all, and I don't ever plan on leaving her side because I love her. I'm so proud of her for continuing to go to her therapy sessions to get the help she needs. That way she can heal from everything that she's been through. I know it hasn't been easy for her, but I'm glad she's pushing through it.

When the episode of Martin went off, she paused the TV and sat up on the couch to stretch her arms out. She yawned before rubbing her eyes. I sat up too and reached towards the coffee table to grab my bottle of water. I put it back on the coaster after I finished and looked towards her, wondering what she was about to do.

"I'm a little tired. I'm going to take a quick nap. If you want to join me, you can. If not, you don't have to." She stood up from the couch and I did as well.

"Alright. I'm gonna stay down here and handle a couple of things, and then I'll be upstairs. I could use a nap myself." She hugged my waist and puckered her lips. I leaned down to kiss them a few times before pulling back and smiling at her. She gave me one in return before making her way upstairs to her bedroom.

I sat back down on the couch and grabbed my phone off of the table. I went to my contacts and clicked on Jeremy's name. The phone rang a few times before he answered.

Hey, boss man! How's everything going in LA?

Hey, Jeremy! Everything is going well. How are things at the firm?

Things are going pretty good. Everybody's been on the top of their game.

That's great to hear. There's something I wanted to discuss with you.

Okay. I'm all ears, boss.
>>>
After getting off the phone with Jeremy, I put my phone in my pocket and stood up from the couch. I made my way upstairs to Ci's bedroom. She was lying in her bed sound asleep. Her light snores and breathing could be heard throughout the room from how quiet it was. I made my way over to the bed and got in behind her, being careful not to wake her. My arms wrapped around her waist as I snuggled my face into the crook of her neck. Before I knew it, I had dozed off to sleep with her. Today was a lazy day for both of us. We've both been working hard. I've been at the firm handling meetings and everything else that comes with running a business. Ci has been working on photo shoots. She recently got an extended deal with Givenchy as the face of the brand. So I know that's exciting for her. Later on, during the middle of the month, she'll also start shooting for her lead role in the upcoming movie she'll be in. There are some other projects that she's working on, but she said she was going to tell me about it soon.