The Ex

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THEN

Finding myself in front of apartment twenty-one, I knock eagerly on the dark grey door. It swings open and Ethan stands before me with a huge grin on his face. I glimpse his damp hair, light blue jeans, and the black t-shirt that showcase his bulging biceps. He has just enough time to put out his arms as I jump. He laughs as I wrap my arms and legs around him. Bringing my face to his, I finally indulge in the craving I've had all day. The way he pulls me closer and kisses me back with such yearning tells me I wasn't the only one who was waiting for this moment.

Without breaking the kiss, he closes the door and carries me to the sofa. Ethan gracefully takes a seat and adjusts me so I'm straddling him. When we eventually come up for air, I meet his smile with my own.

Ethan wraps his arms around my waist, "I could get used to a greeting like that every day."

"I'm sure we can make some arrangements." I wind my arms around his neck, the need to be as close to him as possible hasn't lessened no matter how much time we spend together.

"I can think of one arrangement that might be beneficial."

"Really? Consider my interest piqued," I say moving his damp hair out of his eyes.

"You could stay here with me," he looks at me intently as I absorb his words. "We'd never have to leave this apartment. We can quit our jobs. You can bake your famous banana cake and we can live off it for the rest of our lives."

"Between me and you, that cake will last all of three minutes. What happens when we run out of food?"

"It doesn't matter, we'll still have each other."

"And what about my things?"

Ethan motions behind me, "the apartment is comfortably furnished and has everything you need."

I turn my attention to our surroundings. Yes, there are the anticipated whiffs of a bachelor pad with a huge TV, dark sofa, and recliner. But the rest of the apartment is surprisingly homey. The modern kitchen is all dark wood, the backsplash and counters are a light grey. The vast windows display the vibrancy of the big city with its bright lights and flurry of mid-week activity.

I turn back to face him, "do you also happen to have any women's clothes and shoes lying around?"

"I can assure you, if you live here you won't be needing any clothes." His crude words are paired with a cheeky wink. I chuckle and slap him playfully on the shoulder. "You can get Sophie to pack your things and have them delivered via UPS," he continues undeterred.

"You've got it all figured out, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," he nods enthusiastically. "Think about it, by moving out you'll be doing Sophie a favor. She can finally have some privacy with Liam."

"That is true."

On the night of our nightmare double date, Liam worked up the courage and admitted to Sophie that it was hard seeing her on a date with someone else. This prompted Sophie to declare that she would have preferred if it was Liam who had asked her out. Since their shared proclamations, they have been inseparable and the happiest I have ever seen them. The presence of the man in front of me confirms that things had worked out perfectly for all of us.

"So is that a yes?" The playful glint in his eyes is replaced with a serious stare.

Pausing, I feel my eyebrows raise in surprise, "you're seriously asking me to move in with you?"

"I'm sorry, were you not listening to my extremely convincing reasons? They involved you being naked and eating banana cake." He says as he counts out each point on a finger of his outstretched hand, "not necessarily in that order."