Page 69 of Champagne Nights

“It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte.” I extended my hand.

Her eyes narrowed at me as she hesitantly placed her hand in mine without saying a word.

“Nice to meet you, Ethan.” Mr. Morris shook my hand.

“Likewise.” I smiled.

Aubrey opened her apartment door, and we both stepped inside.

“Have fun, you two.” She smiled as she closed the door behind her.

“I don’t think your aunt likes me too much.”

“No. Actually, she doesn’t. She heard talk around the city, and the things said were not good.”

I stood there with my hands in my pockets, lightly nodding my head.

“I deserve that.”

Aubrey walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

“What did you want to say to me, Ethan? I don’t have all night.” Her tone was harsh.

I could feel anxiety taking over me, so I took in a long, deep breath. I was nervous as hell because this was something I didn’t do.

“May I sit down next to you?” I asked.

“Whatever, Ethan. Just say what you have to say.”

I took a seat next to her and swallowed hard while my heart pounded out of my chest.

“I meant to push you away, and with everything I said, most of it was the truth. I have rules, Aubrey—rules about women. I don’t stay after because I don’t feel anything, so there’s no point in leading anyone on. But with you, I wanted to stay, and it scared the hell out of me. For the first time in many years, I didn’t want to leave after sex. Shortly after Sophia died, I started having nightmares about that night, and then they stopped after I was in therapy for a while. Then, the first night I was with you, the nightmares came back. You need to understand that I’m a destroyed man. I’ve buried every emotion and every feeling I ever had deep down inside me. That’s why the nightmares stopped and why I never felt anything for any of the women I was with. Then I met you, and suddenly, things started to resurface, and I couldn’t control it.”

“What things?” she asked.

“It may sound crazy because we haven’t known each other very long, but I started to have feelings for you right away, and I did things that I would never do. Every day, I would lose a little more control where you were concerned, and I found it difficult to handle. I wanted to push you away because if I did, then I wouldn’t have to feel these things anymore. When you were begging me to stay, it made me angry because I couldn’t control the fact that I didn’t want to leave.”

“What happened the night Sophia died?” she asked.

“Only very few people know what happened that night. My parents don’t even know the whole truth.”

She reached over and placed her hand on my thigh.

“You can trust me, Ethan. I promise.”

“Do you have any liquor? Something stronger than wine?”

“In the upper cabinet above the refrigerator, there’s a bottle of Jack Daniels. You’re more than welcome to have some.”

“Thanks.”

I got up from the couch, went into the kitchen, and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet.

“There are a couple of shot glasses in the cabinet next to the stove,” she spoke.

After reaching for the glass, I poured myself a shot, kicked it back, and took in the burn as it cascaded down my throat. I poured another and took it back into the living room.

“Sophia and I met when we were eighteen years old at a wedding I had attended for one of my parents’ friends. I remember standing there talking to Charles, and every time I glanced at her, she stared at me. So I walked over, introduced myself, and we spent the rest of the night talking and getting to know each other.” I kicked back the shot of whiskey and set the glass down on the coffee table. “I took her out the next night,and we spent every moment we could together for the next three years.”

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