Page 58 of Love, Take Two

Something about the way she says it makes my chest warm. Because she's right—I am here to stay. Not just in Portland, but with her, building whatever this is we're creating together.

"Good answer," I say, standing to pull her up from her chair. "Though I should probably mention that watching you work today was incredibly hot."

"Was it?" she asks with obvious interest.

"Very," I confirm, backing her against the wall beside her desk. "Something about competent professional Vada makes me want to mess up all your careful organization."

"Is that so?" she says, her hands finding the buttons of my shirt. "Well, lucky for you, we're technically off the clock right now."

"Very lucky," I agree, leaning down to kiss her in a way that definitely qualifies as unprofessional.

What follows is the kind of impromptu desk-adjacent situation that would absolutely violate our theoretical workplace guidelines, but since we're in her apartment and technically our own bosses, I'm calling it a productivity break.

"We're going to be late meeting Maya," Vada says afterward, both of us slightly disheveled and breathing hard.

"Worth it," I say, helping her straighten her shirt. "Though we should probably establish some actual ground rules about this before we're working with clients."

"Probably," she agrees, but she's smiling in a way that suggests those ground rules might be challenging to maintain.

Two hours later, we're sitting across from Maya at a trendy Portland restaurant, and I can tell she's been waiting all day to conduct this conversation.

"So," Maya says once we've ordered, "Emory. Let's talk about your long-term plans."

"Maya," Vada warns, but she's clearly not surprised by the directness.

"What? These are legitimate questions," Maya says unapologetically. "I need to know whether you're planning to stick around or if this is some extended vacation before you get bored and move on to the next adventure."

I appreciate that she's protecting Vada, even if the interrogation is slightly intimidating.

"I'm not going anywhere," I say honestly. "I mean, we'll travel for work, but Portland's home now. Vada's home."

"And the business partnership? That's not just an excuse to spend more time together?"

"The business partnership is real," Vada interjects. "We booked our first client today, actually."

"Really?" Maya's protective expression immediately shifts to excitement. "That's amazing! Tell me everything."

The rest of dinner passes with Vada and me explaining the Cabo project while Maya asks increasingly detailed questions about logistics and timeline. By dessert, she's fully on board with our professional collaboration and making suggestions about marketing strategy.

"You guys could seriously build something incredible," Maya says as we're leaving the restaurant. "Travel meets events, authentic documentation, couples who actually like each other—it's a perfect niche."

"That's the plan," I say, taking Vada's hand as we walk back to her car.

"Good," Maya says with obvious satisfaction. "Because I've already started telling people about your services, and I have at least three friends who are going to want to hire you."

"Maya," Vada laughs, "we've had one consultation."

"So? You two are naturals at this. Trust me."

Later, as we're getting ready for bed, I catch myself thinking about how much has changed in just a few days. We've got an apartment, a business, and Maya's official approval. It feels like we're actually building something real together, not just playing house.

"Good day?" Vada asks, settling beside me.

"Great day," I confirm, pulling her closer. "Though I think we're going to need those professional boundaries we talked about."

"Probably," she agrees, but she's already kissing my neck in a way that suggests boundaries might be more theoretical than practical.

"Tomorrow," I say, my hands finding the hem of her shirt.

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