Welcome Back, Cohen

“I'm sorry I didn't believe you”

Sarah hung her head in shame as we walked past a news stand displaying Poppy's face. Just last night she'd been arrested for drug possession. Once the media's attention was on her the domino effect began. Anonymous tips began pouring into the police offices and more of Poppy's shady past was revealed. She'd quickly gone from the girl everyone loved to the next socialite version of Amanda Bynes.

“Honestly, if I was in your position, I probably wouldn't believe me either.” I knew she genuinely felt horrible. She was the type of friend that trusted people a little too much. Her expectations were unrealistically high and her naivety was low. She only meant good and well, and for that I couldn't be upset.

“I just, I feel so...vulnerable” Her eyes were glued to the pavement. We were walking back to class after our mid afternoon break. “Like a part of me has been stolen by lies.”

“Sarah” I gave her a side hug. “You should be happy you know the truth. She was a toxic person. You don't need that in your life.”

We spotted Emma and Corey across the auditorium sized class room and shuffled our way over. Henry didn't come into class today. According to Sarah, he “wasn't feeling too well.”

Our classes were ending in the next week, so the four of us decided to extend our study hours to ensure we had the basis of our curriculum covered. By the time we walked out of the library the busy streets were vacant with an occasional cab driving by. Sarah offered her driver to drop me off, but my apartment was on the opposite side of town. She looked like she could use some sleep, so I hailed a cab instead.

I walked into my apartment surprised to not see Kadie. I figured she decided to move back into her apartment, but then I saw her things neatly put away behind the couch rather than sprawled out in the living room. A few seconds later she came walking out of her old room.

“Hey” She greeted me as I put my things down on the breakfast table.

“Hey” I managed to reply back despite how exhausted I was.

“Long day?” Kadie asked as she made her way back to the couch. I nodded my head and walked into the kitchen to grab something to drink.

I  noticed some dishes out in the sink. It looked like Kadie had a guest over. She saw me examining the kitchen and answered my question, “Oh, Adam came over for dinner. I'm about to clean up. Don't worry.” She went back to tapping away on her phone.

“Adam came over?” I was confused as to why she would have him stop by, but not move back into her apartment.

“Yeah, we talked about everything, again.” she sighed.

“So, are things not looking good?” Kadie didn't look up from her phone. “Is that why you haven't moved back in?”

She put her phone down on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. “It's not that. It's just, I have to build my trust with him again. I mean, it was so easy for him to hid this from me. Who knows what else he would've hid?” She raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes as she spoke. “And until I do I can't see myself over there.”

“Kadie” I sighed. “I think you're bringing up issues that you good and well know have nothing to do with Adam.” Growing up Kadie was really close with her dad. The older she got the more he began lying to her. The more he lied the less she'd see him. Until eventually he wasn't a part of her life anymore. It took a huge toll on her dating life. She would never date anyone long enough to form an attachment. And now that she'd found herself in love with Adam, she was blowing tiny things out of proportion. “Adam didn't lie to you. He was trying to protect you. Huge difference.”

Kadie sat quietly and thought about what I'd said. “Regardless, I still need my space.”

I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my things. As I was about to get up from the couch, Kadie's phone began vibrating. She picked it up off the table and her eyes widened as she read the name.

“Lynn! Lynn! It's Eva!” Kadie slapped my arm repeatedly as she held up her phone. She'd only been waiting for this moment for the last 24 hours.

She answered the call and began talking to Eva. I decided to give her some space and took my things into my room. I unpacked my bags and repacked for the next day before I started getting ready for bed. Once I was done brushing my teeth and washing my face, Kadie came walking into my room. Her expression wasn't what I was expecting. “What happened?”

Kadie sat down on my bed. “Eva profusely apologized for everything that happened.”

“Good!” I nudged her shoulder. “Did she say what happened to Poppy?”

“Yeah, apparently she was deported back to France. Her family is admitting her into rehab.” Kadie was monotone as she spoke.

“God knows she needs it!” I laughed. But Kadie was still sitting emotionless.

“Lynn” she turned towards me “Eva didn't offer me my job back.”

“Did you ask her about it?”

“I waited for her to say something, but she didn't” Kadie looked down at the ground, confused.

“Well what did she say?”

“Just that she was sorry she didn't believe me and she was embarrassed that she let family interfere with business.” Kadie slowly stood up from the bed and walked towards the door.

“Maybe she was just calling to apologize. I'm sure once she gets back into the office tomorrow she'll call you to offer the job back.” I tried to make Kadie feel better.

She mumbled to herself trying to convince herself I was right. Once she'd left my room I was out like a light.

The next morning I'd gotten a text from Connor to go out to dinner that night. We'd both been so busy with school and work that it'd been days since we'd seen each other. I was tired from the drama and needed a night to escape with my man.

After classes were done and our study session was over I headed to Connor's place. He was still at the office so I let myself in.

Connor wanted to try out a new restaurant in uptown that had just opened. It was a fancy place that required you to dress nice in order to keep up the restaurant's appearance. When he'd told me about the plans this morning, I packed a change of clothes and began getting ready as I waited for him to get home.

An hour had passed by before I heard keys rustling against the door. “Hey!” Connor greeted me as he walked into his room. “You look beautiful” He smiled and took my hand to twirl me around. I was wearing a black long sleeved backless dress and my hair was curled and pulled over to one side.

“You know what would look even better?” Connor asked as he pulled out a jewelry box from behind his back.

I stood still with my mouth open and my eyes wide. He opened the box to reveal a diamond necklace. It had a single princess cut stone with smaller diamonds around it. It was gorgeous, but the simplicity of the necklace is what made it beautiful. I gasped and covered my mouth, “Connor, You shouldn't have.” I looked up at him as he laughed at my reaction. “Seriously, I can't accept this...”

Connor cut me off “I saw it on my way home and I thought it would look perfect on you. It's a small gift. Don't worry about it.” He took the necklace out of the box and stood behind me as he put it on. I was speechless, I couldn't figure out the right words to say, so I turned around and kissed him.

“I should probably freshen up” Connor kissed me again before he left to get ready.

We got to the restaurant half an hour later. The place was crowded. We stood outside as we waited for the hostess to get our table ready. A few minutes later she signaled for us to come inside. I walked in front of Connor as we squeezed past the crowded bar area.

I saw someone from the corner of my eye turn around and look at me, and then do a double take. I figured it was a drunk guy and continued to walk. Until I heard my name being called. I looked over to see Jonah.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Connor slammed in behind me. “What's wrong?” He asked. I stood quietly as Jonah approached me.

“I'm so glad you could make it!” He threw out his arms for a hug. He seemed like he was a drink away from having too many.

Connor looked at me confused. “I didn't know you were coming into town so soon” I shouted over the crowd.

“I texted you. I told you my friends were having a welcome back dinner.” I shook my head as he spoke. I hadn't received anything from him. “You look just as beautiful as I remember” Jonah smiled as he looked me up and down. I think his last drink was finally catching up to him.

Connor took a step forward so that he was standing next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist, in the instinctive way protective guys do. Jonah's face grew confused. “You know him?”

“Yeah” I felt my face flushing red. I knew I'd have to tell Jonah eventually when he came into town, but not like this. “This is my....boyfriend”

The drunk look wiped off of Jonah's face immediately. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat as we all stared at each other in an epic moment of awkward silence.



 ________________________________________

Hey guys, I've created a new blog! It's a little more personal. Thought it'd be a great way for me to stay connected with y'all outside of Lynn's world. Head on over and enjoy my daily ramblings :)

http://ramblingsofaserialrambler.blogspot.com/

Breaking News

“I'm about to board my flight. I'll call you when I land.”

Kadie's voice was somber as she hung up the phone. Just a few short hours ago she was fired from her dream job. She was already on her way back to the City. I felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I thought of the unfortunate position she'd been put in because of Poppy.

It all started 48 hours ago. Adam had finally figured out a plan to take Poppy down without anyone finding out. Unfortunately, the faulty plan was made on a whim. It would've worked on anyone else, but Poppy is always three steps ahead. She's one of those people you shouldn't dare to cross. Not because she's scary, but because she'll make it her life mission to get you back a million times worse.

When she figured out Adam was behind the plan, she jumped on her family's private jet and paid her Auntie Eva a visit in LA. I'm sure she fed her some outrageous lies which infuriated Eva. So much so, that she wouldn't even listen to Kadie as she tried to plead her innocence.

Kadie explained to Eva how messed up and involved with drugs Poppy is, but Eva didn't believe a word of it. She told her how Poppy even tried to make out with Adam in order to ruin their relationship. When Kadie had Googled the picture to prove it she couldn't find anything. By that point Adam's legal team had made sure the internet was clear from the false story that Poppy tried to plant.

When Kadie called to let me know her flight information, she asked if she could stay with me. Adam had been trying to reach out to her, but she told him she wasn't having it. She was shell shocked and needed her space to think everything over.

As soon as we'd hung up the phone I headed over to Adam's to grab a few of Kadie's essentials.

“Hey” Adam greeted me as he opened his door. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. It was strange seeing a lightly forming beard on his face since he was normally clean shaven. It was a testimony to the struggle he'd been put in.

“Kadie wanted me to tell you she still needs her space. She's coming into town in a few hours and she's planning on staying at my place for a few days.” I spoke quickly as I walked past him into their bedroom.

Adam grunted irritatedly as he leaned against the bedroom door's frame. He stood there with his arms folded as he watched. “Once Poppy comes back into town I swear to fucking...”

“Adam” I cut him off. “Don't you understand? Nothing's going to work on Poppy. She always gets what she wants. She told you she'd ruin your relationship, didn't she? This is Poppy's world, we're just living in it.” I sighed as I grabbed the last of Kadie's things and walked out the room.

“Where is that coming from? You were just helping me plot a revenge...” Adam asked as he trailed after me.

I stopped just before opening the front door. “I can't hurt my best friend anymore, Adam. We tried to stop Poppy once and look how it turned out. She's a force that can't be reckoned with. Kadie just lost her dream job and any connections she had in this industry because of her. It's over, Adam. You should salvage what you have now before it's all gone.” We stared at each other in silence before I opened the door to his apartment and left.

It was almost 10pm that night when I finally headed over to the airport to pick up Kadie. The look on her face was blank. She was completely emotionless. The entire subway ride back to my apartment was spent in silence. It wasn't until she dropped her bag on the floor once we'd gotten inside that she began crying.

“Kadie” I rubbed her shoulder trying to comfort her. She flinched at my touch and leaned away.

“I get it, Lynn. Adam was only trying to help.” She said sarcastically.

“That's not what I was going to say...” I sat across from her on the couch.

“Then what? Everything's going to be okay?” She lifted her head up from her hands and looked at me. “Well guess what? It's not! I'm so fucked! Losing a job anywhere else would have been fine. But, this is Eva fucking Darlington. If any future employers find out I was fired, or tries to get a reference, I'll never land a job in this industry again!” Kadie was shouting at this point. I sat quietly and let her purge her feelings. I knew she was being a little over dramatic, but I didn't say anything. “I worked my ass off, Lynn. I don't deserve this! And it's all because of Adam!”

“Hey!” I snapped back at her. “You can blame this on any one you want. Hell, blame it on me. But, Adam? Absolutely not. He has been a legitimate mess trying to keep you out of this. It's not his fault Poppy is an evil little bitch.”

“They both can go to hell for all I care.” Kadie sucked in a sharp breath to calm herself. She wiped the tears from her eyes and laid down on the couch.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. I put it on the coffee table for Kadie. “Here's some water. You know where the extra blankets and pillows are if you need them. I'm going to sleep.” I picked up my things and went into my room for the night.

The next morning as I was leaving for school I found Kadie lying on the couch with her eyes opened. She was staring up at the ceiling. I almost felt guilty leaving. I took a step towards the door, but swung myself around and walked towards her instead.

“Hey” I nudged her legs to make room for myself.

“Hi.” She whispered back. Both her hands were cushioning the back of her head. “Weird to see me before school, right?” The side of Kadie's mouth curled up in a bitter half smile.

“We ran into each other plenty of times in the morning while you were here.” I tried to play it off to avoid making her feel any worse.

“Not like this” She pulled out her hand from under her head and grabbed at her t-shirt.

“I have to go, K” I stood up and walked away. “There's left overs in the fridge if you get hungry.”

“Great! This is my life now. Squatting at my friend's apartment and eating leftovers.” She mumbled as I walked out the front door.

As I shuffled down the stairs to the main street I pulled out my cell phone to text Adam.

Kadie's a huge mess. Really think you should stop by while I'm gone. I have a feeling things will be different if she sees you in person.

Just before I made it to the subway stop I'd gotten a response.

I'll go during my lunch break.

Both Henry and Sarah practically tackled me as I walked into class.

“What the hell is going on?” Sarah loudly whispered.

“I'll tell you later.” I hissed back as our professor walked into the room. The truth was, I didn't know how to break it to them. I wanted to yell at both of them for being oblivious to Poppy's lifestyle, but at the same time they'd both been good friends to me (Sarah more than Henry) since I'd moved to the City. I didn't want to jeopardize that.

Our lecture ran a little longer than usual. It gave me enough time to figure out a way to tell Sarah and Henry without things getting too complicated. As soon as we were out for our break, we headed over to the food cart across the street. We found an empty bench on the outskirts of Central Park and sat down.

“So, what the fuck is Kadie's problem?” Henry asked.

“What the fuck is Kadie's problem?” I pulled my words as I asked the question back to Henry. “More like what the fuck is Poppy's problem.”

Henry and Sarah looked at each other surprised. “What are you talking about?” I told them the whole story from the beginning. There was a few times Sarah would interject to defend Poppy, but I would stop her. Henry on the other hand sat quietly, knowing that everything I was saying was true. His mind was just as twisted as his cousin's and he knew exactly what she was capable of.

“That can't be true” Sarah folded her arms “I know Poppy rode my mother's coattails, but she'd never make a fool out of her like that.”

I was taken back. I was about to snap when I decided to bite my tongue. Each of us was going to defend the man in our corner. “You know what, guys? Maybe we should agree to disagree. I don't want to lose a friendship because of somebody else's issue.”

As we walked back into class after our break, I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text from Adam.

Just left your place.

I texted back:

How'd it go?

He responded:

You were right, she felt a little better after seeing me in person. Said she forgave me but still needs to stay at your place for some space.

After class was over I skipped my normal study session and headed home. Kadie was exactly where I'd left her this morning. Still in her pajamas on the couch.

“So” I greeted her as I walked in “How did it go?”

Kadie sat upright, knowing exactly what I was talking about. “You win” She threw up her hands defeated. “You knew my weakness. You knew I'd cave once I'd see him in person.”

“Well there's a reason he's a lawyer, K” I smiled back at her but she didn't do the same.

“He told me he was going to make it up to me. What does he mean by that?” She asked.

“I don't know. He didn't tell me anything.” I answered just as confused as her. I went into my room to put my things away. And joined Kadie on the couch.

“I'm sorry for taking it out of you.” Kadie's voice was low. “Adam made me realize that both of you two had good intentions. It's just hard to accept with all the repercussions.”

“It's okay.” I mumbled back before I changed the subject. “I'm starving. You want pizza?”

I grabbed my phone to call for pizza delivery when my phone suddenly started vibrating. I looked over to see Kadie's phone vibrating on the table as well.

We stared at each other wondering who could have been texting us both at the same time. I looked down at my screen to see a text from Adam, again.

Turn it on E!

Kadie had seen the text on her phone and had already reached over for the remote. We watched quietly as a Breaking News report showed a video of Poppy Leroux surrounded by paparazzi as she was being handcuffed and escorted by the NYPD out of Adam's law firm.

Mission Impossible

“For fuck's sake Adam!”

I shouted over the phone before he could even say anything. We'd finally made it back to the city and I'd waited until I was in my apartment before I let a rip on him.

“I'm in so much trouble” Adam's voice was low and defeated. “Have you talked to Kadie yet?”

“Not yet. I wanted to find out what the hell was going on before she asked.” I sighed as I sat down on my couch.

“Are you at home? Can I stop by?” Adam asked. I would've thought twice about Connor's feelings before answering, but this was urgent.

I started unpacking my things as I waited for him to come over. I could have been done much sooner, but I kept spacing out. One minute I was thinking about how amazing my weekend with Connor had been, and the next I was infuriated that things with Poppy had escalated. Almost half an hour had passed before Adam knocked on my door.

I let him inside and we both sat down at the dinner table. Adam covered his face, not knowing where to start.

“How did you end up with Poppy's tongue down your throat? I thought we were trying to fix the problem without Kadie getting hurt.”

“I know, I know...” Adam sighed. “I thought I figured out a way to get her back without her knowing it was me. But it back fired.” He rubbed his temples before he continued. “Jebrone found out through some connections where Poppy goes to get her drugs. So, we found her dealer and bribed him to call Poppy and tell her he had some stuff waiting for her. After he did that I made an anonymous call to the paparazzi and told them where Poppy would be. They were suppose to get pictures of her doing drugs. It would ruin her career and get her in trouble with her family. Since it would be a legal issue, she'd have to go back to Paris.”

“Oh, Adam” I gasped and covered my mouth, “There's SO much wrong with that plan.”

He grunted as he shook his head, “What actually ended up happening was that the paparazzi got there before the dealer did. So she fled the scene. She manipulated him into telling her who set her up, and he told her it was someone from my law firm. Of course, she knew it was me. So, she told the paparazzi she was on her way to see her 'new boyfriend', knowing they would follow her to my office. She completely blindsided me. She knew all the gossip sites would post it. So before my legal team could remove it from the internet she'd already anonymously sent it to Kadie.”

“Oh my God.” I held my head in my hands. There wasn't a single part of me that didn't want to shred Poppy to a million pieces. “We need to call Kadie.”

“She's not answering my calls.” Adam's face slumped into a frown. “She didn't even give me a chance to explain.”

I leaned over and rubbed Adam's shoulder to comfort him. “I'll try to do some damage control.” I picked up my phone and called Kadie. Luckily she answered.

“Why haven't you been responding to my texts?!” Her voice shouted over the phone.

“K, you know I was out of town. I didn't have much reception until I got back.” I tried to explain before I heard Kadie's voice crack into a quiet sob.

“Adam is cheating on me, Lynn. With Poppy fucking Leroux” Her cry grew louder with each word.

“No he's not, Kadie. Trust me.” I said in hopes to calm her down. “There's something you need to know...” I looked over at Adam, who was now pinching the bridge of his nose.

I continued to tell Kadie the whole story. Every last detail from the night Adam and I had talked up until that moment. She was surprisingly quiet throughout the whole story.

She cleared her throat before she spoke again. “Wait, so you knew?” I wasn't sensing the happiest tone.

“Well, yeah...” I didn't know how to retaliate. Everything seemed logical before, until now. “I thought we could take care of it before the issue escalated. We didn't want to jeopardize your career.”

“Great! The two closest people in my life don't think I can handle a simple issue? If I'd known about this from the beginning Poppy wouldn't have an incentive. She played you two!” Kadie's voice boomed through the phone so loud I had to move it away from my ear. “You two better be happy it was taken out of the presses before Eva could see it”

“K, I'm sorry! I was just trying to look out for you! You know you would've done the same thing for me.” I tried pleading.

Suddenly Kadie got quiet. So quiet that I almost thought she'd hung up on me. I was reassured when I heard a deep sigh. “I get that, Lynn. But I can't get over the fact that Adam tried to hide this from me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him. “I know he's sitting next to you.” I raised my eyebrows in shock that she'd known without me telling her. “You can let him know that I need some space. I'll reach out to him when I'm ready.”

“Kadie, he didn't want you to get hurt. His intentions are pure, I promise.” Before I could finish she cut me off.

“Lynn, I really don't want to hear it right now.” There was another short moment of silence on the phone. “I've got an early morning tomorrow. I have to go.”

I shut off my phone and put it down on the table. Adam and I sat staring at each other, confused. He stood up from his chair and slowly paced back and forth in the living room. He wrapped his hands around his head as he tried to think.

“I say, fuck it.” Adam turned around when he heard my voice. He looked at me not knowing where I was going with my idea. “Fuck it!” I stood up with confidence “Let's just tell Poppy's family everything.”

Adam stopped walking as he thought about my idea. “That isn't going to work. We have nothing for them to believe us.”

I folded my arms and leaned back on the table as we both began brainstorming again.

“Wait!” I shouted. “I got it!” I walked over to the living room where Adam was. I gestured for him to sit down and then did the same. “Remember when you told me about all the celebrities that have drugs on them. How do y'all know when they have it?”

“Because...” Adam began explaining, “we can't meet with the clients until they've gone through a security check.”

“So, then what happens to all the drugs y'all confiscate?” I asked hoping that his answer would put my plan into action.

Adam, still confused, went on “We collect it anonymously so our clients stay out of trouble. Someone from the DA's office makes weekly visits to pick it up.” A spark went off in Adam's eye as he started piecing the puzzle together. “Oh my God, Lynn! You're a fucking genius!”

“If Poppy isn't a client you don't have to protect her.” The smile on both of our faces grew.

“Shit!” Adam excitedly shouted.

We spent the next hour plotting out exactly how everything would go down. We'd be able to get Poppy into enough legal trouble that she'd have to go back to Paris. And her family would finally see her true colors.

The next morning I saw Sarah and Henry in class. Neither one of them had mentioned the incident with Poppy and Adam, so I figured they hadn't seen it. I tried beating around the bush to make sure. “How's Poppy doing?” I whispered to Sarah.

“She's great” Sarah looked over at me concerned. “She's gone to LA”

“What?” I spoke loudly. My classmates sitting around me turned around to give me a deathly stare. I whispered “Sorry” and turned back towards Sarah.

She continued in a quiet whisper, “She went to go visit my mum.”

I grabbed my head as I felt a rush of blood pumping. I knew this wasn't going to end well.

Immediately after class I pulled out my phone to call Adam. Before I could find his name in my call log, my phone began ringing. It was Kadie.

“Hello?” I answered.

Kadie's voice cracked as she spoke “Lynn, Eva just fucking fired me."

Bossy Pants

“No peeking!”

Connor and I had both been having a stressful week at school and work. So, he decided to surprise me with a road trip to upstate New York. Just a mile before we'd gotten to our destination, Connor made me blindfold myself with a scarf. I felt the car stop and heard him shuffle out. A second later he opened my car door and held my hand. After taking a few steps forward he stood closely behind me as he took my blindfold off.

“What do you think?” Connor asked as I admired the scenery.

We stood in front of a cottage that over looked a private lake and miles of tree covered hills The cabin itself was like something out of a traveler's magazine. Rustic, yet modern. We were completely surrounded by these gigantic lush green trees. They were so tall it looked as if they ended at the heavens.

It was like nature on steroids. “It's absolutely beautiful.” I gasped.

“Just like you” Connor whispered in my ear. His hands wrapped around my waist as he hugged me from behind. I turned my head around and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

I continued to look around as I waited for Connor to grab our bags from the car. A sudden calm poured over me. I was oblivious to the stress I'd been dealing with all week when I realized Connor and I were the only humans around for miles.

Connor swung our bags over his shoulder and took my hand again. We walked up a few steps to the front door. I was pleasantly surprised once again as we walked inside. The place was fully furnished. It was like my wildest Pinterest dreams come true. “Whoa, this place must have cost you a fortune!” I whispered loud enough for Connor to hear.

He smirked and furrowed his brow as he let out a slight laugh, “don't worry about it.”

After we'd finally put all our things away we both fell on to the bed in the master bedroom. We laid on our backs, staring up at the ceiling, exhausted. I turned my head towards Connor. He was still staring upwards, lost in his thoughts. I could tell by the concentration on his face that he had work on his mind.

I couldn't help but smile as I examined him. Despite how many times his hands ran through his hair, it was still perfectly made from when he'd gone to work that morning. My eyes traced down to his eyes. It was evident from his lower lid that he lived a stressful life. I continued down to his cheeks. They were slightly rosy from exhaustion. And finally his jaw. It was normally prominent and clean shaven. But, the weekend had began, which meant it was now covered in scruff.

I lifted my hand to his face and ran my finger on his jawline. He turned over with a smile.“You look so handsome with some scruff.” I continued tracing his face, “I love the feeling of it.”

Connor pulled me in close and rolled his body over mine. I began laughing maniacally as he rubbed his face on my neck. His stumbled hair tickling my skin.“You like that?”

“Connor!” I tried gasping for air as I laughed.

He looked up at me with a straight face, “You're not ticklish are you?” the mischievous smile on his face grew as he leaned down and rubbed his face on my neck again.

We wrestled around until I was able to break free from his arms. I jumped off the bed and ran down the hallway. Connor chased after me until we found ourselves in the kitchen. Both of us gripped on to the island. We watched each other intently to see which way the other would run. Connor faked a jolt and I hightailed out of the kitchen only to be caught in his arms. He spun me around and pinned me between the kitchen counter.

Our laughing subsided as we tried to catch our breath. Once we finally had, Connor grabbed my face and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. As we were making out he picked me up into his arms and walked over to the overstuffed couch in the living room.

Our bodies laid intertwined. Our faces were only inches away. My eyes were fixed on Connor's lips as he brushed my hair away from my face. “I like when you're like this...” I whispered.

Connor's finger lifted my chin until our eyes met. “I can't always be like this. You know that” his voice softly whispered back.

“I know, but you always turn into a completely different person when you're stressed out.” My eyes looked back down. I always found it so hard to look into people's eyes during confrontations. “It's impossible to compromise, let alone talk to you when you get that way.”

Connor's face grew concerned. He lifted my face up again, this time leaving his hand under my chin. “Babe, you know you can always talk to me.”

“How can I talk to you when you completely shut off? It's your way or no way. I told you I don't want to fight with you anymore. But it belittles me when you don't try to at least compromise.”

“Shit” Connor whispered to himself as he leaned up on his elbow. “Lynn, I'm sorry” He rubbed his hand on his forehead before he continued. “I never realized you felt like that.”

I unwinded myself from Connor's body and sat upright. “That's the problem, Connor. You don't realize it, and you don't listen to me when I try to tell you.”

Connor pulled himself upright so that his back was in the corner of the cushion and armrest. He sprawled out his arms and gestured towards me, “come here”

I leaned forward until my head was resting on his shoulder. He held my body close to his. “I know I can be an asshole some times...”

“Majority of the time” I jokingly corrected him

“Fine, majority of the time. And I guess it's because my job kind of requires me to be one. I'm always having to tell people what to do and when to do it. Sometimes when I'm so stressed out I forget to shift gears and don't realize who the person is that I'm being a bossy pants with.” I nestled my head into Connor's neck. Although his behavior was inexcusable sometimes, I could still understand where he was coming from. “I told you I'm working on it...” He said apologetically.

“I know you are, Connor. You've been doing a good job of opening up, and I really do appreciate it. You just have to work on compromising. You're not the only one in this relationship, you know.”

“I hate making you feel that way.” He leaned me back so that he could see my face again. “Change is always hard, but I promise I'm trying.” I couldn't exactly be mad at Connor for his old habits. I'd known how he was before we'd even gotten into a relationship. I was just glad that, unlike most people, he was willing to accept that he had a few flaws and was trying to fix them for my sake. “I feel like I should make it up to you”

I crawled off of Connor's lap and pulled him off the couch. “You can start by making dinner.”

He kissed me again before he walked away into the kitchen. I plopped myself back down onto the couch and turned on the TV. I felt a vibration in my back pocket and pulled out my phone. It was a missed call from Kadie.

“Hey” Connor called out from the kitchen. “No cell phones this weekend, remember?” Since Connor had been completely consumed with work these past few weeks, we made a pack to spend a weekend alone without any distractions. I closed my phone and put it on the table before going into the kitchen to help Connor.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

After a relaxing weekend of kayaking, hiking, couples massages, and amazing sex we were finally on our way back to the City.

“You got everything?” Connor asked as he locked up the front door.

“Yup!” I smiled. “Wait! I just want to take one last picture of the scenery.” I stood by the car as I took out my cell phone and turned it back on. A few seconds after the screen had rebooted a load of text messages and missed calls popped up.

Connor packed away the last bag. He sat inside and turned on the car as he waited for me. I tried to exit past my notification screen to get to my camera, but I stopped when I'd seen a random text from Adam:

I think I figured out how to get Poppy

And a multiple texts from Kadie immediately after:

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

Why the hell are there paparazzi pictures of Adam and Poppy all over the internet??????

Hello Lynn??

Where are you??

What's going on????

Google Alert

“Did you find out anything?”

I lowly whispered into my phone. I was sitting in the middle of our school's library ducking my head under my arms as I spoke. Kadie had just found out the night before that she'd be flying out to LA by the end of the week for a two week assignment. Eva, Kadie's boss, told her she'd be working with Jonah's team on a “secret” project. Apparently Jonah's company needed Darlington Co. to finalize a few details before taking the news to the presses. There were already rumors streaming through gossip news sites predicting what the announcement could be.

“Not yet” Kadie whispered back. “Eva's coming! I gotta go!” Her words were rushed as she hung up the phone.

I dropped my hands on the table and looked up at Sarah. She was sitting in front of me with her nose buried in class notes. “Sarah” I loudly whispered to get her attention. She looked up “how do you not know what's going on?”

“I'm sorry, Lynn” She pouted “My mum knows I've got a massive blabber mouth. She never tells me anything work related anymore!”

Connor was working late that night, so I decided to head back to my place. Jaime and I had been texting back and forth that day. He was working at the hospital close by to my apartment. I asked him to come over for dinner once he was done with his shift.

Once I settled in, there was a knock at my door. Jaime helped himself inside and greeted me as he walked in. “Hola mamacita!” He sang as he held up a bag of Chipotle.

We grabbed a couple of plates and plopped ourselves in the living room in front of the TV. We watched a rerun of 30 Rock as we caught up with each other.

“Jaime, you will never believe what happened..” I grabbed his arm, startling him.

“Oh my God! What?” He spoke with equal shock.

I told him all about Poppy and everything that happened between her and Adam. “...So, now she's threatening to sabotage his relationship with Kadie.”

“What the legitimate fuck?!” Jaime put down his plate and folded his arms as he thought to himself. “That girl is bad news.” He shook his head. “What is Adam planning on doing about it?”

“I don't know, but we've got to come up with something good.” I stared off into space as I thought of ideas before Jaime's voice brought be back to reality.

“So, what does Kadie think about the whole situation?” He asked as he bit into his burrito.

I put down my plate and made an are you kidding face, “Kadie has no idea. You know how she is, she'd flip shit.”

Jaime stopped in mid-bite. He covered his mouth before he cleared his throat. “Wait, I'm sorry, what?” I looked at him confused. “You two are seriously not going to tell Kadie? Lynn, do you understand the drama that's going to cause? Take it from me, I know drama...”

“I know, Jaime” I rolled my eyes, irritated. “But, if we tell her and she does something to Poppy? Eva's beloved niece? Maybe in the end she'll have Adam, but she sure as hell won't have a job. She's dreamed of working at Darlington. I can't sabotage that.”

Jaime shook his head “I don't know, Lynn.” He sighed between his thoughts, “something tells me this is gonna go terribly wrong.”

“Let's hope for the best” I sighed, defeated. Jaime shrugged his shoulder and tapped his plastic coke bottle against mine.

We finished up dinner and Jaime headed back home.

The rest of the week rolled by quicker than it came. We were at the last few weeks of our semester before summer vacation, so I was glad time was flying by.

Saturday morning Adam and I dropped off Kadie at the airport. After she safely made it past security, Adam took me back to Connor's place.

“So, what's been going on with Poppy? Any updates?” I asked as we sat in the car.

“She's pissing the shit out of me.” Adam collected himself before he continued. “She's been trying to reach out to Kadie all week. I've been having to watch her like a hawk. Which is only making it worse because now she's on to me.” He put his hand behind my head rest and turned around to back out of the parking spot.

“What do you think she's going to do? I don't know if Kadie would believe anything Poppy would say.” My conversation with Jaime earlier this week kept playing back in my head. “Maybe we should tell her?”

Adam switched the gears on his car and looked over at me. “You're kidding, right? You know Kadie idolizes Poppy. She'd believe anything. That's what I'm afraid of.”

“We've got two weeks to get rid of Poppy Leroux” Adam and I looked over at each other in agreement.

Half an hour later, we finally made it to Connor's place. I invited Adam inside for a drink. I knocked on the door, but Connor never opened it. I pulled out my spare key and opened the door. Adam helped himself on the couch while I looked around the apartment trying to find Connor. When he was no where in sight I gave him a call.

“Hey babe, where are you?” I asked as he answered the phone.

“Lynn, I'm so sorry I just got pulled into work this morning. I've been so swamped I didn't get a chance to tell you.” I could hear another doctor from his practice talking in the background and the sound of shuffling papers. Just those alone made me feel bad for him.

“That's fine. Adam dropped by, but it's okay we can do something later.”

“Wait” the sound of shuffling papers stopped. “Adam's there?”

“Yeah” I responded slowly.

“He's at my apartment, alone, with you?” Connor asked insinuating something else.

“Is there a problem? Because I really don't see one.” I replied in a stern voice.

There was a second of silence before Connor exhaled a heavy breath, “I'll see you later” his voice had quickly gone from distracted to annoyed.

Once we hung up I turned towards Adam and shook my phone. “This boy is gonna be the death of me.” I tossed it onto the couch and went into the kitchen to pour out some mimosas.

After an hour of chatting, Adam decided to go on his way. I spent majority of my day lounging around Connor's place until he'd gotten home that evening.

He walked into the apartment looking drained. His outfit was much more casual than his normal work week attire. He walked over and gave me a kiss as he greeted me. Eventually falling over on the couch, exhausted.

“Why'd you have to go in today?” I asked curiously.

“I'm working on a project with the other doctors for a charity.” Half of Connor's attention was on me and the other half on the muted TV playing the news. He furrowed his brows and turned towards me. “Why was Adam here?”

“He dropped me off after the airport. We thought you'd be home, so he came inside to see you.” I explained.

“Why didn't he leave when he saw I wasn't here?” Connor asked.

“Because I told him to stay anyway for drinks.” I looked at Connor as if he were crazy.

“Lynn, you know I don't like that sort of thing” He sat up straight as he spoke.

“I'm sorry, you don't like what? Me being friends with my best friend's boyfriend?”

“I don't like you being here, or anywhere, alone with another guy.” Connor stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“That's ridiculous” I mumbled to myself.

“What?” Connor looked over at me from where he was standing.

“Adam's a friend, Connor. I think you're being a little too paranoid.” I rolled my eyes.

Connor walked half way back to the living room. “I don't care. If you want to be friends with them, fine. But don't hang out with them alone. I said I don't like it, I don't like it.” We stood there staring at each other until he walked back into the kitchen. I decided to pick my battle and stayed quiet. By now I'd known that Connor has a short temper and I really didn't want to deal with another argument.

We spent the rest of the night watching TV in silence. Sunday morning I headed back to my apartment to get my things ready for the week.

It wasn't until Monday morning that I'd gotten a call from Kadie. She knew my schedule, so I though it was weird that she was calling me during class. I quickly ran out into the hallway to answer her call.

“K? Is everything okay?”

“Oh my God, Lynn.” Kadie sounded like she'd just ran a marathon. As she was catching her breath a Google alert went off on my phone. I had set one up in case anything was announced about Jonah's company. “You will never fucking believe this!” Kadie's voice shouted through the phone as I pulled away to see the alert.

I covered my mouth in shock as I read the headline:

LEAKED: NETWORK WILL ANNOUNCE LATE NIGHT HEAD WRITER, JONAH COHEN, TO TAKE OVER TALK SHOW IN NEW YORK CITY

Making Me Feel Some Type of Way

“Hey”

Connor's voice was calm and low as he walked through the front door. He gently placed his keys on the kitchen counter. It had been hours since he'd finally decided to come back home.

I sat on the floor of his living room with my knees close to my body and my back resting against the couch. I looked up at Connor as he walked towards me and gave him a sheepish smile, my poor attempt at acknowledging his presence.

He sat down, in the same position, both our eyes fixed on the blank T.V screen in front of us. Normally, the busy streets below us couldn't be heard, but today the depth of our silence was accentuating every sound.

“I'm sorry, Lynn.” Connor's voice was so quiet I had to look over at him to make sure his mouth was actually moving. Without looking, his hand slide across the floor and laid on top of mine.

“Connor...” I pulled my hand from underneath his and placed it on top. “I'm sorry, too.” He finally looked over at me.

“No, you shouldn't be. It was my fault.” He rested his arms on his knees and leaned his head against his hands. “I should have just been open with you. But, I wasn't ready to talk about it. And I don't think you're jealous, that just came from a place of feeling like I was being cornered. And you know my hot headed Boston ass can't handle being cornered.” I smiled at Connor's self description as I stared down at the space between us. “I know you were coming from a good place and I just had to walk away from the situation before either one of us said something else we didn't mean. I want you to know that I'm trying, Lynn.”

When Connor first left the apartment I didn't know how to feel. I was so aggravated that things had gotten so far. As time passed I realized that the things that had been said were petty. I suddenly started seeing myself in Connor's position and realized that, as much as it was both of our faults, I could have prevented the situation. The more time passed, the fonder I became of Connor. I hadn't realized how much my attachment to him had grown until the threads of our relationship began to pull.

“I really don't want to fight with you anymore, Lynn.” Connor's voice lulled.

“I know sometimes we fight, and it doesn't mean anything, but today when you left it made me realize that I really don't want to fight with you either.” Connor turned his body towards me and sat Indian-style. “And...” I paused to carefully choose my words while I turned towards him and sat in the same position. “The reason I never tell you how you make me feel is because it's indescribable.” I took both his hands in mine. “One minute I want to choke you, and the next I just want you to be the big spoon and cuddle.” Connor's laughter filled the room and lightened the mood. “Every time you look at me, I feel like the prettiest girl in the world. When our skin touches, chills run through my spine. There's nothing I like more than being around you, Connor. I'm so proud of everything you've accomplished. You make me want to be more ambitious with my future.”

“Shh...” Connor brought his hands up to my face. I hadn't realized the tears streaming down my cheeks until his thumbs lightly brushed them away.

He gently pulled me forward and kissed me. It was the slowest kiss filled with the most passion.

After a minute I pulled away and looked up at him, “Promise me something” We kissed again, this time Connor pulled me into his lap.

“Anything” He whispered between kisses.

He leaned his body back until he was laying on the floor, my body over his,“Promise me you won't leave me like that again”

He rolled over so I was pinned between him and the floor. “I promise” he looked in my eyes before he leaned down to kiss me again.

We spent the rest of our day talking, and talking, until the only way left to express ourselves was through the motion of our bodies.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sunday after breakfast, Connor went into work and I went home to catch up on my studying.

Just as I opened my anatomy book my phone began ringing. It was Kadie. Adam was out for the day and she wanted to stop by.

An hour later she was plopped down on the couch in my apartment. “Lynn, what did you and Adam talk about the other night?”

My heart started beating faster, not knowing where Kadie was going with this. “What do you mean?”

“You know, when he walked you to the subway station” Kadie was playing with her nails when she looked up at me.

“Why? What happened?” I avoided the question, hoping Kadie couldn't see how nervous I was.

“Oh, nothing.” She turned back to look at her nails. “It's just, Adam's been acting weird since that night, and I thought he might have told you something.”

“Weird, like how?” I asked.

Kadie sighed and leaned her head back on the couch cushion. “Like, he never really cared what I was doing, but then suddenly yesterday he was all up in my business, making sure he knew what I was doing. I don't know, maybe I'm just the one being weird.”

“Maybe” Before I could say anything else Kadie's phone rang.

“Oh shit, it's Eva.” She answered her phone and walked away to the kitchen.

She was on the phone for a while so I decided to clean up the living room since I hadn't been home all weekend. As I was organizing the books on my coffee table Kadie walked back over to me. She was still on the phone. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw was dropped.

I couldn't help but laugh at her expression. I figured she was going to be working on a cool new project and was excited to share the news. A few seconds later she hung up her phone.

“Lynn!” I looked over at her, surprised she wasn't smiling. “Eva's sending me to LA for two weeks for a project.”

“That's great, Kadie!” I cheered, but she was still expressionless “What's wrong?”

“She told me I'm working with Jonah's team...”

I dropped the book in my hand. Kadie and I stood silently in the middle of the living room staring at each other.

Matters of The Heart

“Connor?”

I rolled over to see an empty space on his side of the bed. Last night, after the whole fiasco at Kadie's place, I ended up crashing here. We spent most of the night talking. I filled him in on Poppy and how she was going after Kadie. It was getting late and I didn't feel like heading home, so Connor convinced me to stay.

“Connor?” I called out again, louder this time.

I looked around the room. The bathroom door was open with no one inside. I put on my Hello Kitty socks to protect them from the cold wooden floors and jumped out of bed. I walked into the empty living room. There was no sight of Connor, even in the kitchen. I figured he went out for his morning run and headed back to bed.

Just then I felt arms tightly wrap around me. I yelped, not knowing who it was. My body slowly relaxed when I heard Connor softly laugh. His breath just hitting the nape of my neck. “Are you that easily frightened?” He spun me around so we were facing each other. His hands resting at my waist.

“You didn't answer me.” I rolled my eyes. “I thought you were out”

He leaned down and kissed me before he walked to the bedroom. “I just got back from my run”. I stood where he'd left me. I quietly watched as he took off his shirt and threw it on the ground. He shimmied out of his shorts and stood naked with only his boxers on. His sweaty body glistened in the sunlight that was pouring into the room. Connor stopped just at the edge of the bathroom door. “Are you gonna join me, or what?” He flashed a smile, revealing his pearly whites.

I slowly walked towards him. “I actually need to head home” I said, teasingly.

Connor held onto the door frame as his expression intensified, obviously playing along. “What?” He shook his head and walked towards me. “Oh, hell na! You bes' getcho ass over here!” he shouted in a weak attempt at a country accent. I started laughing uncontrollably. Connor picked me up and laid me on to the bed.

I sat leaning on my elbows as I wiped his sweat off of me, “Gross!”

Connor's face lit up as he smiled. I knew he was up to something. “Oh really, you think that's gross?” He laid his body on top of mine. I could feel the wetness all over.

“Ew!” I tried shouting between my laughs.

Connor, who was laughing along, lifted his body up as if he were about to get off the bed. “Now you have to come with me,” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. We began kissing passionately as he removed my clothing. When I was finally naked, he wrapped my legs around his body and carried me into the shower.

“You know, I don't think I give you enough credit.” I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself as I stepped out of the shower. Connor followed my lead. I turned my head to see him smiling at me through the foggy mirror.

“You really don't” He turned around and leaned against the bathroom counter.

I walked over and stood between his knees, wrapping my arms around his neck. We stared into each others eyes and suddenly I'd forgotten what we were talking about. “I...I...” I stammered.

“See!” Connor let out a slight laugh before he kissed me. “You're so cute” he stood up straight and turned back towards the sink. He grabbed his facial scrub and began washing his face. I walked back into his bedroom and changed into my clothes.

“Hey, do you mind grabbing my cream from my side table?” I heard Connor call out from the bathroom. It'd dawned on me that if I opened the drawer, there would be no denying the fact that I'd seen the pictures. Connor and I were having an amazing morning and I didn't know if I wanted anything to off set it. Just as I pulled the drawer open, I heard Connor's voice again, “Actually, don't!”

I looked up to see him standing at the door. He'd already changed into his t-shirt and shorts. My eyes shot between him and the photographs. I couldn't play it off anymore. He walked over, avoiding eye contact, and grabbed a small container of lotion from his drawer before shutting it.

“What was that?” I asked.

“What was what?” Connor acted confused.

“That picture of you with a woman.” I followed Connor to the edge of his bed.

He looked up at me, as if I'd seen something that wasn't there, and continued to rub lotion on himself. “Those?” he nudged his head towards the drawer. “Those are nothing.”

So this was how he was going to play it. Irritated, I walked over to the drawer and pulled out the pictures. I walked back over to him and put them in his hands. I made sure the picture of him kissing the woman he was with was on top. “This doesn't look like 'nothing'”

“These are old, Lynn!” Connor stood up and tossed the pictures on his bed before walking away. I followed him into the kitchen, where he was rummaging through the fridge.

“Connor, I'm not upset. I just want to know why these pictures are in your bedside table?” I leaned against the kitchen counter as I watched him.

“Why does it matter? I said they're old. Just drop it.” His voice was growing more and more irritated.

“I can't just drop it. When I see pictures of my boyfriend...” I stopped for a second to realize it was the first time I was referring to Connor as my boyfriend, and I quickly became upset that this was the context I was using it in. “...kissing another woman, regardless if she's an ex or not, I'm going to want to know why he still has them.”

Connor stopped what he was doing and looked straight at me. And then he said the five words that are equivalent to the shot heard round the world. “Why are you so jealous?”

I was about to say something, but stopped. I squinted my eyes and stood up straight. “What?” I asked harshly. He threw out his arms as if he were waiting for an answer. “What the hell did you just say?” I slowly walked towards him.

“I want to know why the fuck you're so jealous, Lynn.” He lightly tapped the back of one hand against the palm of the other as he spoke.

I stopped walking when I was a couple of feet away. My tone was just as harsh as before, but I lowered my volume. “I'm sorry if you think I'm being jealous. But, what you're doing is not fair, Connor.” I folded my arms across my chest. “You knew that I wanted to take it slow to make sure we were both in this together. I didn't want this to happen.” I pointed between the both of us.

“We can never have a conversation about feelings without you getting so defensive! If it's so hard for you to tell me things, why are you even with me?” I stood looking up at Connor. His eyes were fixed on the ground. I sighed, annoyed, when I didn't get a response out of him. “You told me you were ready. Obviously not. Once a playboy always a playboy.” I walked away back into the bedroom.

That seemed to set it off with Connor. “Playboy?” His voice boomed through the room. “You think I'm a playboy? You know, that's your problem, Lynn. Why can't you just accept that I'm with you because I like you? It's like you want to find it impossible to trust me just because of the way I look!”

He took a breath to calm himself “You want to talk about suppressed feelings? Then why don't you explain why you can't look me in the God damn eyes and tell me how I make you feel?” His voice grew quiet with each word as he referred to the moment we shared in the shower. I felt a jolt through my body. Connor was right. I'd never thought twice about it until he said it aloud. I couldn't even give him the pleasure of telling him how much I actually liked him.

He turned around to leave the room. Just as he got to the doorway of the bedroom he turned back towards me. “I didn't want to tell you this because I didn't want you to feel sorry for me. Those pictures...” He pointed towards the bed where they were still scattered. “Are of Jessica. She died in a car accident with her boyfriend a few months after we divorced. I still loved her at that time and that's why it took me so long to get over her.” I felt my heart stop for a moment.

“When I told you I went back to Boston to patch things up with Colleen, I also went to go see Jessica's mom. She was my mother-in-law after all. She never knew why we divorced, so she assumes I still have a place in my heart for Jess. She found those pictures and gave them to me for my memory. When I saw them, it was honestly the first time I didn't feel anything.” Connor got quiet as he ran his hand through his hair. “You were the only reason I went and got closure.” I felt my face burning with embarrassment. Like I'd let Connor down. He cleared his throat and continued casually, “anyway, when I got back home I tossed the pictures in my drawer and forgot about them.”

I stood up from the bed and walked towards Connor. “I'm so sorry” before I could give him a hug, he lifted up his hand to stop me.

“I really just need some space right now.” He walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed his keys. “Don't wait up for me.” his voice echoed as the front door closed behind him.