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Mitchell avoided any sort of eye contact or interaction with me for the remainder of breakfast, he sat at a table with Owen's parents, and even though he politely grinned now and again, his posture was rigid, and his smiles were faked.

I sat at a table by myself because I wasn't in the mood to interact with anyone, although I did exchange a few words with Aaliyah and Abel before sitting down to eat. I poked a piece of sweet melon with my fork and placed it in my mouth when Wang took a seat next to me.

I groaned under my breath and gave him a warning stare, not much to my surprise Wang played ignorantly and wriggled his brows.

"You two did the nasty, didn't you?" He got straight to the point.

"Don't even deny it," He added as I slowly chewed down the fruit, "Mitch might appear his usual broody, sexy self but I can see that just-fucked spark in his eyes."

I choked on my food and immediately reached for the glass of water on the table, my eyes watered when I took a large sip. I swallowed down the water and fruit and took in a few deep breaths.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked Wang, wiping away the tears that escaped from all the coughing.

"I will take that as confirmation," He smugly grinned and handed me a napkin.

"Are you alright?" He asked sincerely after a moment.

I grabbed the napkin, "Now you ask!"

"Sorry," He sheepishly grinned, "But I have been dying for the deets since last night."

I lowered my gaze and played with the food on my plate; I wasn't ready to dive into what happened.

"Hey," Wang pulled his chair closer, "Is everything alright?"

"Are you two already fighting?" Wang added, "After a night of passion you enter a morning of angst?"

"You guys are the weirdest people I have ever come across," He shook his head, "And that says a lot because... well I'm Jimmy Wang."

"I don't really want to talk about it right now," I murmured, and Wang was ready to protest but when I looked up at him, he understood and nodded.

"He didn't hurt you, right?" Wang asked, "Because if he did, six-foot-four with muscles or not, I will stab him repeatedly in the eye with a fork!"

I chuckled and found Wang's reaction cute, "He didn't hurt me."

Wang let out a breath, "Good," He reached for my hand that sat on the table and placed his over mine, "You guys will fix it, somehow you always find your way back to each other."

I half-grinned and nodded.

"Onto other things," Wang changed the subject, "Leo arrived last night,"

'My bad, he did not change the subject...he just doesn't know it.'

"Don't worry, I covered for you," Wang mindlessly carried on speaking, "It didn't seem he knew Mitch was at the wedding, so I didn't inform him either."

"I know," I murmured, and my appetite was lost, "I saw him this morning."

"Oh," Wang replied, "He's not joining us for breakfast? He said he would but..." Wang trailed off and realization was slowly dawning down on him.

"He left," I replied softly, dropping the fork on my plate.

"Did he..." Wang paused, "He saw you with Mitch?"

I nodded and it hurt to think about the look on his face, knowing he was on a plane alone with his thoughts made my heart hurt. He was the one who shared my woes and burdens and here I was the one who inflicted hurt on him.

"Mila," Wang squeezed my hand, and I was more than grateful that I had him at my side, "It'll be fine, just let the air simmer down for a while."

"Leo has a habit of leaving for unprecedented periods," I admitted my biggest fear regarding the situation, "I fear this time... he won't come back."

"I don't think so," Wang assured me, "Once we're back home, call him and if he doesn't answer, go see him."

I smiled, "Thanks, Wang, I'm so glad to have you."

"Good," He smiled back, "Because there is no Wila without Wang."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged his hand off, "Not with that weird name again."

Wang laughed, "At least it got you to smile... even if it was micro-sized."

Thanks to Wang and Faith – who joined in after a short while – breakfast went by better than I expected. I even shared a few words with Owen and seeing happiness radiate from Faith and him helped in lifting my spirits.

Mitchell, however, didn't speak to me again and even left breakfast early, I was sitting with Wang and Faith when he excused himself and without a glance my way, he walked off. Wang looked at me sadly and Faith asked what was up with that, but I played it off ignorantly, telling them it was not unknown that Mitchell was a moody person.

I understood why he was upset, I did make it seem as if I regretted what happened between us. I could see why he was under the impression that I blamed him for Leo leaving – even when I didn't, the way I acted towards Mitchell, would give anyone that impression.

Just before noon, we bid farewell to Faith and Owen, it was a little emotional and she even shed a few tears. I was going to see her shortly after the honeymoon as they were hosting an after-wedding reception for family and friends who weren't invited to Bora Bora, but I still knew at the back of my mind, that she was moving away for good.

The happy couple was off for ten days to Saint Moritz in Switzerland, Mitchell gifted them a fully paid trip to the beautiful resort – although the generous gift-giver didn't see them off.

My flight back was in the evening and I was glad that Wang was going to travel with me, so I made my way back to my bungalow to pack all my things.

While trying to zip up my suitcase, I heard a knock on the door, failing with the zipper, I tossed my hands in the air and gave up. I strolled to the door and expected to see Wang because we planned to go for one more walk on the picturesque beach before we left.

But when I opened the door instead of Wang, Mitchell stood in front of me, his shoulder casually leaning on the doorframe. His eyes that were on his phone screen, lifted when I came into view. 

"Hi," He greeted, "I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

I shook my head, "No, just packing the last odds and ends."

He locked his phone and placed it in his pocket before looking over my shoulder, "May I?"

I nodded, "Sure," And I moved out of the way.

Mitchell entered the room and while shutting the door I stared at the back of his head before he turned around to face me.

"It's been an... eventful week here," He broke the silence, and I couldn't agree anymore.

"Tell me about it," I murmured.

"I have to leave soon so I won't keep you long," He said, and I nodded, a part of me didn't like hearing that he was leaving but I also knew I needed time alone for a while.

"Early flight?" I asked, stepping closer to him.

He nodded, "Yeah, I have a hard-ass boss and he wants me back at work ASAP."

"I thought your dad is your boss?" I asked because I was under the impression that he worked at Clarke Corp.

"He is," Mitchell replied, "And that's why he's harder on me."

I supposed that made sense, I could see my dad being extra hard on my brothers, especially if they were in training to take over after he retired.

I smiled, "Send my best to Carly and Mason."

He nodded and even though he wore a tiny grin, his eyes didn't look the slightest amount happy, "I will."

"Before you go," I broke the moment of silence and pointed over my shoulder, "Would you mind helping zip my bag? I've been trying for what seems like forever."

Mitchell softly chuckled, "Sure."

He waited for me to walk first before he followed me into the bedroom. At first, I thought nothing of it but the minute I looked at the bag that was on the bed, my mind went back to a few hours ago when both of us were on that bed together.

I tried not to, but my mind played back the images of what we shared, the words Mitchell said in my ear, the soft movements of his fingertips on my skin, his breathing mingled with mine and his passionate kisses were so fresh in my mind, it picked up the beat of my heart.

"That bag?" Mitchell asked from beside me and pointed to the half-open bag with some clothes oozing out of it.

I composed myself and swallowed, in hopes to lubricate my dry mouth, "Yeah."

Mitchell strode to the edge of the bed where the bag sat and glanced at it, his hand reached for his chin where he mindlessly rubbed over the light shadow that was growing.

"How much shopping did you do?"

"Barely any," I replied honestly, "I don't understand how everything fitted before but now..."

"That's because," He pointed at a garment sticking out the side and my eyes widened when it fell out of the bag, he picked it up and I flushed looking at the lacy bra in his hand, "You need to fold your clothes properly instead of just piling them."

His eyes danced with the garment that hung from his hand and I reached for it, "Um, yeah, I don't have time for that."

Mitchell looked at me in amusement when I hastily shoved the bra in the corner of the bag, I felt his eyes on me from the back of my head as I tried zipping it once more.

"Stop," Mitchell held my hand, his fingers lightly grazing over mine, "You're going to break it."

He stood very close behind me, I could feel his soft breathing at the back of my neck and his warmth hugging me from behind.

"Let me," He gently pushed my fingers away and gripped the little zip.

I moved out of the way and allowed him to try and close the bag but even with his strength, he seemed to struggle.

"Is there anything you're willing to toss out?" He asked as he pulled at the zipper that I was convinced might've been seized.

"No!" I exclaimed, "How can you even ask that?"

Mitchell exhaled and stood straight, he glanced at me and gestured to the bed with his eyes, "Get on."

"Pardon?" I breathed.

"The bag, Mila," He clarified, and I could see the amusement in his eyes, "Sit on the bag, your weight might help."

'Of course, the bag.'

I nodded and stepped towards the bed and turning my back to the bed, I hopped on the bag, wriggling my butt so I was seated firmly.

"Okay, let's try this," He murmured under his breath as he leaned over.

Reaching for the zipper, he stood close, his eyes were on the bag, but I looked at the side of his face that sat a mere few inches away from my breasts.

'Think about something...anything else. Think about epithelial cells or autonomic nerves – although those are the nerves that are on overdrive at the moment.'

I heard the zipper slowly start to close and I was relieved, I didn't want to leave anything behind, and I didn't have the time to repack everything again.

"Lift your legs," Mitchell requested, looking up at me. 

My lips parted and my mind interrupted that in a very different way, looking at him in that position in front of me and the way he gazed at me didn't help the situation either.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

Mitchell's eyes fell to my legs and then he looked back up at me, "Your legs are in the way."

'Get your head out of the gutter for Pete's sake!'

"Oh," I blinked and lifted my legs, hugging them to my chest.

Mitchell stared at me for a long moment before he averted his attention to the zipper, I noticed how his bicep flexed slightly as he pulled at it with added force when it got stuck and then easily slid it across to the other side.

His eyes met mine when he softly said, "All done."

"Thanks," I replied in the same tone as his.

There was no denying that there was some invisible line that pulled me towards him, and it was currently stronger than ever. My throat was very dry, and my heart raced, Mitchell was so close, yet I couldn't reach for him because it didn't feel quite right.

He didn't look away and I could tell by the way his pupils dilated that he was feeling the same way as I did, he lowered his gaze to my parted lips and I instinctively ran my tongue over my bottom lip.

His eyes lingered on my lips as he muttered, "No problem."

I needed to move and break the moment before all logic was kicked out the window and we got carried away again. I broke the moment and looked away, he blinked and stood up straight, putting a small distance between us.

I hopped off the bag and looked up at him, I didn't like that we went from unable to keep our hands off each other to awkwardness.

"I should get going," He broke the silence, "Or I'll miss my flight."

I nodded, "Okay."

Mitchell wore no expression when he turned around and made his way out of the room, I took slow steps behind to walk him out and I had to admit that my heart felt heavy. I wasn't sure when I would see him again because even though we were headed to the same country, we lived on opposite ends.

He stopped a few feet away from the door and turned to face me, I mindlessly pulled at the fabric on my jeans as my hands sat at my sides. Mitchell let out a breath and turned to face me, he took slow steps forward until he stood opposite me.

I lowered my gaze; I knew if I looked into his eyes my mind would be clouded by the feelings I had for him and would most likely do something I wasn't sure I wanted – like kiss him.

I felt his gaze hot on me, but I refused to look up and that was when I felt his fingertips on my chin, he slowly lifted my head and my eyes automatically looked into his burning blue-grey eyes.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, and his eyes looked nothing but vulnerable.

"For?" I whispered back.

"Snapping at you during breakfast," He replied, "I didn't mean to but..." He removed his hand and ran it through his hair, "I don't want you to think that what we shared was some lousy hook-up."

"It wasn't lousy," I murmured and he half-grinned.

"Nor do I consider it a hook-up," I clarified.

He looked relieved and genuinely smiled at me, he reached for my face again and his large hand cupped my cheek and leaned in closer. The closer he got the more I assumed he was going to kiss me and a part of me anticipated it but instead, he rested his forehead over mine.

Rubbing his nose over mine he whispered, "I'll miss you."

I shut my eyes and I knew after being around him almost all the time over the last couple of days, I was surely going to miss him too.

He pulled away and stared into my eyes as his thumb drew little circles over my cheek, "I know you need some time to yourself to think and... process everything."

I nodded in response.

"Take all the time you need," He softly said, "And whenever you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

"I'll be waiting," He promised, "However long it takes."

I pursed my lips and nodded, scared that if I spoke it would be to tell him to stay – my heart wanted him more than ever but my mind needed time.

He stared long and hard at me and I could tell it saddened him to leave too by how vulnerable and pained his eyes looked.

He brought his lips to my temple and pressed a soft kiss over it, I shut my eyes and swallowed what felt like a lump that was building, he huffed softly and pulled away.

"Have a safe trip back home," He caressed my cheek and with a tiny grin, finger by finger, he let go of my face.

"You too," I whispered as he pulled away.

With one final glance at me, he took in a breath, turned around, and made his way out. The lump grew in my throat and my eyes brimmed with tears as I watched him leave, he didn't look back again and as soon as he shut the door behind him, I closed my eyes and those threatening tears rolled down my cheeks.

When I bumped into Mitchell five days ago, I never thought I'd have tears in my eyes watching him leave, if anything, I thought I'd be happy to be rid of him. But life never went according to plan and here I was with many revelations and watched two important people I held dear walk away in a matter of a few hours.

***

I sat at the breakfast bar mindlessly playing with the cereal in front of me as I stared out of the large window that had the perfect view of the exquisitely landscaped garden of the large estate.

"Are you not staying for breakfast?" Mandy asked my dad as he hurriedly put on his suit jacket.

"No," He replied, "I have back-to-back meetings all day, so I'll grab a bite at the office."

"Damien," Mandy sounded displeased.

"I'm already late, honey," He said in a rush, "I'll see you at dinner."

He quickly kissed her cheek and even though she wasn't happy about him leaving without eating, she smiled and wished him a good day.

"See you later, sweetheart," My dad kissed the top of my head and rushed off.

I smiled at him and waved but he was already out of the kitchen to notice, Mandy shook her head and went back to her hectic morning routine of getting breakfast ready for the twins.

It had been a whole week since I was back from Bora Bora, and my mood was still as sullen as it was when I left. The flight back was long, but I was glad that Wang traveled with me, and at first, I didn't want to talk about it but during our layover in LAX, I told him everything.

Wang was always helpful and when the situation arose, he was serious and offered not only a comforting shoulder but advice. Much like Mitchell suggested, Wang thought it was best I let Leo be for a while and allow him to come to me and not the other way around.

Sitting for almost two hours in LAX was tempting, I knew Mitchell was just a car ride away, but I was not ready to face him or talk to him yet; my mind was focused on Leo and I couldn't get the image of him walking away out of my head. He greeted me that morning with a smile and his usual chirpy self but because of me, that changed very quickly.

Thankfully, Wang was great company, and we grabbed a bite at the airport, Wang went a little crazy shopping at the duty-free shop too. I wasn't in the mood for shopping, besides my luggage was already overpacked but Wang was a little over-obsessed with a sneaker he spotted in the Gucci store window and that was the only purchase I made as a gift to him.

Wang's smile and one too many hugs brightened my day and made the flight back to New York a little less sullen, I adored my little friend, and I was more than happy that we were going to be together for our residence program.

Wang wanted to stay with me in New York, but I could tell that he wanted to spend some time with his parents before he moved. So, I convinced him to go back to Boston and assured him I would see him again in LA for Faith and Owen's party and then back in New York when we started residency.

The week at my dad's place was...nice but I would've appreciated it more if my mind wasn't stuck on Leo and Mitchell at times. Having my brothers around was pleasant but they were still in school and they left early in the mornings and only got back in the evenings – thanks to their extracurricular actives.

I mostly sat in my room and I was glad no one really noticed, I was at the table during all meals and put on a happy front to hide my true feelings – the last thing I needed was for my dad to know that I spent the last five days at a resort with Mitchell Clarke.

Fast forward a week later, I was seated in the kitchen with no change, my phone buzzed, and my heart skipped a beat – as it frequently did whenever I got a

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