Nicolas

There's a string of knocks at my door. Before I can even think to beckon them inside, the door opens and Jake appears.

"Are you busy?" His mouth is curved, "I was thinking about taking a stroll outside. Need some fresh air while the weather is so nice. That, and I'd like to have a word with you. Possibly somewhere private that isn't here."

Setting my pen down, I'm hardly pulling away from his offer. "Hasn't Rhett told you to stop leaving the building during work hours? If I say yes, you'll get us both in hot water."

I'm surprised when his smile slips, a rarity. He shifts as he leans against the frame. Shoving his hands in his pockets, his lips purse together in a firm line. "It's about Eloise."

The way my body immediately straightens at the mention of the woman's name, it's enough to get a soft laugh from him. There's no point in trying to hide how she affects me, the result is instant. Without a second thought, I'm standing.

"I told Lucy not to send anyone your way for thirty minutes." He lifts off of the doorframe and guides me out of my office. "Already looked at your schedule. I figured you'd be fine."

I don't care about missing anything. The thought of something being wrong is what's occupying my mind.

Is Eloise already packing up shop? Did one of her customers cause her a problem? As each second passes, it's nothing but more time for me to worry about what the issue is.

Spotting my concerns from a mile away, he thumps my shoulder with his hand as we walk. "Calm down. Nothing is wrong with her. This is more about us. She's just a bit involved."

Being as mysterious as he can be, I eye Rhett's dim office. He's not inside. Is he busy with a meeting, or is he roaming around looking for trouble? Deep down, I feel like I know exactly where he is.

Taking the elevator down to the lobby floor, we don't linger about for long.

However, just as I expect, Rhett is here as well. He's the only one standing in front of the small bakery. Probably scaring off any potential customers. Talking directly to Eloise, I know there's no need to worry about getting caught by the man. He's fully distracted.

Making our way out of the building, I let Jake lead the way. I'm sure whatever he has to tell me, he thinks we need to make some distance away from anyone who recognizes us.

"Something happened." He lets out a sigh as we hit a crosswalk. "Between Eloise and I. Despite having an idea of your relationship with her, I couldn't help myself. She's just so…"

"Incredible?" Frowning ahead, I watch the glow of the red hand turn into the white figure signaling us to walk.

I should've known better. With how much time they've spent together, there was only so much time before Jake would realize how special Eloise is.

"This was not needed." Feeling the heat of the summer air against the back of my neck, we move across the street. "I may be crazy about her, but I'm not unstable."

There is no denying the jealousy nipping in my gut. Jealous that he got a taste of her before I could.

"I want her to choose who she wants. Who am I to stop her from finding happiness? To think I would have to worry about Rhett and now you."

Jake barks a laugh despite the seriousness of this conversation. "Rhett? Who said anything about that guy? There is no way."

"He's not trying to be obvious about it, but he's spending less and less time in his office. Hell, he's taken his lunch out every day this week. I don't consider that a coincidence. Not when I've found him lingering in the lobby." Ever since Eloise appeared, I've had these two locked down in the back of my mind. I never wanted to see them as competition, not from the start.

They're my friends and have been through all of these years. I can't simply start to dislike them because Eloise might want them too.

"It's not a competition," I tell him with a growing frown. "So don't think you can take her simply because you want to beat us."

He's smirking now, making it worse by shrugging. "Whatever you say."

Grunting, I decide to grab a cool drink while he tells me about this shared moment of theirs. Now that he knows I'm not going to suddenly attack him, he has no issue with putting in the fine details.

"I'd much rather hear about her pleasure than yours," I groan when he starts talking about how he had to beat his cock to her since she ran off on him.

If she didn't fall for his charm and go with him, then I think I still stand a chance. I'm not ready to give up just yet.

I've lost count of how many times I check my watch. Thirty minutes early, A bit eager to say the slightest. What can I say, I am eager.

Now that I know about her and Jake's relationship, will she still want to meet me like this? I've yet to receive a last-minute cancellation on her part. I haven't had the chance to pull her into a conversation since I spoke with Jake.

Sitting in the car garage, I give myself five minutes to relax before I abandon the car. Even if I'm early, the setting of the cafe will be the distraction I so desperately need.

The place I picked is normally more packed in the mornings. With a line out the door during the early hours, there's no denying how good their brew is. Shame Jake didn't strike a deal with this company over the other coffee shop.

When I head in, there's hardly a line. A few of the tables inside are occupied by college students. Most of them are tapping away at their laptops. Others are cradling their cups as they read the books in front of them. None of them are giving me even a passing glance, lost in their own world. At this hour, the cafe is pretty quiet for the most part.

At the table in the corner of the room, Eloise already sits. Surprised to see her so soon, I make a close call of looking like a fool by tripping over my feet.

She's already cradling a cup of coffee. Her thumb brushes the styrofoam as she stares out at traffic. Those green eyes are clouded over from being deep in thought. A few strands of her blonde hair cling to her cheeks, looking freshly washed. The blue sundress she's wearing is an upgrade to her normal shirt and apron I see her in. Did she think about me when she put together her appearance? The outfit doesn't change how I feel about her in the slightest.

Remembering that I can't simply block the entrance, I approach the patient barista waiting for me to place my order. Going with my usual, I throw on a few cookies. Something to keep my hands busy. Otherwise, I'll get an itch to touch her while we talk.

Waiting for my order, I throw a look in her direction to see if I've been noticed . From the looks of it, Eloise is still lost. What thoughts are clouding her mind? At the call of my name, she jerks and looks over at me. Offering her a small smile, I head in her direction.

"You're early." Eyes lifting, she straightens. Shifting her hands to her lap, I can't help but think she looks nervous. It's just me. She does not need to worry about anything.

"So are you." Chuckling, I take a seat across from her. As soon as I'm relaxed, I feel her stare as she takes me in. "Looks like we both stopped at home to get ready. You look lovely."

The dress shirts and ties are suffocating. When I'm out in public and not worried about keeping up any sort of image, I have no issue dressing down. A simple shirt and torn jeans go a long way when it comes to making her see me like she used to.

Her cheeks grow flushed at my compliment as she tucks a loose strand behind her ear. "You never minded the smell of sugar. I figured the people here would be bothered."

Fuck everyone else. She might not realize it, but she doesn't have to have frosting coating her skin to carry around that sweetness. The way it clings to her, no amount of scrubbing will take it away. She's sweet down to her core.

"Tell me about your day. In the least boss-way possible, how is the bakery doing?" While I don't want to make this feel like a meeting between her and her superior, there's no denying the way she brightens at every chance to talk about her passions. Even now, her lips are curving into a smile as she leans forward.

There are plenty of conversation topics I can start up to draw out this little coffee date of ours. Some more than others. I'm curious to see how she feels about the other two men, but I don't want to ruin the start of what we have going on here.

She starts by talking about sales. Babbling about how she's making more in a day at her current place than what she made in a week at that small town, her smile grows more and more. When a giggle passes her lips, it hits me hard in the chest.

"What about you, though? I mean, look at you, Nic. I'm sure you have plenty of exciting stories to tell at the position you are in." Taking me in, she even snorts. "I expected you to stroll in here with a suit and tie. I wouldn't have guessed you still owned a shirt like this."

Loving the way she's taking me in, a chuckle rumbles out at me from her curiosities.

"My life is hardly exciting. When Jake isn't giving me gray hair and Rhett doesn't want me to stay over late, I spend most of my time at home. Pretty boring. Same as always."

The corners of her eyes crinkle behind the next sip of her coffee. "You were never boring."

Well, that's a compliment if I've ever heard one. Here I am, smiling like a fool.

Eloise watches me consume half a cookie. Her lips part and it looks like she's fighting the urge to ask for a bite.

"Would you like one?" I offer as I'm already pushing a chocolate chip cookie in her direction. "You were always the biggest fan of chocolate."

Looking down at my offering, she chews on her lip. "I shouldn't."

She's not worried about her image, is she? If she needs any sort of confidence booster, I can happily tell her that her body is perfect. Her curves are always a distraction no matter what she's wearing. Hell, I'm constantly looking whenever I get the chance.

"They're delicious," I promise as I sink my teeth in for another bite. "Of course, they don't stand close to the ones you sell."

Snorting, she lifts her gaze as she shakes her head. "I shouldn't. I quit eating sweets ages ago."

Surprised by her words, I remember back to when we were younger and she used to love anything with sugar. Down to the point where it would…

"Oh. Don't tell me you still have that little problem of yours." I fight the urge to snort, especially when she flushes deeper.

Good to see Eloise hasn't changed at all. I used to tease her all the time when we were a couple whenever I wasn't taking advantage of her weakness.

"Please don't bring it up," she groans with a shake of her head. "I hoped you'd forgotten."

Maybe over the surface of my memory, sure. Deep down, there's no way in hell I'd forget the fact that sweet desserts arouse her. Never in my life have I met another person who loved something to the point where they got turned on by consuming it even in the smallest quantity.

It might be cruel of me to do so, but I can't help it. I push the other half of the cookie in her direction. Old habits die hard and right now, I wouldn't mind reliving a moment of our past.

Hissing my name under her breath, she looks around like I'm trying to expose her dirty little secret. I don't think I'd want any of these strangers to know about this weakness of hers.

Rhett and Jake don't have a clue about this. I have the upper hand here.

Eloise looks down at the cookie and sighs. "It's been a long time. I doubt it's even a problem at this point. Here, just to prove it to you."

Always a stubborn woman, one who enjoys being right. I watch her pluck up the other half and consume it in no more than two bites. Motioning that she's completely fine, she slouches and drinks from her coffee. If she was always this confident, I doubt she'd drink it black.

"Well, I got a few of them. Since you're clearly fine, have at it. There's a peanut butter one too. I remember how much you like that kind as well." When she shoots a frown in my direction, I snort.

"When you mentioned catching up, this is not what I thought you meant." Taking in the different cookies, she chews on her lip. Like the addict she is, she hesitates. One swipe of her tongue to catch the crumb on the corner of her mouth makes it hard to focus.

I suppose we are meant to be reminiscing over the old days. All these years, there's plenty to tell on my part. She doesn't have a clue that I've kept up with her. I should change that.

When she swipes another cookie, another chuckle rumbles out of me.

"The truth is, I just wanted to see you, Eloise. Not behind some counter, but like this. Not from a distance. I've always watched you from afar." Realizing how bad that sounds, I grimace. "I've never forgotten about you. I don't know if Jake brought you here to help me, or to make life difficult, but he's done some damage."

Her brows lift in surprise as she's chewing. Slowing to a stop, my words register.

Of course, she's surprised.

Would she believe me if I told her I hadn't looked at another woman since we parted ways? Despite Jake's efforts, I've never even considered moving on. Before, I was satisfied with keeping up with her through a screen. Now, I can't say the same.

Reaching across the table, I squeeze her free hand. "I missed you. And while I know about your relationship with Jake, I don't care. I'm going to shoot my shot here and be completely honest with you."

Inhaling sharply, her eyes never leave mine. Unblinking, she doesn't move.

"Eloise, I want you."