The next morning, when I woke up, I felt like I hadn't slept that well in ages. I had felt secure and comfortable in Brian's arms. I woke up with a big smile on my face and decided that nothing was going to bring me down that day. Nobody could take away my happiness.

I left Brian to sleep while I went to take a shower downstairs. After stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel arond my body and brushed my wet hair. I started making my way back into my bedroom.

As I walked in, I noticed that Brian was awake and laying on his back on the bed, just looking up at the ceiling.

”Morning,” I said before walking to my closet. He lifted his head and looked at me.

”I feel like shit. Did I do something stupid last night?” he mumbled.

I froze and looked at him.

”Wait, what? Don't you remember anything? Anything at all?”

”Well... No.”

”Are you serious?”

Didn't we go through this already?

”No,” he said suddenly and laughed, ”I do remember everything. Well, not everything but everything that happened here, inside. I don't recall anything that happened on the beach.”

”Oh, thank god. I thought you had forgotten about what we talked here,” I sighed and turned back to my closet.

I pulled out a pair of jeans and my underwear.

”Don't look,” I told Brian before dropping the towel on the floor and pulling on my underwear.

”You look great.”

”I told you not to look!” I exclaimed and quickly grabbed the towel from the floor and covered my half naked body with it.

”Oh, come on. I've seen you naked a thousand times,” he said with a grin.

”It doesn't matter. If I tell you not to look, you don't look!”

”Calm down, Soph. Why are you so bitter anyway?”

”I'm not bitter!”

”Oh yes you are. Are you lonely? Is that it?”

”Uh... Let's not even talk about this.”

”Why are you bitter and lonely?” he asked me quietly.

”Because I don't have anybody,” I admitted, ”I have nothing.”

”Come here,” he opened his arms and told me to join him on the bed.

I sighed but started making my way to him. I laid down next to him and let him wrap his arms around me and pull me against his side.

”You know you're always going to have me,” he said quietly, ”I'm not going anywhere.”

”But you already left me once. And let's be honest, you're not going to leave Michelle, not for me, not for anybody else.”

”Didn't I tell you that I love you?” he whispered.

”Yes but – ”

”I meant it. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it.”

”Fine.”

”So why exactly do you feel so lonely?” he asked as he started rubbing my back softly.

”I don't know. There's nobody here to be with me. I barely even talk to anybody anymore and all I do is work...” I mumbled.

”Let's talk then,” he said.

”About what?”

”About anything. What do you want to do in your life?”

”I want to find a boyfriend and get married and have kids,” I told him, ”I want somebody to love me. I want somebody to miss me when I'm gone. I don't care about traveling the world or seeing different kinds of places. All I want is a husband, kids and my own house with a garden.”

”So what you're saying is that you just want to be a mother? Is that it?”

”Yes,” I nodded, ”What about you?”

”Well... I never want to stop making music. And, well, eventually I want to have a family, too. But for now, I want to tour around the world and play music with my best friends,” he told me.

”That sounds great.”

”It is. I feel really lucky because I get to do this, play music, every day,” he told me quietly.

”You need to play something to me someday,” I told him.

”I will,” he murmured and looked to his side, kissing the top of my head quickly.

”You know, even though I'm married to somebody else, this doesn't feel wrong at all. This, being like this with you, feels natural,” he whispered.

”I told you, it's meant to be this way.”

”I don't know about that. But I do think about you a lot.”

”When?”

”Mostly when I'm having sex with Michelle,” he said and flashed a quick smile.

”Seriously?” I asked, ”Don't you think that's... Wrong?”

”Well yeah but I can't help myself. I know we've kissed and all but not having sex with you is driving me crazy,” he admitted.

”It's going to happen someday.”

”I know, I know.”

”I like it when you're being honest. Even if it's about sex,” I told him.

He looked at my face for a moment, not saying anything. Then he started smiling.

”Why are you looking at me like that?” I mumbled and blushed madly.

I buried my face into his shirt, trying to hide my red cheeks.

”I love it when you blush,” he whispered and touched my cheek.

I lifted my head up and looked at his face. He was smiling softly and biting his lip.

”Are you really going to leave Michelle?” I asked, getting more serious again.

I reached closer to his face to touch his cheek carefully.

”I'm planning on it, yeah,” he nodded.

”But do you think that you can really do it?”

”I hope so,” he said with a sigh, ”Can we talk about something else?”

”Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

”Well... We don't have to talk about anything,” he murmured as he reached closer.

I closed my eyes and leaned in for the kiss. I felt his soft lips against mine as he started moving them slowly. I started grinning against his mouth as he kissed me. Then suddenly he pulled his lips away from mine.

”I promise I'll talk with Michelle today,” he whispered to me.

I nodded and flashed a quick smile before resting my cheek against his chest.

Brian left about an hour later and I rushed to work. Mathilda had been there since seven in the morning so I told her to go home. She left quickly before I could change my mind. Luckily it was a Saturday so I could close to shop earlier. Nobody wanted to buy flowers on a Saturday evening.

While at work, I got a call from my boss. She told me that she had something important to tell me and she would come over soon. I, obviously, immediately thought that I was going to get fired or something because I was always late and spent too much time on lunch. So while waiting for her to arrive, I prepared myself for the worst.

When she got to the flower shop, I was a nervous wreck. She had a big smile on her face as she opened the door and walked in.

”Hello, Sophia!” she exclaimed as she took off her coat and sat down on the bench.

”Hey. So, uh... What did you want to talk about?”

”Well, the thing is, this shop is moving,” she told me.

”Moving where?” I asked and furrowed my eyebrows.

”To New York. My daughter lives there and is willing to run this. And I was hoping that you would move with the shop,” she said.

”To New York?” I exclaimed in shock.

”Well, yes. Is there anything holding you back here?” she asked and cocked an eyebrow. It was like she knew I was lonely and bitter and growing old too soon.

”Uh...”

I didn't know the answer to the question. I mean... I really didn't have a boyfriend or anything. I didn't own a house, I didn't own anything.

But what about Brian? Well... That was exactly what made it difficult.

”I need to think about this,” I told her.

”I understand. I'm closing the shop next week,” she said as she stood up and started pulling her coat on again.

”And... And if I don't go to New York, I'm going to become unemployed, right?”

”That's how it goes, Sophia,” she said and smiled sadly, ”It'd be a shame to lose an employee like you. You've got potential.”

”Thank you,” I nodded, ”Have a nice day!”

For the rest of the day all I could think about was the move. It sounded like a very good idea because it would allow me to move on and forget about everything that was going on. Brian wouldn't have to ruin his marriage because of me because I wasn't going to be there. I wouldn't have to feel guilty about being with Brian behind Michelle's back. It all sounded really great.

But on the other hand, I loved Brian. He loved me. Of course I couldn't just walk away from him and I would miss him like crazy if I left. And New York was so far away from California... I didn't think I could leave it all behind.

But in all honesty, I had no idea what to do.