Chapter 7
1248 Words
They walked out of the restaurant side by side, the late‑morning air warm against Emily’s skin. Brody guided her gently toward the waiting car, one hand hovering at the small of her back without quite touching—close enough to be felt, restrained enough to be deliberate.
As always, he stepped ahead of her, opening the door and holding it patiently.
“Thank you,” Emily said, slipping inside.
Brody followed, the door closing softly behind them. The car pulled away from the curb, gliding smoothly back into the city streets. For a moment, neither spoke.
Brody broke the silence first.
“Emily,” he said, turning toward her. “I really enjoy your company.” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Can’t we at least be friends?”
She looked at him then—really looked at him. Not the billionaire. Not the CEO. Just the man beside her who had listened, waited, and never pushed.
She smiled kindly. “I would really like that, Mr. Thornton.”
He chuckled under his breath. “Brody,” he reminded her. “Friends use first names.”
She exhaled, a quiet release of tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Brody.”
A comfortable silence followed, broken only by the hum of the road beneath them. Emily watched the city pass by the window, then turned back to him.
“Can I ask you something?”
Brody looking directly at her “Anything.”
“What made you go to the bar last night?”
The question clearly surprised him. Brody blinked once, then smiled faintly, thoughtful.
“I had a bad day,” he admitted after a moment. “One of those days where nothing goes right.” He glanced at her. “I saw you and your friends laughing, having a good time, and I thought… that looks like something I could use.”
Emily nodded, satisfied. “I’m glad we met.”
“So am I,” Brody said, the smile on his face broad and genuine.
The car slowed as they reached her apartment building. Brody stepped out first, rounding the car and opening her door, holding out his hand once again.
Emily took it.
As she climbed out, her pulse quickened at the simple contact, the way his hand lingered just a second longer than necessary before letting go.
“Thank you for your company,” Brody said softly.
He leaned in, and Emily’s heart raced—but instead of her lips, he turned his head slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
“Have a restful day, love.”
Emily’s breath caught. She nodded, words momentarily beyond reach.
“You too,” she managed.
She walked into the building, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. Once inside her apartment, she leaned back against the door, exhaling a shaky breath.
Friends.
Professional.
She pulled out her phone, fingers already moving.
Group chat activated.
Emily collapsed onto her couch, heart still racing, and unlocked her phone. After one deep breath, she opened the group chat.
Emily: Okay guys… remember the guy from the bar?
Almost instantly, the responses came flooding in.
Lola: The walking s*x machine? How could we forget??
Emily laughed out loud.
Kimberly: Yeah. Brody.
Janet: Didn’t he stay with you until your Uber arrived?
Eric: You guys. Seriously?
Emily swallowed, fingers hovering for a moment before she typed.
Emily: Okay, so I’m not sure where to begin, so my first thoughts are just going to come out. Brody is our CEO. I drunk‑texted him “sexy.” And we went out for breakfast.
The typing bubbles exploded.
Lola: WAIT. Breakfast?? Did he spend the night with you??
Janet: What do you mean he is our CEO??
Kimberly: OUR CEO??? OMG did you guys hook up??
Eric: Tell me we didn’t make fools of ourselves in front of the CEO. And did he spend the night with you? Also—why would you do breakfast with him knowing he’s our CEO? That’s playing with fire.
Lola: Did you SEE the guy? He is literally a sin to look at.
Emily shook her head, smiling as she typed back.
Emily: No, I did NOT sleep with him. We exchanged numbers, and he called me this morning to take me out for breakfast. I didn’t know who he was until the host said his name—that’s how I found out.
She paused, then added more honestly than she’d planned.
Emily: The funny thing is… I really like him. I told him we should stay professional, and he said he wants to be friends. Guys, he’s the CEO—how could I say no? Plus… I really didn’t want to.
A beat.
Then:
Kimberly: Wow. You’re in love.
Lola: I say enjoy it.
Eric: He’s your boss. That’s dangerous.
Janet: If he’s into you and you’re into him, then see how it goes—as friends.
Lola: Agree.
Kimberly: Agree.
Eric: Don’t agree.
Lola: Eric, you don’t agree because you’re jealous Emily found herself a catch.
Eric: Whatever.
Emily smiled to herself, shaking her head as she typed.
Emily: Okay guys, we’ll talk later.
Almost instantly, reactions filled the screen—👍👍👍👍
Emily set her phone down, still smiling, her thoughts drifting back to Brody. CEO. Friend. Complication.
She stared at the ceiling, heart fluttering all over again.
The rest of her day passed in a quiet blur, filled with small tasks she barely remembered completing. Emily moved through her apartment on autopilot, tidying up, making tea she forgot to drink, sitting down only to stand again moments later.
No matter what she did, her thoughts kept circling back to Brody.
The way he looked at her—steady, attentive, as if she was the only thing in the room worth focusing on. That smile of his, effortless and devastating, the kind that made her feel seen rather than admired. And the way he’d asked her to stay, not romantically, not insistently—just a simple friends, spoken like he wasn’t ready to lose her so quickly.
That part stayed with her most.
She found herself wondering where he worked in the building. What floor. What his office looked like. If he ever passed through the same hallways she did, unnoticed, just another man in a suit among hundreds of others. Had they crossed paths before without realizing it? Had she ever walked past him carrying coffee, rushing to a meeting, completely unaware?
The thought sent a small shiver through her.
Emily shook her head, trying to ground herself. This is dangerous territory, she reminded herself. CEO or not, he was still her boss. Still someone she should keep at arm’s length.
And yet…
She smiled despite herself.
She replayed his voice in her head—calm, warm, sincere when he said he enjoyed her company. When he’d kissed her cheek and wished her a restful day. There had been no pressure in it. No expectation.
Just possibility.
Emily glanced at her phone more than once, half expecting a message, half hoping there wouldn’t be one so she could pretend she was still in control. Each time the screen stayed dark, her heart dipped just slightly.
By evening, she accepted the truth she’d been avoiding all day.
Brody Thornton had already found his way into her thoughts.
And she had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy to get him out.
- Writer
