Ava had spent the entire morning wishing she could hit "pause" on her life. Between the demands of her job, the relentless expectations her boss had for the charity project, and the almost surreal encounter with Ethan Blackwood at the gala, she felt overwhelmed. Her coffee cup sat forgotten on her desk, growing cold as she tried to focus on the latest project drafts that lay scattered in front of her.

Despite herself, her mind kept drifting back to Ethan. He had seemed… different. Not like the rich, entitled men she was used to seeing at events like that. There was an earnestness in his eyes, an intelligence that went beyond the well-tailored suit and polished manners. Still, she couldn't allow herself to get caught up in him. She had made that mistake before, back in her college years, and it had ended badly.

"Focus, Ava," she muttered to herself, pushing the thought of him to the back of her mind. She had a deadline to meet, and it wasn't going to wait for any fleeting fantasies.

Her phone buzzed with a new message, breaking her concentration. It was from **Mia**, as usual, dragging her into yet another event. Ava sighed and clicked it open.

**Mia:** *"Lunch plans? I know it's been a crazy week, but we have to talk about last night. You have to tell me everything about Ethan!"*

Ava could practically hear Mia's enthusiastic voice in the message. Mia, always the social butterfly, had a way of getting people to open up—whether they wanted to or not.

Ava's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment. **Tell her everything?** What was there to tell? It had been a simple conversation, nothing that warranted the kind of reaction Mia was expecting.

Still, she typed back, trying to keep things casual.

**Ava:** *"Not much to say, Mia. Just some small talk, nothing more."*

Seconds later, the phone buzzed again, this time with a call. Ava sighed, knowing full well it would be a one-sided conversation with Mia as she tried to drag the most mundane details out of her.

"Hello?" Ava picked up, her voice light but guarded.

"You're not getting away that easy," Mia's voice was bright and teasing. "I know something happened last night, Ava. I saw the way you two were looking at each other. What's the deal with Ethan Blackwood?"

Ava felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks. "Mia, it was nothing. He's just some guy from the gala."

"Uh-uh," Mia said, her tone growing more playful. "You do not look at *just some guy* like that. He's a Blackwood, Ava. Like, *the* Blackwood. Have you Googled him? He's *everything*."

Ava rolled her eyes, even though Mia couldn't see it. "I know who he is, Mia. But it was just one conversation. Nothing serious. He's... he's not my type anyway."

"Sure, sure. *Not your type,*" Mia said sarcastically. "Tell me that after a few more encounters. I'm just saying, if I were you, I'd take advantage of the situation. A guy like that doesn't look at anyone twice unless he's interested."

Ava snorted. "I think you're giving me too much credit. He's probably just being polite. And I'm sure he's got a lineup of women waiting for him to look their way."

Mia laughed. "You're impossible. Okay, okay. We'll talk more later. But seriously, think about it. Maybe it's worth seeing where things go."

As Mia hung up, Ava leaned back in her chair, sighing. She couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity. But she quickly dismissed it. Nothing would come of it. The gulf between their worlds was simply too wide. Ethan Blackwood didn't date women like her.

---

Later that afternoon, as Ava was leaving the office, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from an unknown number.

**Unknown Number:** *"Hi, Ava. It's Ethan. I hope I'm not interrupting, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in grabbing coffee sometime? Just to chat, maybe talk about the project?"*

Ava stared at the message, her heart skipping a beat. Ethan Blackwood was asking her out… to talk about work? She frowned at the screen, trying to make sense of it.

Sure, they'd talked briefly about a potential collaboration on a community project at the gala. But he had seemed so… different in person. He hadn't asked for her number, hadn't given any indication that he was interested in anything beyond polite conversation.

Still, the prospect of a conversation with him intrigued her, even if it felt like a ridiculous idea. The rational part of her wanted to ignore the message, but a part of her—the part she usually kept hidden—wanted to see where this could lead.

She hesitated for a moment longer before typing back.

**Ava:** *"Coffee sounds good. I'm free tomorrow afternoon."*

---

The next day, Ava arrived at the small coffee shop at the corner of her street. She wasn't sure what to expect—was this a professional meeting? A casual date? Or perhaps Ethan just wanted to talk shop, the way people often did when they worked in similar fields?

She ordered a cappuccino and took a seat by the window, trying to calm her racing heart. She wasn't nervous—no, she was fine. But why did the idea of seeing Ethan again make her feel so... unsettled?

It wasn't long before Ethan walked in, looking even more striking outside of the ballroom setting. He wore a dark blue button-down shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and dark jeans that had clearly been chosen with a casual elegance in mind. He spotted her almost immediately and gave her a small smile before approaching.

"Hey," he greeted, sliding into the seat across from her. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Of course," Ava replied, trying to keep her tone even. "You mentioned the project?"

Ethan nodded, his gaze flickering to the papers she had placed on the table. "Yeah. I figured since we're both working on it, we could brainstorm some ideas. Maybe get on the same page." He paused, then added, "But honestly, I also wanted to get to know you a little better, if that's okay."

Ava's heart skipped. She had expected a business-like conversation, but the way he said it was casual—yet somehow sincere.

She shifted slightly in her seat, a mix of excitement and wariness rising within her. "I think we can do both," she said, trying to sound casual herself. "Work and talk. Let's start with the project."

They spent the next hour discussing ideas for the project, but with each passing minute, Ava found herself becoming more and more intrigued by Ethan's thoughts, his insights, and his easygoing manner. He wasn't what she expected, and for reasons she couldn't explain, that made him all the more captivating.

As the conversation wound down, Ethan glanced at his watch. "I should probably get going," he said, standing up. "But, uh… I'm glad we did this. Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

Ava hesitated, torn between her natural inclination to shut down anything that felt too risky, and the undeniable pull she felt toward him. She took a breath. "I'd like that."

He smiled, and in that moment, Ava felt the flicker of something unexpected between them. The odds were against them—she knew that—but for the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure if she cared.

---

As she walked back to her apartment, Ava felt a strange mix of excitement and anxiety. She had agreed to meet him again. What did that mean? Could this really lead to something?

She didn't know, but one thing was certain: things were just starting to get complicated.