Between Desire and Power

Chapter 4 - First Date

～7 Years Ago～

The sun shines through the hotel's large floor-to-ceiling windows, leaving specks of light on the marble floor. The bed sheets were also extra warm from the sunlight. I rolled over, and suddenly, my body hit something hard.

“Hey baby,” A deep voice spoke. I snapped out of my sleep immediately.

Oh my god, I slept at this strange man's hotel last night. I didn't talk to Rachel about it, oh, and I HAD s*x with him...

My face turned bright red. “good morning,” I said, looking up into his eyes.

He looked energized today, with unruly s*x hair all over the place.

at least he didn’t leave you here alone to wake up or demand you to leave immediately…

he seemed to understand my emotions and hugged me tightly

“That was the most amazing night of my life,” he said quite sincerely.

This seemed like such a big statement, but weirdly, my heart looked at the idea and felt the same way. “likewise. It was the best night,” I shyly admitted.

He nodded and pointed to the pajamas by the bed.“Here, you can wear them; it might be a bit more comfortable than the shirt you had on before.” I nodded, and he bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

“I've ordered room service as well, so we can have breakfast anytime you’re ready.”

As he said that, he got up and headed for the door, not forgetting to turn and wink at me.

“you don’t have to do all this, but thank you,” I said, a smile on my face. It felt nice to be taken care of for a change.

“you’re welcome!” he yelled from the kitchen.

Getting ready, everything still felt like a dream to me. From almost getting a nervous breakdown going to bars to talking and sleeping with the most amazing man I have ever met, it could definitely be called one of the craziest turns of events in a day. But I would never want it any other way.

Dressed, I went to the kitchen to find the Greek god himself. In front of my eyes, the entire kitchen table is filled with food. From omelets to french toast, from chocolate milkshakes to strawberry smoothies, everything you wanted, this table would have it.

“is there anyone else joining us?” I asked, a bit confused.

“no, it’s just us. I don’t know what you prefer for breakfast, so I ordered everything.” He said a matter of factly, sipping on his coffee while walking over to caress my hair.

“dude, you are rich. Thank you again.” I felt like I was treated like a princess and almost felt uncomfortable having so many options in front of me.

I sat down next to Andrew, starting with my favorite omelet and sipping on some orange juice.

“so, what’s your plan today, can I take you out?” He asked casually as if asking about the weather.

I almost choked on my food.

Really, this god-like person wanted to go on a date with me?

I am the kind of person who never likes to assume things and always thinks of the worst-case scenario. so despite the special connection I felt towards him, I thought he would not return it, and this breakfast might be the last time we see each other.

“Sure, I would love to.” It would not hurt to get to know this mysterious man a bit more.

Andrew let out a breath that I did not know he was holding and nodded, joining me in this breakfast feast.

We were out the entire day. I took him to the Suzzallo library at UDub, where I spent the most time reading and studying. We hung out near Pike Place, he bought me flowers and made me giggle like an i***t. The view from the space needle looked so much better with him next to me, with him looking straight into my eyes, into my soul.

Soon, the sun was setting, and we sat down on the grass in the gasworks park, enjoying the view of the city, the water, and each other’s company. I had learned so much about him that day; it felt like he was really opening up, pouring himself in front of me, hoping that I could understand him, and I did.

Since the moment he was born, he was the chosen one in his family to inherit the family business. His father, who was now old, only has him as the only child. His father did not want to give up the CEO position to someone who was not part of the family. His mother was also hoping that Andrew would be the new bone and supporter of the family.“I'm good at people skills, and I know how to get people to like me, but I don't really know if being the CEO of my family’s company is going to bring me any real joy,” he said to me.

I was silent. Growing up in a middle-income family, with both my parents teaching, I've never had the pressure of inheriting a family business, and I've been able to explore what I love more freely without as much pressure.

“Maybe you will find a balance between your family's happiness and your own; it will be there.” I sincerely comforted him; his worry and pain, for some reason, became my worry and pain as well, and I wanted to do everything I could to make him feel better.

He turned, smiling at me weakly. “Maybe one day,” he said. “Maybe one day it will be more than responsibilities…” He stared intently into my eyes. There was a tenderness in them, as if, in this moment, I was the one thing he wanted more than anything else, something he never wanted to let go of.

“One day…” I repeated after him, imagining what that day might look like for us.

The dazzling rays of the setting sun spilled over his bronze hair, casting an almost reddish hue. His blue eyes looked striking, like precious jewels. I was suddenly afraid that maybe this would be the last sunset I’d ever watch with him. Our worlds were so different. What power could possibly help us stay together? New York meets Seattle. Everything felt so distant, so impossible…