Addicted.

Addicted-Chapter twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-four- Habit 

Vivian Wade was in her car, stuck in downtown traffic while going to her office. Her fingers were strumming against the steering wheel as she felt uncharacteristically happy. Maybe it was due to the morning sex she had been regularly receiving for the past two weeks or maybe it was due to the fact that things were going unexpectedly well with James Sinclair.

Or maybe, just maybe Vivian Wade was getting used to this life. That's the thing about habit, it's a scary thing, you give it some time and it alters your reality. Think stockholm syndrome, even the victim gets used to the abductor. It says 21 days to break a habit but it never says how many to get one and 6 months is a long time.

Vivian reprimanded herself for the negative thoughts as she pulled into the parking lot of Manhattan Scientific Inc.

This was Vivian Wade's routine now, going to the office, coming back by evening, practicing kick boxing sometimes, cooking dinner alone or with Sinclair depending on when he was back from wherever he goes and whatever he does and they went to bed together. In Vivian's room.

There was a blissful unawareness surrounding Vivian in all of this. It was like Vivian Wade was in her own bubble sheltered from reality, sometimes making her forget who James Sinclair was, making her think that they were like any other normal people.

And you know that they say, that ignorance is a bliss only Vivian had no idea how dangerous that could prove for her.

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''I don't see you much these days, Vivi,'' Ryder pouted, doing some warm up before starting his regular self-defense session with Vivian.

Vivian gave him the usual exasperated expression, only reserved for him, ''We met two days ago,'' She replied, while doing her own set of warm-up exercise. In the three months that they had been practicing, Vivian was slowly getting the hang of this and she would rather die than admit this to Ryder but she enjoyed her sessions with him.

Habit, her forever pessimistic, inner voice reminded her.

Ryder stopped with his push-ups, while still maintaining his form, he looked at Vivian while she did hers, ''but it's just not the same anymore,'' He replied back.

Vivian sighed, knowing that she would have to stop with her warm-up because Ryder wasn't going to stop with his drama anytime soon, ''how?'' she asked, knowing some kind of bullshit was going to come out of his pretty mouth.

''Well, to start off,'' Ryder started to say as Vivian simultaneously sighed. Great, there was a long list, ''You are smiling a lot more,'' Ryder was unaware of Vivian's glare as he rattled off, ''You are putting an effort on how you look, '' Vivian didn't bother protesting, ''you are glowing and you generally look happier, '' Vivian decided not to pay attention to Ryder anymore, it was pointless anyway. She got up to fetch herself some water.

''You know sex doesn't suddenly just change a person, '' Vivian could hear Ryder, rolling her eyes, knowing it was better to keep her mouth shut right now before it spirals into a detailed discussion about her sex life, ''It's like you are in love,'' Ryder added the final blow, making Vivian choke on the water, spluttering it all over her t-shirt.

Instead of commenting on his scandalous words though, Vivian decided to deflect it, once her coughs had settled down, ''You think it's a bad thing that I am happy?''

Ryder was smiling like the cat who got the canary, seemingly delighted with the response he was able to conjure out of Vivian. Ah, it was so much fun, ''no, no'' he replied, even though his expression said the opposite, ''Its unlike you,'' he started to explain, the smirk still in the place, giving Vivian a horrible horrible feeling about all this, ''And I feel so hurt that you are not sharing the reason behind your happiness.''