Distorted.

"I"m leaving for the day, Aly. I have a dinner engagement to go to tonight. I"ll see you tomorrow," he said as he strode out, never looking back.

I stood there stunned. What had happened? Why the complete change?

Refusing to cry, again, I walked out of the office and straight to my car. I didn"t even want to see Ethan at that moment. I just wanted to go home, dive into my Ben and Jerry"s, and veg on my couch. This whole getting over Paul idea wasn"t working very well.

I got home and immediately changed into my sweats and a t-shirt. I tossed my hair up into a haphazard bun, skipped dinner, and went straight for the ice cream. Today didn"t go so great, which made me, dread the rest of the week. The fact that Paul pretty much ignored me after lunch was what I"d been hoping for, so why was I so upset?

Suddenly feeling ridiculous for wallowing in self-pity over Paul"s behavior, I tossed my spoon in the sink and put the ice cream away. Pouring a gla.s.s of wine, I made some spaghetti and a small salad. It felt good to finally eat more than a few bites of food and the alcohol began soothing my nerves. My iPod started playing one of my favorite playlists and I couldn"t help swaying to the beat when Taylor Swifts "Red" came on. As she started singing the chorus, I couldn"t resist and found myself belting out the words along with her, at the top of my lungs. Being so caught up in my singing, I screamed when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Ethan doubled over at the waist, laughing.

"Ethan!" I yelled, crossing my arms.

He stood and walked toward me. I didn"t move away, but I did start tapping my foot, waiting for him to say something. When he reached me, I raised an eyebrow at his goofy smile. I found my anger starting to evaporate at his silly expression.

"Aw Aly, I knocked a few times, but you never came. I knew you were here because I could hear you singing so I tried the doork.n.o.b and it was open. You must be more careful and have your doors locked at all times. You"re lucky I"m not a creep coming to take advantage of you, or trying to steal your iPod," he said, teasing me.

I swatted him on the arm then turned away to walk back in the kitchen. Before I got very far, he grabbed me around my waist and lifted me off the ground. I squealed in surprise and started laughing.

"Where do you think you"re going?" he asked, nuzzling my neck as he set me back down. He felt so good, so right. I never felt anxious or uneasy around him, even now, after we"d changed the course of our relationship. At that moment, I was wondering why I was even debating about Paul, why I still had feelings for him when Ethan"s arms were around me and he was kissing my neck.

I started giggling when he found my ticklish spot and he raised his head, his eyebrow lifted. "Hmm, have I discovered a sensitive place here?" he asked as he went back to it and started sucking. I howled with laughter, trying to get away from him, but he held tight. I beat my fists on his back, the torture more than I could handle.

"Stop!" I said, barely able to get it out.

He finally lifted his head and released me. I collapsed onto the couch, taking deep breaths. He followed me over, lifting me onto his lap.

"Oh Aly, you make me laugh," he said as he stroked his fingers through my hair. I languished in his touch, enjoying its relaxing affect. I could hear his heartbeat racing from our tickling episode and I started to run my fingers through the back of his hair. I heard his breath hitch and I smiled, loving the affect I had on him.

We stayed like that for a while, but were interrupted by his growling stomach. I burst out laughing and lifted my head to look in his eyes. "Is someone hungry?" I teased.

He grinned. "Well, maybe. I admit I haven"t had anything to eat yet. Have you?"

I nodded. "I"d just finished eating when I got that bit of energy and started dancing. I have some spaghetti leftover if you want some."

He nodded and tossed me off his lap. "h.e.l.l yeah, I want some," he laughed, looking back at my startled face. I jokingly flipped him the bird and stood to get his spaghetti. He followed me to the kitchen and perched on a barstool. He rested his chin in his hands as he watched me reheat his food and set out his plate.

"You"re beautiful, you know that?" he asked.

I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. He was just sitting there, casually watching me with the sweetest look on his face. My heart lurched and I was frozen.

His brows drew together. "I mean it," he said.

I gave him a small smile. "Thank you," I said quietly as I got his food out of the microwave. I put it on his plate and handed him a beer from the fridge. He smiled at me as he twisted up a mouthful on his fork and dove in.

I leaned on the counter, drinking another gla.s.s of wine, and watching him eat. He popped the cap off of his beer and took a long drink. He set the bottle down with a big, "Ahh," and gave me a silly grin.

"Ethan, what did I do to deserve you?" I asked, suddenly very serious.

He stopped mid-chew and looked at me. "What brought that on?"

I sighed and set down my wine gla.s.s. "I don"t know. I just see you here, with me, being so cute, and I wonder. I mean, you know I"ve been in love with Paul for years, yet you never wavered, you stayed with me. And even now, when we"ve developed more to our relationship and I haven"t been able to give you any promises, you"re still here."

He set his fork down and shoved off his stool, walking around the bar to come next to me. He grabbed my hips and pulled me to him, wrapping me in his arms. He kissed the top of my head, rubbing my back.

"Aly, you know better than that. I am here to stay, no matter what you decide. If you ultimately decide Paul is the man for you, or anyone else for that matter, I can"t say it won"t kill me, but I"ll always love you. We were friends first and we will be friends last, no matter what."

I started crying at that. It was too much. He was too good for me. It was easier when we were just friends, but I knew that line had been crossed and I didn"t regret it. I did want him, I knew I loved him, but I couldn"t commit to anything because I still loved Paul. When did this mess happen?

"Shh, don"t cry, sweetie," he whispered in my hair. "I will never lie to you and I will always be honest with my feelings. I"d rather have you in my life no matter what, then lose you because you didn"t choose me."

I couldn"t stop sobbing. I was such a mess lately and his words were so sweet. I loved hearing them, but I felt so unworthy. I should tell him to let me go, but I couldn"t. I needed him too much.

I lifted my head from his shoulder and stared into his eyes. He looked pained when he saw me. I felt him wipe tears from my cheeks with his thumbs, then he leaned over and kissed the rest away. He continued across my nose to my other cheek, still holding onto my hips. I closed my eyes and reveled in the comfort he was giving me. I tried to imagine Paul doing this and I couldn"t. Plus, it wasn"t the time to be thinking of Paul. I had Ethan here, and at that moment, he was all I needed.

When Ethan"s mouth met mine, it made me feel everything I needed to at that moment. He kissed me with comfort, showing me he meant what he said. When his tongue slid along my lips, I opened my mouth for him. He was gentle in his a.s.sault, taking my lower lip in his mouth and sucking on it. I moaned at the feel of it and pushed him closer to me. His hands went from my hips to my shoulders, as he turned his head and deepened the kiss.

Something in the air changed between us and we started getting ravenous. He crushed me to his chest, running his hands in my hair. My makeshift bun came out and I felt the elastic hit my arm on its way to the floor. He moaned into my mouth as he brought his hands around to the sides of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I tensed with antic.i.p.ation, hoping he"d continue moving forward. He rubbed his hands up and down my sides as his tongue swirled in my mouth.

His hands finally started inching towards where I needed them the most, when there was a knock on the door. I groaned loudly and Ethan lifted his head from mine. We looked at each other and sighed. The knock sounded again, so I went to answer it.

"There you are, dear," my mother said as she breezed into my apartment. She was carrying grocery sacks and marched right to my kitchen. I shut the door and shrugged my shoulders at Ethan, following her.

She"d sat the bags on the counter and was putting things away. "I hope you don"t mind, but I took the liberty of buying you some groceries. I know you have been swamped at work and you"ve seemed a little off to me lately so I wanted to help in some way. I know my girl and what her favorite foods are, so here you go." She turned her head to smile at me.

Ethan had followed me to the kitchen and stood by me at the bar. He chuckled at my mom as he winked at me. It was then my mom noticed he was there.

"Ethan! I didn"t see you. I"m sorry. How are you, dear?" she asked as she stood and walked over to him, taking him into a hug. He returned her hug, laughing.

"I"m doing great, Mrs. Chase. Never better, actually," he responded looking at me over her shoulders and giving me another wink. I blushed a little, getting his meaning, and averted my head. That just made him laugh a little harder.

My mother released him from her hug and looked into his face. "Well that"s good to hear. I"m so glad to see you. It"s been too long."

"I know and I apologize," he said, lightly kissing her cheek.

"Well when can Mr. Chase and I expect another visit? You too, Aly?" she said, turning her head to look at me.

"Uh..."

Ethan smiled at me. "I"m free this Sunday. Does that work for you? You as well, Aly?"

I nodded and my mother clapped her hands. "Yes, that works great for us. I"m so thrilled! Come out to the house at five o"clock. Will that work?"

"Yes," Ethan and I said at the same time.

"Wonderful. Well I hate to rush out, but I"m meeting your father for a late dinner so I need to go." She grabbed her purse off of the counter and dashed over to me, kissing me on my cheek, before heading for the door.

I followed her over. "Well, thanks, Mom. I uh, appreciate the groceries, but you really didn"t have to do that."

She patted my cheek. "I know, but I wanted to. You"ll always be my little girl." She took me in a hug and whispered in my ear, "When are you and Ethan going to finally be a couple?" before she opened the door and left, leaving me stunned.

Ethan came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I"ve wondered the same thing," he whispered in my ear, playfully biting it.

Electricity raced through me as I stood there, and I leaned back on him. "How did you hear her?" I asked in a whisper.

"Well, she didn"t whisper too quietly. I think she wanted me to hear," he chuckled, turning me around to face him. "I won"t ever pressure you, Aly, but I want nothing more than to be with you."

I traced my hand along his cheek, and saw the love burning in his hazel eyes. I had no doubt he meant what he said and I was upset with myself for not being able to give him what he wanted, yet. When I was around him, the electricity was so intense, so magnetic. I owed it to myself to figure out who exactly it was I wanted. The problem was, how long would that take?

The next day Paul continued to be standoffish with me, and while I hated to admit it, it bothered me. Before everything had happened, we were friends, and always got along well. I knew that was lost after the incident, but I was hopeful we"d still at least be able to work together. I told myself I was overreacting and to continue being myself, doing a good job at work.

I knew we had to prepare for our meeting with Mr. Halliday. We needed to be united, know exactly what the other was going to say. I was still just as pa.s.sionate about getting Sean to change his mind and helping out his children. I prayed he would put his pride aside and see the many benefits of having a brand new home.

It was just after eleven when Paul came out of his office. I was working on the new house plans we had designed for the Hidden Creek project and didn"t hear him approach. I jumped a bit when I heard him say my name. I turned to face him, still dying inside at the sight of him, but I did my best to stay neutral.

"What time is that meeting with Mr. Halliday on Friday?" he asked, no emotion in his voice.

"Ten o"clock," I answered.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. I hope we can keep it short and to the point. I"ve had something come up, but I will put it off as long as I can."

I sat there, not knowing what he expected me to say. He has known about the meeting for a while and knows how important it is. I felt angry, but wasn"t up for an argument.

"Well, whatever you feel is best, Paul," I said, turning around to face the computer again.

I heard him sigh. "Aly, I will be at the meeting. I"m just saying I need to attend to something immediately after is all."

I didn"t turn around when I answered. "And all I said was whatever you think is best."

"Then why do I sense you"re upset?"

I paused my typing. "I"m frustrated."

He came closer, but kept his hands in his pockets. "Why?"

I twirled my chair around. "Why? Because you"ve known how important it is for me to meet with Mr. Halliday. I offered to drive to Brewerton to talk with him, to which you insisted on coming with me. The plans changed to meet here and you wanted to be here. Now you"re acting like it"s a nuisance so yeah, it frustrates me." I didn"t look away when I was done. I just sat there, keeping my eyes right on his. He took a hand out of his pocket and ran it down his face, obviously frustrated.

"Aly," he said quietly. "That"s not it at all. I am just trying to fit everything in. I know it"s important to you to meet with Mr. Halliday and I will be there. I just wanted to make sure of the time, okay?"

Sure, Paul, I thought. "Okay."

He started to say something, then stopped. I raised a brow, but he just turned and walked back into his office. I shook my head, not understanding these games he"d suddenly started playing.

I had just finished looking over the plans and revising a few things when I heard a familiar voice.

"Aly Chase! There you are, girl!"

I looked up to see one of my old college friends, Missy Laughlin, standing at the door to my office. I screamed then stood up and ran to her. She met me halfway and we grabbed each other in a hug.

"What are you doing here?" I cried.

"I"m in town for a few days and wanted to surprise you. I think I succeeded?" she asked with a laugh.

"You sure did. Come in and sit down. I"m so happy to see you," I said, dragging her toward the chair by my desk.

We"d just sat down when Paul came out. Missy"s eyes widened in awe and I shook my head. Was there any woman on earth who wasn"t affected by Paul"s beauty?

"Is everything all right out here?" he asked, his green eyes smiling. He then saw Missy and I saw the curiosity appear in his eyes. Jealousy spurted inside which I quickly squelched. I was not willing to go down that path. I noticed what Missy was wearing and it definitely highlighted her in all the right places. Her olive green dress was tight around her chest and ended at mid-thigh. Her auburn hair cascaded down to the middle of her back in light waves. Her light blue eyes were highlighted well with her mascara and eyeliner. She was always gorgeous and never failed to gain the attention of the opposite s.e.x.

"Yes, everything"s fine," I answered. "Paul, this is Missy Laughlin, my college roommate. She just came into town and surprised me. That"s the screaming you heard."

Paul walked over to stand in front of Missy, extending his hand out. "It"s very nice to meet you, Ms. Laughlin, I"ve heard a lot about you," he told her in his deep voice. My insides tightened when she placed her hand in his and he leaned down to kiss it.

Missy stammered. "Uh, thank you. It"s nice to meet you too."

Paul smiled, obviously enjoying the affect he had on her. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat. He looked over to me.

"I think Missy and I will go to lunch now, if you don"t need me for a bit," I told him.

"Oh, of course. Take your time," he said, looking back to Missy.

"You"re welcome to join us," Missy said to him. My eyes widened in shock and I started to shake my head, then stopped when Paul looked at me.

"Uh, are you sure? I wouldn"t want to interrupt your reunion," he said, looking between Missy and me.

"Of course not," Missy piped up, even though she"d seen my reaction. I scowled at her and she just smiled. I was not surprised of course, as this is how she"d always been, but I didn"t want to deal with Paul at lunch, especially when he suddenly seemed to be all over my friend.

"Aly?" he asked.

I sighed. "It"s fine."

He quirked an eyebrow at me, but didn"t comment on my reply. "Great, it"s settled then," he said. "Let me just run to my office and grab my keys, then we"ll head out."

As soon as he was out of earshot, I hissed at Missy. "Why did you do that?"

She feigned surprise. "What?"

"Don"t give me that. You"ve barely been here two minutes and you invite my boss to lunch with us, even when you saw me clearly shaking my head no."

She chuckled. "Oh, Aly. He is hot and when have you ever known me to turn away from that? Speaking of hot, how"s Ethan doing?"

Ethan! Of course, thank goodness. I"d just run over to his office quick and ask him to come to lunch with us.

"Ethan is doing great. He works here too. I should run over to his office and see if he can join us for lunch."

"Ooh, that would be fantastic," Missy exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. I excused myself, telling her I"d be right back.

I rushed to Ethan"s office and was annoyed to see he wasn"t there. I asked his secretary where he was and she told me he"d run out to an impromptu lunch meeting with some of the construction crew. Thanking her, I walked back to my office, sad I had to have lunch without him beside me.

When I got back to my office, Paul and Missy were chatting easily, Missy laughing and tilting her head in a flirty gesture. I rolled my eyes as I walked toward them. They didn"t even notice me, so I cleared my throat. They both turned and Paul winked at me.