I woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee.
For a moment, I didn't move. I lay there, eyes half closed, listening. There were sounds coming from the kitchen. Soft sounds. A cupboard opening. A mug being set down. The quiet hum of the coffee maker.
And then I remembered.
Lucas was here.
I sat up quickly, heart pounding. The sheets were tangled around me. I was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. We'd stayed up late talking, and somewhere around midnight, he'd fallen asleep on the couch. I'd covered him with a blanket and gone to bed alone.
But now he was in my kitchen. Making coffee. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I padded out of the bedroom, barefoot, still in yesterday's clothes. My hair was a mess. I probably looked terrible.
Lucas was standing at the counter, pouring coffee into two mugs. He was in the same clothes too. His hair was rumpled. There was a faint shadow of stubble on his jaw.
He looked up when I walked in. Smiled.
"Good morning."
I stopped in the doorway. "You're still here."
"I said I wasn't going anywhere."
"You said that last night."
"And I meant it." He held out a mug. "Coffee?"
I walked over and took it. Our fingers brushed. The warmth spread up my arm.
"You made coffee in my kitchen," I said.
"I did."
"In my apartment. Where I live."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to fire me for overstepping?"
I laughed. "I can't fire you. You're not my assistant anymore, remember?"
"What am I, then?"
I looked at him. At this man who had waited five years. Who had made coffee in my kitchen like he'd been doing it for years.
"Mine," I said.
He smiled. "Good answer."
---
We sat on the couch together, drinking coffee, watching the city wake up.
It was strange. Having him here. Not in the careful, professional way I was used to. But like this. Relaxed. Easy.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Better than I have in a long time." I looked at him. "You fell asleep on the couch."
"You were talking about your father. You looked peaceful. I didn't want to interrupt."
I felt something warm spread through my chest. "You could have woken me up. I would have made you a bed."
"I was fine on the couch."
"Your back is going to hurt."
"I've slept in worse places."
I looked at him. "Like where?"
He shrugged. "The office. A few times. When you were working late and didn't want to be alone."
I stared at him. "You stayed at the office. Because I didn't want to be alone?"
"You didn't know I was there. I'd hide in the conference room. Make sure you got home safe."
"Lucas..."
"It's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal." I set down my coffee. "You did that for years. Things I didn't even know about. Things you never told me."
He was quiet for a moment. "I didn't do it so you'd thank me."
"Then why did you do it?"
He looked at me. "Because I loved you. And because I knew, underneath everything, you were lonely. And I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone if you needed someone."
I didn't know what to say. The words were stuck in my throat.
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You don't have to say anything. I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I'm telling you because I want you to know. You were never alone, Vivian. Even when you thought you were. I was always there."
The tears came before I could stop them.
He pulled me into his arms. Held me against his chest.
"I've got you," he murmured. "I've got you."
I cried for a while. Not the ugly crying from before. Something softer. Something like release.
When I finally pulled back, his shirt was wet. I laughed, embarrassed.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. "You're beautiful when you cry."
"I'm a mess."
"You're beautiful when you're a mess too."
I kissed him. Because I couldn't not.
He tasted like coffee. His lips were warm. His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer.
When we broke apart, he was smiling.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. Just... I've wanted to do that for a long time. Wake up with you. Make you coffee. Hold you when you cry."
I smiled back. "Was it worth the wait?"
He kissed my forehead. "Every second."
---
We went to work together.
Not separately, like we always had. Together. In the same car. Walking through the same lobby. Getting on the same elevator.
People noticed.
The doorman did a double take. The woman at the front desk forgot to say good morning. Two people in the elevator exchanged a look I pretended not to see.
By the time we reached our floor, I could feel the eyes on us. The whispers starting.
Lucas's hand found mine. Squeezed.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't have to pretend."
"I'm not pretending." I looked at him. "I told you. I don't want to hide."
He smiled. "Good. Because I don't want to hide either."
We walked onto the floor together. Hand in hand.
Sophie was at her desk. She looked up. Her eyes went to our hands. Then to our faces.
Her mouth fell open.
"No way," she said.
I smiled. "Yes way."
She stood up so fast her chair rolled backward. "You told him? You actually told him?"
"I told him."
"And he said yes?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I say yes?"
Sophie grabbed my arm. "When? How? Tell me everything."
I laughed. "It's nine in the morning, Sophie."
"I don't care. This is more important than work."
"It's really not."
"It really is." She pulled me toward the break room. "Lucas, you can come too. But I'm getting details."
Lucas shook his head, but he was smiling. "I'll get coffee."
"Get three coffees," Sophie called after him. "This is going to take a while."
---
By noon, the whole floor knew.
Kevin had told the IT department. Someone from marketing overheard Sophie squealing and told the rest of the team. Mr. Harrison caught us holding hands in the hallway and gave Lucas a long, assessing look.
"You're a good man," he said finally. "Take care of her."
"Yes, sir," Lucas said.
Harry nodded once. Then he walked away. But I saw the corner of his mouth twitch up.
Maggie found me in my office after lunch. She didn't say anything at first. Just stood in the doorway, looking at me.
"I'm happy for you," she said finally.
"Thank you."
"He's a good man. Your father would have liked him."
I felt tears prick my eyes. "You think so?"
"I know so." She stepped into the room. "Your father always said the right person wouldn't be intimidated by you. Wouldn't try to change you. Would just... be there. And Lucas has been there for five years."
"He has."
She smiled. "So don't mess it up."
I laughed. "I'll try not to."
She squeezed my hand. "Good. Now get back to work. You're still the CEO."
---
That evening, Lucas walked me to my car.
We stood by the door, neither of us wanting to leave.
"Today was good," he said.
"Today was terrifying."
He smiled. "Terrifyingly good?"
"Something like that."
He leaned against the car, pulling me close. "Everyone knows now."
"Everyone knows."
"Are you okay with that?"
I looked at him. At this man who had waited five years. Who had made me coffee this morning. Who had held me when I cried.
"I'm more than okay," I said. "I'm happy, Lucas. Actually, genuinely happy."
His eyes softened. "Good. Because I'm happy too."
I kissed him. Soft and slow. Right there in the parking garage, where anyone could see.
When we pulled apart, he was grinning.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. I just like kissing you."
I laughed. "I like kissing you too."
"Good. Because I plan to do it a lot."
He kissed me again. And again. Until we were both laughing.
---
That night, I wrote in my notebook.
Today, everyone found out about us.
I thought I'd be scared. I thought I'd want to hide. But I didn't. I wanted the world to know. I wanted everyone to see that I'm not the cold woman they remember. That I'm someone who can love. Someone who can be loved.
Lucas made me coffee this morning. He held me when I cried. He kissed me in the parking garage like we had all the time in the world.
I think maybe we do. I think maybe I've been so scared of losing people that I forgot what it feels like to have them. To hold them. To let them hold me.
I'm not scared anymore.
I'm ready.
I closed the notebook and looked at my phone. There was a message from Lucas.
Can't sleep?
I smiled and typed back.
Thinking about you.
His reply came seconds later.
Want me to come over?
I looked around my empty apartment. The big rooms. The quiet spaces.
Yes.
I'll be there in twenty minutes.
I set down my phone and waited.
For the first time in my life, waiting felt like hope.