Chapter 3 : Dreams She Couldn't Forget

Ava lay in bed, tangled in her sheets, the cool night air doing nothing to ease the heat in her chest. She stared at the ceiling, her mind running in restless circles. The kiss. It was just a kiss on the cheek. Completely normal. She was family now, and the Hayes family seemed like the affectionate type. That was all it was.

She rolled onto her side, pulling the blanket tighter around her. “It wasn’t flirting,” she whispered to herself, as if saying it aloud would make it true. “He didn’t even say anything or act any way that seemed like flirting. I’m definitely seeing things.”

Still, her heart had raced the entire time he stood close to her door. The way he’d looked at her had felt heavy, and she couldn’t shake the memory of his scent, that faint spice and expensive cologne that clung to him. She turned again, pressing her face into her pillow, willing her mind to quiet.

When sleep finally came, it did not bring its usual comfort.

Her dreams were vivid, too vivid, and they did not belong to Ethan. She saw Victor, his dark eyes holding her in place, his large hands on her hips, his voice low in her ear. She felt the heat of his breath against her neck, the weight of his body pressing her back into silk sheets she had never touched in waking life. She heard herself moaning softly, breathlessly, as his lips trailed down her skin with unbearable slowness. The dream was thick with desire, rich and hot and dizzying, and Ava woke with a startled gasp.

Her body was slick with sweat, her pulse thundering in her ears. She sat up in bed, clutching the sheets to her chest, her breath shallow.

“What is wrong with me?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

The morning sun was already bleeding through her curtains, warm and unforgiving when she woke up. Ava dragged herself out of bed and straight into the shower, turning the water as cold as she could stand. She needed to scrub the dream off, needed to erase every image, every sound, every spark of heat. But even as she stood under the icy water, she could still feel him. His voice. His hands.

By the time she was dressed and ready for work, her nerves were frayed. She hurried down the stairs of her apartment building and into a waiting cab, her mind a whirlwind. She had no idea what to do or if she should tell Ethan about the kiss Victor had given her last night. It was innocent, wasn’t it? A family kiss. She was making it bigger in her head than it was. If she told Ethan, it would only hurt him. It would make him suspicious when there was nothing to be suspicious of.

Her phone buzzed in her purse as the cab merged into traffic. She fumbled for it quickly, her heart easing when she saw Ethan’s name glowing across the screen. She answered without hesitation, lifting the phone to her ear as though the sound of his voice might steady her.

“Morning, babe,” Ethan said, his tone warm and playful, carrying the ease of someone who had never once doubted her. “I missed you last night. Did you sleep well? Dream of me?”

Ava froze, her grip tightening around the phone as the dream rushed back in sharp detail. Heat rose to her cheeks, shame twisting low in her stomach. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She could almost still feel Victor’s hands on her, the weight of his body, the brush of his mouth against her skin.

“Ava? Babe? You there?” Ethan’s voice broke through, gentle but edged with concern.

She forced a laugh, light and hurried. “Sorry. I think I’m still half-asleep. I… I didn’t dream at all last night. Guess I was too tired.”

It was a lie he would never question. Ethan chuckled, his laugh warm and unguarded in her ear. “That’s okay. I dreamed enough for both of us. You were in this gorgeous white dress, and we were getting married. I swear it felt so real, I woke up smiling.”

Ava felt her chest tighten with guilt. She smiled anyway, leaning her head against the cool glass of the cab window. “That sounds perfect,” she whispered softly.

“It was,” Ethan said. “One day, that will be us.”

Her guilt ebbed a little at the warmth in his voice. She could hear the love there, genuine and steady. There was no reason to feel this way. It had just been a dream. Dreams meant nothing. She convinced herself of it, repeating it silently like a mantra.

She decided right then that she would not tell Ethan about Victor’s goodnight kiss. It was too small a thing to mention, and the last thing she wanted was to see doubt or hurt in his eyes. She would take it to her grave if she had to.

By the time the cab reached her office building, she was laughing at Ethan’s jokes, her heart feeling lighter. The sun was bright, traffic buzzed all around, and she was just a woman on her way to work, in love with a man who adored her. The rest could stay buried where it belonged.

Or so she told herself.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***