“Actually,” I say. “I was wondering if you wanted to meet up sometime this weekend. With how important this project is, I could use your input as I work on the write-up. For this first one, at least. Just to make sure we’re on the same page about everything. And there’s a couple other things I want to talk about, too. Stuff related to work, of course.”

Celeste cocks her head to the side. A faint smile plays on her lips as she replies, “As long as it’s not anywhere that has alcohol.”

“Yeah no, of course,” I quickly say. “Let’s go somewhere that’s the complete opposite of a bar. Like a coffeehouse.”

“Sounds good. I’m free on Sunday.”

13: Celeste

Celeste doesn’t let herself relax until her ex leaves the studio. Gemma’s honey-brown eyes, her flushed cheeks… it took all of Celeste’s self-control to not close the distance between them, to not gently cup Gemma’s adorably sweet face with her hands and kiss her soft pink lips.

Last Friday could have been a fluke. They both drank a lot, and Gemma especially had been drunk out of her mind. But today, they were completely sober. And Gemma had still looked at her like she wanted to devour her.

And Celeste has no idea what to do with that information.

Gemma is still physically attracted to her. So what? Gemma couldn’t keep her hands off Celeste eight years ago, either, but she still started dating someone else a few months after Celeste left the country. And then moved in with him, just like that.

She’d consider asking Gemma to be friends with benefits, but they weren’t even friends anymore. Not really. And Gemma doesn’t do casual. Or at least, she didn’t when Celeste knew her eight years ago.

Last week, when she’d finally told him about everything that’d been going on, Min-joon had asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

And at the time, she’d shrugged and said yes. When she agreed to stay on the project, even if that meant she had to work with her ex, it hadn’t seemed like that big a deal. Eight years was a long time. And since Gemma had clearly moved on from her, Celeste thought she could keep things professional and treat this like any of her other projects.

But now… the lines are torturously blurry. And today’s interviews were only the first set of three that Celeste has to work on with Gemma. Somehow, they have to get through two more sessions—and whatever communication and meetups needed in between—before mid-January, when she’ll be free to go back to LA and resume her far less confusing life without her ex.