But now it was Monday and once again she invaded my thoughts. I groaned loudly and yanked the covers from my body. I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, stretching tall until I heard every bone in my stiff body crack to life. Stumbling out of my bedroom and into the guts of my apartment, I made my way into the sprawling kitchen as the promise of coffee made the morning seem a little easier to face. My morning routine was simple; coffee, turning on my iPod, checking my phone, and getting ready to face another day in the office. It worked, it was a ritual, and there was no need to change it.

When I arrived at the office, I took the elevator to the top floor. The silence of the office was disturbing, and it only served to accentuate the pounding of my headache.  I made my way down the dimly lit halls, illuminated by the night lights above. As usual I was the second to arrive for the day. Stopping by my ever appeasing executive assistant’s desk, she looked up and greeted me with a smile that was way too friendly for six thirty in the morning. Why she stuck with me was anyone’s guess.

“How’s my day looking Lauren?” I took a seat on the edge of her desk, handing a steaming hot chocolate to her, as I did every morning. Lauren had been with me from my very first day so our friendship was built on one of trust and understanding and her fiancé had become a good friend who Josh and I would often go to games with. “And why are you here so early?”

“Meeting at ten am with the production team, lunch with Josh, and this afternoon you should be receiving the final contracts for your meeting on Thursday.” She smiled brightly and then took a sip of her hot chocolate before saying. “And I am here because you have a shitload of work coming up so someone has to keep you in line. I don’t get paid the big bucks for nothing you know. ”

“You are too good to me Lauren.” I laughed at the brutal honesty of my assistant. “I’m going to go and lock myself away for the day. Come and get me if you need anything and tell me as soon as those contracts arrive.”

“Will do.”

I left Lauren tapping away at her computer and slipped into my office. Monday morning blues were hitting me at an alarming rate and my motivation to work was running for the hills and taking my fucked-up brain with it. I collapsed into my chair with an oomph. and opened my emails, scanning for anything urgent, but I was drawn to Facebook and before I could control what I was typing into the search bar, Eden Rivers’ profile was glaring back at me.

What I had chosen to omit on Friday night was that I already knew her, and I sure as hell knew her name wasn’t Kellie fucking Carter. Fuck that pissed me off. Eden Rivers had been on my radar for longer than most people realized and it took everything that I was not to call her out on it but I also knew that she would possibly freak the fuck out and I didn’t want that.

I leaned back in my chair and looked out over the city. How was I going to explain this to her? The fact that she was in the city was partially my doing, however she wasn’t meant to be here yet. As far as I knew she was arriving on Wednesday. The realization that this was going to get messy set in, but there was no way I could back down now, not after she barreled herself into my life.

I clicked on the glowing X and Facebook disappeared before me.

Before I knew it morning turned into afternoon and afternoon into night. This was my life. Anderson Publications. I spent way too much time in this exact position; sitting in my obnoxiously large chair behind my way too conceited desk in my expansive office. I was a workaholic, and I would be the first to admit it. The buzz of an incoming text vibrated on my desk, and I smiled as I saw Ashlyn’s name flash before me.

Ashlyn: Let’s grab dinner. I want to get pizza at Joey’s.

I looked at my watch and the thought of digging into a pizza made my stomach roar to life.

Ky: I’ll meet you there at eight.

Ashlyn: Look at us two leaving work before midnight.

Ky: What is becoming of us?

An hour later I walked through the doors of Joey’s and I was greeted with loud chatter and the saliva inducing smell of fresh pizza and garlic. I scanned the room, finally spotting Ashlyn sitting in a booth in the far corner tapping away on her phone, no doubt working as she waited. Ashlyn looked up when I reached the table and greeted me with a killer watt smile which I returned before kissing her on the cheek and sliding in the booth opposite her.

“I didn’t think you’d show,” she teased, turning over her phone as to not be interrupted.

“What and leave you desperate and dateless? Please. I am a gentleman.”

“Well that’s true; your gentleman qualities were on full display Friday night,” she taunted with a wink.

So, we are getting straight to it.

I rolled my eyes as my back stiffened. This was a conversation I did not wish to have in the middle of a restaurant. I grabbed for the menu, but it was ripped from my fingertips. I looked up to be greeted by Ashlyn smirking across from me. “Seriously Ash, I just got here. Are we really going to do this now?”

She leaned over the table, dropping her voice. “What was Friday night all about?”

I narrowed my eyes and knew this conversation was going to happen right here, right now. We were equally stubborn, like two bulls locking horns, and I knew neither of us would back down. The arguments the two of us had were explosive and unpredictable—they often led to days of no contact—but it was critical to the structure of what our relationship was made of. It was what allowed our friendship to work. We tested each other constantly, and we refused to accept each other’s bullshit. To be honest, it was a breath of fresh air.

Through clenched teeth, I glared at her, throwing every ounce of my frustration her way. I was hungry, irritated, and tired. Fuck it! I would give in to her banter…Just this once.

“I had to do something. He is a fucking asshole.” The thought of Chris touching Eden made my hands fist on the table. A reaction Ashlyn didn’t miss.

“So you had to beat your chest like a caveman and go and save the girl?”

“Ashlyn, you know why I did what I did. I couldn’t just stand there and—” I swallowed hard as anger roared to life within me, and I had to take back control. “Can we just order a damn pizza and talk about something else?”

“Don’t go back there Ky. Nothing was ever your fault and you need to stop living with this whole hero mentality. It’s fucking with your head.” She grabbed my hand from across the table and squeezed it tightly.

“Pepperoni or mushroom?” I growled, shooting her a warning look. This conversation was over.

With a huff, Ashlyn let go of my hand and crossed her arms over her chest. Our stormy eyes battled each other. The woman sitting opposite me knew me better than I knew myself. She knew everything about me, and that frightened the living shit out of me. She knew every piece of my jagged puzzle, every reason why I was what she lovingly called a ‘no’ guy. More importantly, yet most frightening, was that she knew things that could bring everything unglued. Was I afraid she would divulge the information she had on me? No. Was I afraid that I would do something to fuck everything up? Absolutely.

Once we placed our order, we called a truce and talked about our day.  I listened as Ashlyn divulged secrets of the latest up-and-coming pop star that she had been hired to style, and she listened as I discussed the upcoming cover shoot and special featuring some of the most exciting bands in the US.

“Shit,” Ashlyn suddenly mumbled, her eyes darting toward the door. I shifted in my seat, glancing over my shoulder and almost choked on my soda. Eden casually walked into the restaurant, her chocolate brown hair falling down her back under a cream beanie. Her laughter was the only thing I heard. Her arm was linked with Tori’s as they made their way toward the counter. I was totally engrossed. Her eyes scanned around the restaurant, and the moment our eyes connected, the faintest of smiles filtered over her perfectly pink pout.