Because the company needs me. The board, the employees, the shareholders. What about what you need? She didn't answer, just buried her face against his shoulder. They stood like that for a long time.
Two people from completely different worlds trying to figure out if the space between them could ever actually close. Stay tonight, Vivien said finally. Please. I don't want to be alone. Okay.
She led him to the bedroom, which was just as sterile as the rest of the apartment. They kicked off their shoes and collapsed onto the bed, fully clothed, too tired to do anything except hold each other. This isn't what I expected, Ethan said. What did you expect? I don't know.
Something more dramatic. Passionate speech, grand gesture, that kind of thing. Real life is messier than movies. Yeah, it really is. They fell asleep like that.
Still in their formal clothes, Vivien's head on his chest and his arm around her waist. When Ethan woke up a few hours later, he found her already awake, watching him in the dim light from the windows. Hi, he said. Hi. I was just thinking about about how I want this to work.
Us. I want it so badly. It scares me. Me, too. But I don't know how to balance everything.
The company, the board expectations, the fact that my life is scheduled down to 15-minute increments. So, we figure it out together. She smiled, but it was sad. You make it sound so simple. It is simple.
We both want this. Everything else is just logistics. Logistics like me working 16-hour days and you having a daughter who needs her father. Logistics like finding time that actually matters. Quality over quantity.
You're surprisingly optimistic for someone who was convinced this wouldn't work 3 days ago. I'm allowed to change my mind, especially after you laughed at my blown head gasket metaphor. She kissed him soft and slow, and Ethan decided that whatever logistics they needed to figure out, they'd manage because this, lying in bed with Vivien Hart at 4:00 a.m., both of them still dressed for a fundraiser they'd escaped hours ago. This was worth fighting for. They talked until the sun started rising over the Olympics, painting Seattle's skyline in shades of orange and pink.
Talked about Sophie and the shop and Viven's expansion plans for Hard Industries. Talked about fears and hopes and all the messy complications that came with trying to build something real. When Ethan finally left at 6:30 to get home before Sophie woke up, Vivien walked him to the elevator wearing one of his dress shirts and looking more relaxed than he'd ever seen her. "Thank you," she said, "for last night, for defending me, for staying. Thank you for inviting me.
Even though I spent most of the night terrified. You hit it well. She kissed him one more time. Come to dinner Friday. My place.
I'll cook. You cook? I can reheat takeout very effectively. Don't underestimate me. He laughed and stepped into the elevator, watching her wave as the doors closed.