Taking an extended lunch break, Ethan and I arrive at the realtor's office for me to sign off on the paperwork. I still can't believe I'm finally about to be able to open up my own art gallery. Something I had been dreaming about since I was young and now it's going to become a reality.

My heart races with each number that lights up inside of the elevator indicating that we're getting closer and closer and I bounce in place with excitement.

"Are you nervous?" Ethan chuckles watching me wiggling around, trying to calm myself.

"No. Excited!" I squeal and throw my arms around his neck, forcing him to wrap his around my waist. "Thanks for all of your help."

He leans down and leaves me with a quick kiss just as the elevator door begins to slide open to the correct floor, "You're welcome baby."

Trudging down the hallway beside him, I recognize the sign on the frosted glass door of the realtor's office he's been working with and take a deep breath so that I can appear less child-like and more like a grown adult who could financially afford to start her own business.

Phones ring behind the front desk while the two receptionists answer them and smile up at us as we wait for one of them to become available. Soft music plays through their shared clock radio placed neatly in between the two of them next to a stack of Manila folders with various names printed on their tabs. For it to be a realtor's office, it's pretty fancy. The ones I had been in as a kid were much more plain than this, but with it being in the city, I can't say that I'm too surprised.

"Sorry about that." The curly redheaded receptionist smiles at us as she hangs up the phone. "What can I do for you?"

"We're here to see Mr. Bradshaw. Ethan Michaels and Ava Young." Ethan announces as I stand next to him with an awkward tight-lipped smile.

Great job so far at seeming like a grown adult who has their shit together, Ava.

I hear a door open down the hallway to my right as the receptionist informs us it'll be a few minutes and I reflexively look over. To my surprise, I see someone I easily recognize unknowingly walking my way as he stays focused on the realtor he's talking with. My eyes grow twice their size as I face forward again. I don't know if I should try to hide or just act as calm as possible.

I go with the latter.

"Ava?" Taehyung questions with a bright boxy smile on his face once he notices me, making Ethan and I both turn our heads to look in his direction.

"Hey!" I nervously reply with a crack in my tone and I clear my throat immediately to try again. "Hey."

"Hello Ethan." Taehyung's smile drops as he looks at him, but nods his head politely anyway.

"Hello Taehyung." Ethan replies with an even more deadpan expression.

No, this isn't awkward at all.

Taehyung turns his attention back to me, all trace of the flat expression he had just a second ago being replaced with another warm smile. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah, same." I giggle and flit my eyes over to Ethan, making Taehyung huff out a chuckle of his own. "Something to do with the house you're building?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm getting ready to sell Uncle Kim's house for him since he won't be here but for about another week." He explains as he takes a couple steps closer towards me.

"Selling his house? Aww!" My bottom lip pokes out at the thought of never seeing it again. "You'll have to let me see it one more time before it's sold."

"You're welcome to come by any time." His eyes lower as he looks me up and down and my stomach drops at his striking gaze.

Looking over to Ethan, he's watching us two interact, but not saying a word. When he notices me looking at him, he sweetly smiles down at me. I know this has to be awkward for him, too.

"I'll let you know when I'm available." I do my best to sound as indifferent as possible, knowing damn well I'm excited to see Taehyung again and even more excited at the prospect of spending time with him.

"What brings you here anyway?" Taehyung questions, keeping his eyes on me as if no one else is even around.

"Purchasing a building for my art gallery." I smile proudly.

"Congratulations! I know more than anyone else how much that means to you." Taehyung smiles with me, but the soft blow towards Ethan doesn't escape me. "It was good to see you. Text or call me." My eyes widen at his last words, knowing I never mentioned to Ethan that I have been steadily in contact with him.

Taehyung just winks at me before bowing his head to Ethan and walking away. He wraps his arm around my shoulder as Taehyung looks back once more before leaving out of the door. Tae eyes us for a second before huffing out an amused chuckle accompanied by a cocky smirk and turning to leave.

Awkward as fuck...

"You've been talking with him?" Ethan whispers.

"I have." I whisper back honestly. "Are you mad?"

He looks down at me and kisses my forehead just as another realtor begins walking towards us, "Not at all."

"Hello! You must be Ava." The middle aged man in a navy blue fitted suit walks up to us with his hand outstretched for mine and a beaming smile on his face, "Ethan has told me so much about you. Follow me."

Ethan and I follow the man towards the first office on the left and take a seat at the round table he gestured to. Normally, Ethan is very affectionate. Even in public settings he'll reach under the table and at least place his hand on my knee, but this time he's just sitting next to me with his hands folded together. Maybe I'm thinking too much into his body language right now. We're here for business after all, not a Netflix and Chill session.

Throughout the entire process of signing what felt like a million papers, Ethan and Mr. Bradshaw explained everything to me in complete detail and I was so thankful to have Ethan there to break down the legal aspect of it all. Thankfully since my offer was slightly below asking price since it wasn't a new building, the mortgage on it is less than the original building I wanted so I'll be in a better situation financially than I thought I would be in.

Until the art gallery begins to bring in enough steady income, I'll be working part time at the firm. At least that was the original plan Ethan and I had discussed before Taehyung showed up. Now I'm wondering if I should just find a part time job elsewhere.

"And one last signature right here and you're all set." Mr. Bradshaw points to the last blank line at the bottom of the stack of paperwork we had been going through and I signed away happily. "Congratulations, Ava!"

"Thank you so much!" I can't even try to contain my excitement and I feel a sense of relief when I feel Ethan wrap me up in a warm hug.

"Are you ready to go? We still need to get something to eat before we head back to the office." Ethan asks as Mr. Bradshaw hands me my copies of all of the signed documents.

"Yes, I'm starved. What are you in the mood for?" I ask as I grab his waiting hand and he directs me out to the hallway towards the elevators.

"You choose. I'm buying." He pulls me into his side as we step inside of the small boxed elevator and wait for the doors to shut.

"Um...nachos. I'm in the mood for some good nachos." I nod my head in agreement with my own thoughts. "And sorry for the whole...uh...interaction earlier."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't know he'd be there." He asks as the elevator dings once we reached the ground floor and I follow right behind him as he steps off.

"Yeah. I know, but still." I reply.

He stops and turns towards me wrapping me up in his arms and pulling me into his chest. His clean, manly scent engulfs me as I look up to him with my hands snaking underneath his suit jacket. As he looks down at me, I stare up in to his deep chestnut eyes and take in his beauty. How are there so many handsome men just floating around in my life?

"Baby, I knew he'd be around and we were bound to run into him at some point. I've prepared myself for it. Do I sense some competition from him? Yes, but I'm sure he senses it from me too. However, unless you decide you don't want me, I'm not going anywhere." He lovingly explains, tucking some hair behind my right ear.

"You're not mad or anything?" I question.

"Mad for what? He's the one that has to work to get you." He smirks. I can't even lie, his sudden cockiness is pretty hot.

"Well, that is true." I lick my lips with a quirked brow and he chuckles at my expression.

"Come on, weirdo. Let's go eat." He rolls his eyes and grabs my hand to guide me towards his parked car.

As we drove to the nearest restaurant and cantina, all I could think about was Taehyung's face staring back at me and wishing I could go back in time to look at him a little longer. When Ethan's hand grazes my thigh, I'm snapped out of my thoughts and look over to him with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. Luckily he was too focused on the road to really notice anything and I reach down to grab his hand, removing it from my leg.

After a long discussion with both Madison and Megan, they both agreed that I should wait to make any official decisions until after the wedding this weekend. That kind of awkward tension wouldn't be good and Kinsley doesn't deserve to have to deal with any broken hearts or arguments on her big day.

Megan is all for me choosing Ethan, which is understandable given that he's her friend, too. She's completely wrapped up in our little love story and swoons over how long he waited for me.

Madison, on the other hand, knows more about Taehyung and I and feels as if it is meant to be. Like she reminded me, "If you love someone, let them go. If they come back, they're yours." I do have to admit that I think about this often. If it wasn't meant to be, would he have even came back for me? Even if he came back to the states for the company, he could have avoided me like a plague and we would have just continued on our own separate paths.

Ultimately it's my decision and I'll be breaking someone's heart in the end no matter what, but I just don't know how I will break a heart I also love and care for. When everything in me tells me to protect both of them. How do I hurt a man who has done nothing wrong?

When I was a teenager, I was always so careful to not get my heart broken by just avoiding relationships all together. Now here I am in my early twenties with one extremely broken heart under my belt and on my way to inevitably break someone else's. If only I could tell teenage me what I know now. Then again...would I even want to change anything that happened?

I don't regret Ethan and I damn sure don't ever regret being with Taehyung. I guess in the big scheme of things, everything is meant to happen whether it be a blessing or a lesson or maybe just what you needed in your life in that moment.

The Mexican restaurant wasn't super busy for the late lunch hour so we were able to be seated right away. We choose the outdoor patio to soak in the remaining sun before autumn comes along. Every day seems to be getting cooler and cooler.

"I'm so excited to get the gallery opened." I say as I grab one of the free chips to dip into the salsa while we wait.

Ethan scoops up some salsa on to his own chip. "What's next on the agenda to get it going?"

"Well," I swallow my bite of food, "I need to call around to some vendors and I'll probably start of by contacting the university to see about them using my gallery for any art exhibitions the students have coming up in the fall."

"That sounds like a really good plan." He reaches out for my hand, "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." I politely return a smile just as the food is being brought out. "So I'm officially a part timer at the firm now, huh? How are you going to manage all of those files?"

"Hmm, well...Madison seems to have a lot of time to gossip so I figured I would just pile it on her. Mr. Jones is too easy on her." He chuckles. "Since all of the paperwork is signed, I guess you could officially begin being part time if you want."

"I'll start Monday. Are you sure you're not my boss?" I smirk at him.

"Nope, I just tell your boss what you'll be doing." He laughs.

"That's kind of hot."

"Yeah? Want to come by my office later?" He loosens up his tie around his neck and I gasp playfully at his flirtatious demeanor.