Chapter Five: Unfinished Conversations
1156 Words
Three days after the tuxedo fitting, Ethan stood outside his office window, watching the city’s silver skyline blur into pale morning fog. The air buzzed faintly with the hum of glass elevators and early calls drifting through the Whitmore Holdings executive floor. He hadn't seen Juliette since the bookshop. She was avoiding him. He felt it in every missed call, every unanswered message, every time he thought he saw her on a street corner only to realize it wasn’t her.
Lucas stepped into the office without knocking. “She’s coming in.”
Ethan turned. “Who?”
“Juliette.”
Ethan’s pulse surged.
“She’s meeting me to finalize the Crescent Hearts charity launch,” Lucas added, trying and failing to look casual.
Ethan arched a brow. “And how did you convince her to take it on?”
Lucas shrugged. “I didn’t. You did.”
Ethan frowned. Lucas crossed the room and handed him a thin portfolio;
“She thinks it’s my idea, but I told her the holding company behind it wanted her specifically. You know, to modernize the image, connect with underfunded women’s initiatives. Turns out, you’re pretty persuasive when you want to be.”
Ethan blinked. “You lied to her?”
Lucas grinned. “Only a little. You wanted to see her again, right? Now’s your chance. Don’t waste it.”
At 10:45am, Juliette walked into Whitmore Holdings HQ. The elevator pinged open into a sleek, sunlit space that smelled faintly of eucalyptus and new leather; her heels clicked as she stepped into the reception area. The assistant greeted her politely and offered water. Her palms were already sweating. Lucas met her halfway.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, offering a firm handshake. “I know this was short notice.”
“Not at all,” she said. “Crescent Hearts has potential. I’m honored you thought of me.”
Lucas grinned. “Actually……”
A door opened down the corridor. Juliette turned and saw Ethan walking towards them.
He looked… frustratingly good, crisp navy shirt, sleeves rolled slightly, jacket slung over one arm. He looked at her and their eyes met. Juliette’s breath caught.
Lucas cleared his throat. “I, uh… have a call in five But Ethan can sit in for me.”
She turned sharply. “Oh, that’s not necessary…..”
Ethan had already stepped forward. “I’ll be quick. Just wanted to say hi.”
Lucas gave a pointed look and slipped away.
Minutes Later in Ethan Office
Ethan held the door as Juliette walked in, her arms were crossed, professional and guarded.
“You planned this,” she said.
“Lucas did.” He closed the door. “I just… took the opportunity.”
She shook her head. “What do you want, Ethan?”
“To talk.”
“About….”
“about Us”
“There is no ‘us.’”
He stepped closer. “There was.”
Juliette looked away. “Three years ago.”
“Does it feel like that long?”
She didn’t answer. He gestured to the door;
“Go to Lunch with me”
“No”
“Please, just one lunch, call it a do-over. If I fail, then I’ll leave you alone.”
She hesitated. “Fine, one lunch”.
He smiled. “Of course.”
BASTION GRILL : 12:30 P.M.
The restaurant sat on the 33rd floor of the Whitmore Tower, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a panoramic view of the city, soft jazz hummed beneath the chatter. Juliette sipped sparkling water, watching the skyline rather than Ethan.
“So, the charity,” she said.
“You really think I brought you here to talk about tax write-offs?”
She set her glass down. “Don’t make me regret saying yes.”
He leaned in, voice low;
“Juliette, I don’t know what happened between us that night, not really. I just knew I woke up alone, and you were gone.”
Juliette’s eyes flashed;
“And I woke up waiting at the dock, alone.”
Ethan froze. “Wait… were you there?”
She nodded slowly. “Of course, I was. I stood there for almost an hour before giving up.”
His brow furrowed;
“No…. Juliette, I was there. The concierge handed me a note, said you’d changed your mind. Then a second one… said we should forget it happened, that it was just a fling.”
Her breath hitched. “That wasn’t me.”
“I thought…” he shook his head.
“I thought it was your way of leaving without goodbye.”
Juliette looked away, the pain resurfacing;
“And I thought you just vanished like I didn’t matter.”
They sat in heavy silence.
Finally, she said, “Who would’ve done something like that?”
He shook his head again. “I don’t know.”
She blinked. “But I didn’t write any notes, I swear.”
“I believe you.”
He reached across the table, hand brushing hers, and she didn’t pull away.
“Can we start again?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Too much time has passed.”
“Not enough,” he said. “Not when I still feel this way.”
His fingers slid gently up her wrist, she inhaled sharply. Then he rose, walking around the table.
“Ethan…”
But the words dissolved when his lips met hers, this kiss was different. It wasn’t cautious, it was consuming. His mouth moved over hers with heat and desperation, like something primal had broken loose. Her body reacted instantly, a sharp gasp, the tremble of her fingers gripping his shirt. Juliette moaned softly against his lips as his hand cupped the back of her neck, thumb brushing her jaw. He pulled her closer until there was no space left between them, only the pounding rhythm of hearts and the electricity crackling through her veins. Heat pooled low in her belly as his tongue teased hers gently, then demanding. Her pulse thudded everywhere at once, her fingers curled in the fabric at his waist, anchoring herself.
He tasted like danger and longing, like someone starving for something he couldn’t name. Her knees threatened to buckle beneath her seated posture. When they finally broke apart, breathless, eyes still locked, his voice was hoarse.
“I missed you… more than I should’ve.”
She couldn’t speak, for her skin burned. The jazz played, and the skyline glittered beyond the glass.
Juliette finally said, “This changes nothing.”
“It changes everything.”
They sat for another moment.
Then Ethan gently reached for her hand. “Will you give me another chance, one day at a time?”
“One day?” she asked.
“Yes, to show you I’ve changed. That we deserve that second chance.”
She hesitated.
Then nodded once.
“OK, one day.”
- Writer
