Page 65 of Suddenly Desired
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Blake stirred, stretching out his legs and feeling the cold, hard end of a bed against his feet. He opened his eyes, seeing an unfamiliar room around him — cheesy posters on the walls, and a pink duvet cover on the bed. It took only a second for it all to come rushing back, and when it did, a slow smile spread across his face.
Ellie.
He sat up, the little bed creaking beneath him as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. The memory of her was everywhere — in the faint scent of her perfume lingering on the pillow, in the warmth still clinging to the sheets. He glanced around the room, his chest tightening when he realised she wasn’t there.
For a fleeting moment, he felt a pang of panic. Had she regretted it? Had he crossed a line? No, he’d made sure she wanted it too. But more than consent, Ellie had done things to his body that made him twitch even at the memory.
He climbed off the bed, walking to the window. The curtains were obviously blackout ones because when he pulled them back a shaft of sunshine punched into the room. He whisked them open, then grabbed his discarded towel, made his way out of Ellie’s room and into the one that her mum had made up for him.
His phone lay on his neatly folded clothes and he picked it up. There were twenty-seven missed calls, all from various members of the board. Eight voicemail messages waited for him but he couldn’t bring himself to check them. There was also a news alert announcing that he had stepped down from Heartbook. Gritting his teeth, he opened it up and scrolled through it. There was a photograph of him from the press conference and he barely recognised himself — he looked like a shadow of the man he had once been. There was also a photograph of Michelle and David standing side by side, smilingsmugly. According to the article, they had both been appointed the joint CEOs of the company.
He couldn’t bear to read any more, and he tossed the phone on to the bed. He only picked it up again when he remembered that he hadn’t checked the time, and when he did he couldn’t believe it. It was nearly nine — later than he had slept in years. He had no intention of ever wearing his suit again, so he opened his travel bag and pulled out a pair of Levi’s and a plain grey T-shirt instead.
After a pit stop to wash his face and brush his teeth, he headed downstairs, a little tentative about why Ellie had left him alone in her room. Blake hoped he’d not done anything stupid in his sleep or that Ellie regretted what they’d done. He headed to the kitchen where they’d eaten the previous night, following the delicious smells of coffee and pastries.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Ellie said, as he poked his head around the door. She was working on her laptop, a dozen piles of paper stacked around it and several notepads open to the side. A fresh mug of coffee sat in front of her and Blake licked his lips in anticipation. “I would ask you how you slept, but I don’t need to.”
“I didn’t mean to sleep for so long,” he said.
“It’s the fresh country air.” Isla held a mug out for him.
“Thank you,” he said, grateful for the coffee and the distance Isla’s room was from Ellie’s.
“I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t wake you?” Ellie said. “I woke early and my mind was buzzing.”
“Not at all.” He kissed her head and sat down next to her. “I was a bit worried when I saw you were gone, but we’re okay, yes?”
Ellie nodded, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks an adorable pink.
“Anyone for eggs and bacon?” came Isla’s voice from by the stove.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks, Mum,” Ellie called back.
“Count me in too, please,” Blake replied, his stomach growling.
Isla set a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, and toast in front of both of them and made a retreat.
“Anything fun?” Blake nodded at the laptop. The world felt weird after the intensity of the last few days, and he took a sip of coffee to remind himself this was real.
“Kind of,” Ellie said, frowning and turning her screen so he could see. “Do you want to look?”
He did. On the laptop screen was a page of code and he scanned through it, whistling. “That’s impressive. Tell me you didn’t write all that in one morning.”
“No way.” Ellie laughed. “Just half of it. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now, a thing I want to try with LifeWrite. You inspired me to get back to it.”
Blake’s smile widened, the pride in his expression unmistakable. “Ellie, this is brilliant. Honestly. I’ve seen a lot of pitches and ideas over the years, and this . . . this has real potential.”
“You think so?” she asked, her voice soft with vulnerability.
“I know so.” He turned to face her. “Look, I may not be in a position to throw financial backing your way right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help. I can look over the code, give you feedback, connect you with people who can guide you, whatever you need. You’ve got something special here, and I want to see it succeed.”
Her eyes lit up, and she took his hand, her grip warm and reassuring. “You really mean that?”
“Absolutely,” he said, squeezing her hand back. “This is your vision, Ellie, but I’m here to help in any way I can. Just tell me what you need.”
She smiled, her confidence blooming in his presence. Using her free hand, she scrolled down the page, showing him more of her work. “Okay then, Mr Fielding, tell me what you think of this. So, the whole thing about LifeWrite is that I want it to be a positive experience. I want it to make people feel good about themselves and about the world.”
