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Olivia

I paced the floor inside my hotel room—the temporary sanctuary I had embraced as my home during this whirlwind chapter of my life. The air felt thick with tension as I anxiously awaited Tommy's response on the other end of the line.

When his familiar voice finally came through, laced with concern, I couldn't contain my nerves any longer. "Tommy, I'm freaking out!" I blurted out, my heart racing a mile a minute.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, concern edging his voice further.

I took a deep breath, knowing I had to spill the secrets I'd been keeping, so I plunged in, "A few nights ago, I had sex with Johnny."

The words hung in the air, and before I could process the shock in Tommy's silence, he hit me with a barrage of disbelief. "You what? Olivia, what?"

It felt surreal to hear his reaction mirrored back at me. "Yes," I confirmed, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and guilt, "and now he's coming over to talk. He texted me and asked if he could swing by so we could talk. I'm freaking out because that only has to mean it's bad news. Right? He's going to say it was a mistake and that we can never let it happen again."

I could almost hear Tommy's head shaking on the other end as he processed my confession. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to get over the initial shock that you slept with him and didn't tell me FOR DAYS!" His incredulous tone cut through the tension, and for a moment, we both shared a breath of laughter, a slight reprieve from the anxiety that shrouded our conversation.

But the weight of the situation soon sank back in as I groaned, "I'm serious."

Tommy's questions poured out, the intrigued friend in him surfacing, "I have so many questions, Olivia. Like...was it as good as I imagine it to be in my head?"

The unexpected query caught me off guard, and I laughed, reminded of our longstanding friendship and how far we had come. "You imagine this in your head?" I teased.

"You're not answering any of my questions!" Tommy insisted frustration tinged with humor surfacing once more.

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a knock echoed through the room, causing my heart to skip a beat. "Oh my God, he's here," I whispered into the phone, my palms growing clammy as I realized the gravity of the moment about to unfold.

I opened the door, inviting Johnny inside, trying hard to suppress the nervous flutter in my chest as we took our seats next to one another on the worn couch, its fabric a patchwork of memories and late-night conversations.

"Why are you always here? Do you not have a home?" Johnny asked, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips that disarmed and confused me.

I shrugged, feigning indifference while my insides twisted in a jumble of emotions. "I do, but I prefer it here," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt.

Though his brow furrowed ever so slightly, he nodded, reflecting that familiar concern. "Why? It seems miserable to live in a hotel room," he challenged.

I sighed softly, gathering my thoughts. "It's much worse being alone in a big house," I revealed, honesty spilling from my lips like a confession I hadn't meant to make.

"I see what you mean," he agreed, his tone softening.

But as the light banter faded, an unease crept into the air, and I turned to him, heart racing. "You're making me nervous, Johnny. What is it?" I blurted out, unable to keep my anxiousness at bay any longer.

"I just wanted to ask about the other night...was that just casual? A one-time thing?" he asked, and I noticed a flicker of his uncertainty reflected in his eyes as if he were treading on fragile ground. "I'm not good with this stuff, honestly," he confessed, prompting an unexpected rush of sympathy from me.

"What did you want it to be?" I dared to press, emboldened by the intimacy of our shared space.

His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering and intense. "You have to answer my question first," he countered, his tone gentle yet insistent, a challenge I was terrified and thrilled to accept.

"I don't know," I admitted, the admission heavy on my tongue. "I keep thinking about it and hoping to find clarity, but I don't know what happens from here. All I know is I want it to keep happening."

My cheeks flushed with vulnerability, and I averted my gaze, half-expecting the weight of my words to shatter the moment. But then, to my surprise, he chuckled softly, the sound warm and inviting, as he reached for my hands in my lap, enveloping them in his larger, reassuring grip. "We'll, figure it out," he said.

I have no self-control; Johnny's hand-holding was simply not enough reassurance for me to quell the wild storm of emotions swirling within.

As the heat of the moment enveloped us, my impulsiveness took over, and before I could think twice, my lips found him in a flurry of desperation and longing. I wanted him so badly, the kind of want that gnawed at my insides and throbbed through my veins, a yearning that transcended mere attraction—it was a primal need, an insatiable desire for connection that I couldn't contain. Each stolen kiss felt electric, igniting every nerve in my body leaving me craving more and more.

But as the fleeting moments of intimacy faded, reality crashed back like a wave, and he pulled away slightly, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes

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But as the fleeting moments of intimacy faded, reality crashed back like a wave, and he pulled away slightly, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "I should go before we get too carried away," he murmured, pressing his lips gently against my forehead, a tender gesture that tugged at my heart.

Panic surged within me, and I instinctively pressed my chin into his chest, the dread of losing this precious moment washing over me. "No, don't go," I pleaded, my voice thick with emotion. "You can stay."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he kissed me again, a sweet confirmation wrapped in mischief. "You don't want me to go?" he teased, his mischievous smile both captivating and infuriating.

"No, I want you to stay," I confessed, laying my heart bare for him to see, the vulnerability hanging between us like a delicate thread.

With that, he smiled, brushing his hands against my back, the warmth of his touch grounding me. "So I'll stay," he agreed, warmth and comfort spreading through me at his words, promising something more, something sweet.

I looked up, our eyes locking, the air thick with unspoken questions. "Did you think we'd be here today when you accepted that role?" I dared to ask, my heart beating wildly in anticipation of his answer.

He smiled knowingly, a spark of mischief dancing in his eyes. "No, but I was hopeful," he replied, his smirk genuine and bright, wrapping me in a cocoon of the possibility that lingered in the space between us.

That admission sparked an ember in my chest, a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, this unforeseen intimacy would bloom into something beautiful amidst the uncertainties of our chaotic lives.

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