“I’m glad someone knows what’s going on,” I grumble.

“I see it from the outside in,” she continues. “Trust me; the two of you are meant to be. Stop being stubborn and let him in.” She pauses. “Between your legs and in your heart.”

I throw a fry at her, but she just catches it and eats it.

“I don’t get how he can have no concerns though. He just seems so sure of everything, and we haven’t even spent much time together since reconnecting.”

“You’re totally overthinking everything,” Summer says. “Listen to me, babe. Dash is a great man. He’s wonderful. And with your history… It’s your call, but to be honest, I don’t think you can turn away. You’re already in too deep, Vi, because, you see, he’s your exception too.”

I cover my face with my hands. “I crave him so badly, even right now.”

“Don’t fight it,” she says, shrugging. “Just go with it. Sometimes, things just work out. There are no dating rules, so just go with your gut instinct. Go with what feels right.”

“Summer, leave the poor girl alone,” Ryan says, walking toward us with a smile. He takes a seat and steals some of Summer’s fries. “Dash knows what he’s doing. He can handle his woman. You don’t need to be advising her.”

“I’ll advise all I want,” she says, poking her tongue out. “She needs to vent, and I’m here for her. I know Dash well, and I know I haven’t seen him look at any woman the way I saw him look at Vi, with yearning and longing bleeding from his pores.”

“Please don’t let him hear you say that,” Ryan groans, shaking his head. “You’re such a hopeless romantic, Sum.”

She messes Ryan’s hair. “Well, look at you and Taiya, for example. You got your second-chance romance. And Vi and Dash need to have theirs.”

Ryan’s expression goes soft at the mention of his wife. “I know, but they need to figure it out by themselves.”

“And on that note, I need to get back to work,” I tell the two of them. “Thanks for lunch, Summer.”

Again, she refuses to let me pay. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you out and I’m paying, and don’t even think of arguing,” I say as I stand up. “Bye, Ryan.”

“Bye, Vi,” both of them say at the same time, leaving me feeling amused.

In the car ride back to work, I make a decision.

I need to be all in or all out with Dash, and I already know what I want.

I’m all in.

I’ve been all in since the first day I met him in those high school hallways.

*****

Dash

Vanessa calls yet again, but I don’t pick up. After talking the breakup through with her Saturday night and all day Sunday, I don’t know what to do to get her to stop calling me and showing up at my house. I fucked up by letting her believe we were anything in the first place. The horrible truth is I was bored and wanted someone to amuse me, and she was there. She’s pretty and she was a safe option, because there’s no way I would have fallen in love with her. We were in no way going to be permanent, and I told her this at the start, so I have no idea why she’s acting like this. I was honest with her and told her I didn’t want anything other than a casual, no-strings relationship, and that this would go no further. She told me she wanted the same, that she wasn’t ready for any type of commitment, which was obviously a lie. This whole thing happened at the worst timing ever, as the one girl I’ve never forgotten came back into my life. I’m not going to lose Viola ever again, so I need to handle Vanessa so she doesn’t cause me any problems.

I wish I never slept with Vanessa in the first place.

My phone rings again, The Weekend playing until she hangs up. She keeps trying to guilt trip me with her tears, like on Sunday, to tell me she needs to talk, but then tries to get me to fuck her instead. I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but I’m more concerned with Viola and her emotional and physical needs. I couldn’t care less about Vanessa and her bullshit. I swirl the scotch in my glass and think about Vi and the time I’ve spent with her.

Fuck.

I smile to myself, just the mere thought of her bringing me happiness.

Vanessa is nothing compared to a woman like Vi.

Vi is just…real.

She’s everything a woman should be.

And I won’t rest until she’s mine in every way a woman can be a man’s.

I can’t let Vanessa stand in the way of my happiness. I know Viola doesn’t like the fact I was with someone when I met her again, and that everything is happening so soon, but sometimes, when it happens, it hits you like a tornado. She needs to realise it’s just us picking up where we left off. I don’t care how many years have passed; to me, Vi is still the same girl who would watch me play basketball, help me look after my sisters, and argue with the teachers because she always had to be right.

She’s mine.

Max once asked me to promise to look after Vi. It was on a weekend that Max was going away with his family, and Vi was staying behind. He cared about her so much; he knew exactly who she was, knew she was someone special. I told him I would, of course, and that he never had to ask, because I cared about her too. He’d slapped my shoulder and told me that if I ever hurt Vi, he’d hunt me down and kill me.

I’d never hurt Vi.

Not intentionally.

Chapter Fourteen

Viola

“My sisters want to see you,” Dash says when I see him next on Friday night, pulling me onto his lap on his couch. “They couldn’t believe I ran into you.”

“I’d love to see them,” I tell him. “Why don’t you bring them here for dinner one time? I’ll show off my cooking skills for everyone.”

“Hopefully they’ve improved since Home Ec,” he says, chuckling at his own joke.

“Excuse me,” I say, poking his chest with my finger. “I was a great partner to have in Home Ec. I did all the theory work, which saved us a shitload of time. We were always one of the first finished.”

“Yeah, because I did all the cooking by myself,” he says, leaning forward and kissing me on the nose. “We were a great team. I was just the better chef.”

I open and close my mouth, because I know he’s right, but at the same time, I want to argue. “We were a great team, yes.”

Dash smirks then kisses my jaw. “You can’t admit I was better than you, can you?”

“Because I don’t see it as being true,” I say, trying to keep a straight face.

“Vi.”

“Yeah, Dash?”

“Kiss me,” he demands, gripping my chin with his thumb and index finger. I kiss him, slowly at first, but then it soon turns hungry and demanding. His phone starts to ring, but we both ignore it, too focused on each other. He pulls back, only to whisper, “I like knowing I was your first kiss.”

“My first everything,” I remind him, kissing down his jawline, his stubble rough on my lips. “I wish I never moved away, to be honest. I never found friends so close again in my new school, and I was only there for a little while anyway.”

“You’re here now,” is all he says, kissing me deeply once more. I move to straddle him, and my hands start roaming over his body. He must work out a lot, because all I feel is hard muscle and soft, smooth skin. I tug on his t-shirt, wanting it off so I can explore more. He takes the hint and pulls it off, placing it next to him on the couch.

“Wow,” I manage to say.

He smiles, giving me the dimples. I fan my hands on his pecs then start to explore with my fingers, tracing his six-pack, and then going even lower, to the top of his indented V. “I don’t think these were here before.”

He smirks and looks at me with heavy-lidded eyes. “Do I get my turn now?”

I pull my top off, surprising him, going by the look on his face. With his gaze on my black and gold lace bra, the one I wore just in case something like this happened, he sinks his teeth into his lower lip and says, “I don’t think those were there before either.”