The Choice
559 Words
We didn’t talk for the rest of the flight.
Not because we were angry.
Not because we were done.
But because everything that needed to be said had already been said.
“I want this to be real, or I want it to stop.”
My own words kept replaying in my head.
When we landed, the driver took us straight to the apartment. The ride was quiet again, but different from before. Not tense. Just heavy with meaning.
As soon as the door closed behind us, Ethan spoke.
“Ava.”
I turned to him.
He didn’t look like the billionaire right now. No confidence. No control. Just a man who looked like he was about to make a decision he couldn’t take back.
“I’ve been trying to do this the safe way,” he said. “The logical way. The way that doesn’t mess up anyone’s life.”
I crossed my arms. “And how’s that working for you?”
He let out a small breath. “Terribly.”
I smiled faintly. “Same.”
He walked closer, stopping a few steps away. “You asked me to choose. Real or stop.”
“Yes.”
“And you deserve an answer.”
My heart started beating faster. Not the cute kind. The scary kind.
“I can’t promise you forever,” he said honestly. “I can’t promise this won’t get complicated. Or messy. Or painful.”
I nodded. “That’s just life.”
“But I can promise you this,” he continued. “I don’t want to pretend anymore.”
The room felt quiet in a way that made my ears ring.
“I don’t want you because of the contract,” he said. “I want you because you make me feel like a normal person again. And I haven’t felt that in a long time.”
My throat tightened.
“So what are you saying?” I asked softly.
He took one more step forward.
“I’m saying… I choose real.”
For a second, I couldn’t speak.
Then I laughed. Not because it was funny. But because my body didn’t know how else to react.
“You know this changes everything, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know it might end badly.”
“Yes.”
“You know we’re breaking every rule we agreed on.”
He smiled slightly. “We already did that emotionally.”
That was true.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man who had started as a contract and somehow became the person I thought about before sleeping.
“Okay,” I said.
Just one word.
But it felt like a thousand.
“Okay?” he repeated.
“Yes,” I said. “I choose real too.”
He didn’t rush me. Didn’t grab me. Didn’t turn it into some dramatic movie moment.
He just reached out slowly, giving me time to change my mind.
I didn’t.
When his arms finally wrapped around me, it felt different from every other touch before. Not pretend. Not for cameras. Not for an audience.
Just us.
And for the first time since this whole thing started, I wasn’t thinking about the contract.
I wasn’t thinking about the end.
I was only thinking about one thing:
This wasn’t a role anymore.
This was my choice.
- Writer
