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evelyn coming back to town was one of those dangers. almost specifically becuase she was exactly who ava wanted to spend her free time with, exactly who ava wanted to tell that her marriage felt suffocating in the worst possible way, and worse yet, exactly who ava knew who could get that softness out of her. despite all of her best efforts to keep it away. she didn't give ava that fear though. instead, she gave ava a wide, genuine smile, the raise of her glass like a toast before she sipped it. "now that is news. i can't imagine why i'd hate it. having you back? getting to do this? is there a reason to hate it that i'm missing here?"

raising her glass shortly after ava. the woman chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. why did she think ava would hate the news? was it because in the back of her mind she remembered all the hurtful things ava had told her in the past? she knew it was the drugs talking, but there had to be a bit of truth that lingered behind all of those confessions. one of the confessions that ava told her she was overbearing and she needed to get the fuck out of her life. evelyn knew she could overstep, but she only did that when she cared about another individual. she knew ava wouldn't fall back into those habits, yet there were new things to worry about with her. that being the relationship she managed to get herself in - to which evelyn had several bad opinions on. "maybe you're going to hate how often i try arranging dinner or shopping plans?" evelyn said with a smile. "i know we're both busy majority of the time, but i wouldn't mind taking my head out of work to see you more often." setting her glass down, her own hand wrapped around her arm. her eyes rested against ava as no words fell from her mouth, she didn't know what she wanted to say. there was so much to say, but she knew all of those words had to be in a vault forever. "i hope we can at least arrange something once a week...it'd be really nice." evelyn knew there were other people in the city she could occupy herself with, people who'd beg to have her presence around them but she didn't care about giving them that thrill. "if i have to steal you away from michael, i will."

less than an hour later, there jada was tugging evelyn up to her apartment. the older woman had been right— it really had been a long time since she’d been to jada’s place, after all usually it was her summoning jada to her apartment next door instead. “i probably should’ve cleaned up a bit but i wasn’t expecting company.” she chuckled. her place wasn’t even that messy, at least until you got to the bedroom. her own clothes everywhere sprawled out over the floor. glancing back at evelyn as she locked up, jada shrugged. “do you want something to drink? i have tequila, wine, whiskey… i can’t stand beer so i don’t drink that shit.”

"i'll take whiskey on ice," she replied a little too fast. her eyes wondered around her apartment wondering if she could catch a small glimpse of her ex, if that bitch purposely left anything behind to have a reason to come back. lowering herself down on her couch, evelyn couldn't help but make a smart ass remark. "god, i hope this isn't where the two of you decided to fuck." propping up her arm, her leaned her head against her hand before nodding her head slowly. she wasn't able to catch anything out of the ordinary, "oh yeah, i was supposed to notify you sooner but with everything that happened i didn't get the chance. i have to go away for a work trip soon and i already made the reservations in the mind set that i didn't need to bring my special assistant with me." turning her head towards jada she shrugged, "maybe that was a mistake. i think i need to have you by my side to watch you at all times," she said it with a small smile but was dead serious. "if you want, i can go ahead and book the trip for you."

Simone Ashley se prépare à monter les marches au Festival de Cannes | VF

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as her apology was met with a blank stare, jada had almost started thinking she’d messed up again somehow without even knowing it, and she was about to question evelyn when the next thing she knew they were melting into each other, lips pressed together in a soft, affectionate kiss. “i think that might be the one and only time i’ve ever heard you apologize, and i’ve known you for long enough and also worked for you for a little while now, both in and out of the office.” she observed, relishing the warmth of evelyn’s forehead against her own as she looked back into her eyes over the center console of the car. “so, um… are we staying for the rest of this party, or… what’s the plan?”

rolling her eyes evelyn groaned playfully, "well don't get used to it." she didn't need jada knowing a way around her, but she was sure they were past that now. all it took was that look in jada's eyes - a small plea for help that made evelyn feel a small ounce of guilt. "i am sorry, i don't know if i entirely believe you...i just know i'm sorry for fucking true." she was sorry that it hurt jada, but she wasn't entirely sorry that it happened. she knew she was hard to get by, but that was one of her ways to keep the people around her in check. "fuck the party," evelyn didn't need to go back in there. she knew if the two of them set foot inside, amber would be waiting for evelyn with hungry eyes. she found her extremely aggravating but she knew she'd be an easy target to blow off steam with. "do you want to go back to your place? it's been a while since i've stepped foot in there." without really waiting for an answer, evelyn pressed on the break and powered the car on. "i promise i won't try to fight you for the rest of the night," it was a slight tease. buckling herself up she glanced at jada before sighing.

at the question, she nodded. “of course i do. do i have to remind you i quit my job just to wait on you hand and foot basically?” she chuckled. “yeah, i have seen it. that’s one of the things i like most about you, actually.” she admitted. even if it had caused them problems, jada knew that was one side of evelyn she’d liked, long before now. the side that was willing to stand up to her ex on her behalf, among other things over the length of their time together. “but i’m sorry. i’ll do better. i promise.” she vowed.

somehow they were able to flip a switch, the softness that evelyn had acquired for jada was slowly letting itself back in as she was reminded of the leaps she had taken for her. "you have to hate me even a tiny bit for my behavior," she knew any other woman in her life hated the way evelyn behaved. anything good in her life was destroyed by her possessiveness and her big ego, or evelyn simply didn't care about the individual. when jada apologized, she blankly stared at her. she knew an apology should have came from her as well but she held back on it. instead she decided to show it through actions. evelyn leaned in closer to jada before closing the gap between them. she hadn't kissed her in what felt like forever, the softness of her lips helped her melt into her seat. it brought her back to a place that felt comforting rather than painful. the kiss wasn't one that was filled with the need for more, it was sincere. pulling back just enough to rest her head against jada's she finally did something she normally didn't. "i'm sorry."

sasha giggled at evelyn's words, and only she would throw out a hypothetical like that. "that would be horrible, actually, so thank god i'm better at controlling my emotions." she teased. evelyn alone risked getting them caught at work as it was, so thankfully she wasn't another factor in that equation. it was quite the ego stroke having an older woman so wrapped around her finger, and even if it didn't terrify her as much anymore, she still preferred to be even a little bit cautious. the reaction to her previous statement only made her laugh harder, because of course it went right over evelyn's head. "i was talking about me, ev. unless you were torturing someone else the way you tortured me for weeks?" she knew the answer was no, unless the older woman had found time to balance her, natalie, and a third woman — but considering work and the amount of nights they'd been together, she knew she'd been the only mistress in the picture. as if evelyn could be any less infatuated with her, let alone to entertain a second mistress on top of her wife still being in the way back then. offering to give in and let her boss have her anyway she pleased was certainly relinquishing too much control, but as she took in evelyn's reaction, she knew it was the best way for them to spend this trip. outside of the conference agenda, they had nothing but time and with no grace or jacob there to watch them like hawks, sasha saw no reason that they shouldn't take advantage of spending more time alone together like this. "you really came prepared, huh?" she asked, her restraint practically out the window now. "that chance was a little slim before tonight, but you can put it to use tomorrow." tomorrow seemed much closer as the hand shifted to her neck, and her eyes widened in response. she was sure that she had alluded to that choking kink of hers before, but she hadn't expected evelyn to tease her with it right now, when she was already struggling to tell her not tonight. and then she opened her mouth to further taunt her, and sasha's entire body felt like it was burning with a much more fiery passion under the other woman. "babe!" she whimpered, her voice much softer now. "fuck — i think that's our cue to go to sleep now." sasha had never been more relieved to have drank so much one night, since she was sure she would have been too hot and bothered to just crash anytime soon without it. "but there's no way we can sleep like this after what you just did, so you're gonna have to roll off of me."

she hummed softly in amusement. watching sasha lie there as her beautiful features stared back at her made everything else seem distant. in this moment, evelyn felt completely grounded. nothing else mattered - not the past, nor the problems she had caused between them. she wasn't going to let anyone steal this from them. she hoped every moment from now on would feel just as untouchable. evelyn's hand softly combed through sasha's hair, having each movement feel unhurried. her breathing was at a steady rhythm that blended perfectly with sasha's. the two of them created an atmosphere that settled like a warm embrace. "no i wasn't torturing another woman...only you," she hated what she put sasha through, but she knew if she took accountability, maybe the two of them could move past it faster with no bad blood following them along. the older woman let out a giggle before admitting, "i had to come prepared - it sounds really lame to admit out loud, but i had to play out a few scenarios in my head before packing for this trip." evelyn was the type of person who liked being prepared, she always had to have a plan or else things felt a little out of place for her. she was adaptable to situations she was thrown into unexpectedly, but they weren't exactly her strong suit. she also knew there would be a small ounce of regret if she didn't bring a strap. if sasha wanted to fuck for their first time, evelyn wanted to make sure she gave her the best experience. evelyn chuckled as she could tell sasha was slowly unraveling beneath her gaze. this was more satisfying than she could have imagined. there was something undeniably intoxicating about having someone who she deemed out of her league be so into her. "fine," she easily gave in before she sat up. however instead of getting off of sasha, she sat up and straddled her hips. letting her eyes take in what her body had been pressed against. "god," she mumbled under her breath before complimenting her, "you really are one of a kind." evelyn let her hand trail from sasha's abdomen to her chest, slowly inching her hand towards her left. "i love feeling your heart race for me," her voice was soft like a whisper. leaning in once more, evelyn passionately kissed the younger woman beneath her. there was a clear hunger as her mouth couldn't get enough of sasha's. as she pulled her head back slowly, there was a devilish smirk that seemed to stay glued to her expression. getting off of sasha, she laid on her side to face her. "are you going to get good sleep tonight? you know, since you have a gorgeous woman sleeping next to you? i know i will." her nose crinkled before there was a giant smile plastered. evelyn's hand didn't shy away to rest on sasha's waist pulling her closer to her, "sasha...baby, you're so fucking gorgeous. i'm going to make sure tomorrow night's unforgettable." pressing her lips softly against her soft lips she hummed quietly against them.

“boy, she sounds like a real charmer,” jada muttered, and sure enough evelyn’s confession felt like a hard slap across the face. “don’t say that,” she insisted, “i just… i fucked up by letting her stay, it’s not like that.” she sighed, deflating in defeat. she knew evelyn was also a hot commodity, so it was probably true that she wouldn’t be around when the dust settled. at the hand finding its way to her soft thigh and squeezing, jada sighed and yet, hesitantly her hand found itself resting on top of evelyn's. “look, i don’t want a break, but… things are just really tense right now, and i’m scared they’re gonna blow up even more than they already have,” she admitted nervously as her own brown doe eyes looked back into evelyn’s brown hues. "and i don't want that for us. i like spending time with you, even when we're not having sex. i mean, why else would i quit my job and come work for you besides the money, and the ethical things that have to do with your boss dating you?"

evelyn softly sighed, she did let silence fall between them because she was doing her best to hold back - to think before she spoke. "are you saying you like me?" tilting her head, her voice was much more soft. "you've seen it before, i like what's mine and i hate when people try to take it. seeing her...it caused a soft of rage i haven't felt in a long time." her possessive nature never shied from making an appearance, that was one thing she was never going to change.

jada was grateful they were alone, since now she could let words fly without embarrassing herself or her boss (and lover), so it was better for them both. “you’re obviously not over true either, so don’t act like you’re not also in the wrong.” she reminded her. it was obvious neither of them were fully over their exes, but jada was a lot further along in the process than evelyn was. running her own hand through her hair instinctively at the same time, she let out a frustrated huff. “i got you to care? do you hear yourself?” she blinked, in shock at the words she was hearing. “i think we need space.” she sighed after a moment of silence.

"that's exactly my point. you're not over your ex - you know what, the difference between ours exes. yours is able to show up and stay as she pleases. i have set a clear boundary with mine and she only showed up because i wanted to hurt you." a confession that she knew was a low blow, "but maybe it doesn't really hurt because you know your ex will come running back and you'll give her that satisfaction." she shook her head knowing what she had started would probably be never ending now. there was a loud silence that filled the void in the car. evelyn could hear her heart beating in her ear - there was a lot of conflicted feelings she laid out and now she didn't know what direction to go into. "if you want space, i can't promise i'll still be here when you're ready," evelyn said quietly. the words came out steadier than she felt. the truth was...she didn't know whether or not she could actually walk away. "and i don't know if i want to create that space between us," she admitted. her hand reached over to jada's thigh, squeezing it lightly. her big brown eyes didn't fail to stare directly in hers, "do you want a break?"

where are they going? why’s evelyn so mad at her assistant? i wonder what happened? is she getting fired? there were a lot more questions buzzing at jada’s ears like flies in need of a good swatting, but she managed to tune them out. climbing into evelyn’s familiar car, the space felt a lot more suffocating this time than it did the last time she was in the passenger seat, given the tension between them. “except i didn’t, so i don’t have shit to admit. only you crossed that line.” she spat back, a finger jabbing at evelyn’s chest in frustration. “you mean the same feelings that let you let your egomaniac, probably sociopathic ex back into your apartment so she could treat you like a piece of ass and nothing else? those feelings?” she scoffed indignantly, then sighed knowing she’d probably crossed about thirty lines in the space of ten seconds. she was blinking back tears as she stared back at evelyn, but she powered through her feelings.

if anything, being alone together in her car only have evelyn more reason to let out her frustration. she resented being so close to jada. she couldn't believe the way the younger woman was talking back to her. "you crossed the fucking line too, don't only put that bullshit on me. you know how much i despise that bitch and yet you still let her in - that's all you'll ever fucking do because you're not over her." her tone was strict and low, she was surprised that it didn't get any louder. "she'll always ruin anything you have...we were doing so good jada. god, i fucking let it get to this point." she let out a dry chuckle as she ran her hand through her hair. "we were supposed to be simple. just fun and nothing serious. somehow you got me to care and i can't decide what's worse - the fact that i do or how pathetic it makes me feel."

“quit mocking me,” jada snapped back at evelyn, her fists tightening in frustration thanks to the woman not believing her when she was in fact telling the truth. her manicured nails dug into her palms leaving slight nail marks in her skin, and she just exhaled a sharp breath. “sue me for still having a heart i guess,” she muttered. “bullshit. you’ve been fucking her behind my back, i’m guessing?” she challenged, deciding to stand her ground against evelyn before she’d spotted a few pairs of eyes wandering their way at that, probably wondering what all the commotion was and why these two women looked like they wanted to tear each other to shreds. clearing her throat subtly, jada spotted a waitress walking past with a tray of drinks and snatched one off, quickly downing it since clearly she’d need a lot more than that one drink to get through tonight at this rate. “your car,” she insisted. “as a matter of fact, let’s go discuss it now.”

evelyn's heels echoed through the hallways as she marched out of the building. she didn't know how the two of them were expected to spend any time along together without tearing each other apart. in that moment, that was the last thing on her mind. she wanted to get things off of her chest that she hadn't been able to. unlocking her car, she got in and kept the car off. she didn't need any more lingering eyes wondering why the two of them were sitting in the car together. "you fucked her jada, all you have to do is fucking admit it," she spat towards her. she could feel her heart beat through her chest, "and if you didn't fuck her, you still have those fucking feelings. or else you wouldn't have let her stayed the night. you wouldn't care to try protecting her." facing jada, she wore an expression that carved from anger and hurt, however there was a sadness in her eyes that her anger couldn't conceal.

jada just shook her head in frustration. “i blocked her number, and she showed up on my doorstep at 11 at night.” she pointed out. “i didn’t wanna send her back out in the middle of the night, so she slept on my couch and then left by 4. that’s all.” she insisted firmly. she’d never had to stand her ground with evelyn before, but considering how many times she’d had to with her ex, it was like second nature in the worst way. “she was telling me that some of my old friends from the club i used to work at quit. i didn’t ask how she knows, or how she found out, but it was true.” she hummed. “and besides, you don’t get to be mad at me when i heard some other woman in your apartment the other day. you said her name too. true something?” she scoffed, calling the woman out, even if she was still careful to keep her voice low. “if you can’t even trust me when i tell you one fucking thing then maybe this was all a huge fucking mistake.” she shook her head. “then where?”

all of it sounded like a huge lie. only in a perfect world could evelyn imagine that's how the night played out. "didn't want to send her back out in the middle of the night," she mocked with a scoff. "what is she? a child? she decided to show up at that time, so what would have been so wrong to kick her out at that hour?" it didn't make sense to the older woman. a small smirk wanted to curve evelyn's lips when she knew she got the reaction she wanted from jada - the younger woman heard when true was over. "i do get to be mad because i only fucked her knowing you happily let your ex back into your pants." she could feel her hands heat up. a small anger was building up inside of her hearing jada saying they must have been a mistake. evelyn bit her tongue knowing if she said anymore, there would be eyes glued to them. "we can discuss it back at home or in my car later."

she’d left all the contract details to her team, never wanting to blur the line between business and the friendship they shared. “when the show starts, we’re going to need you even more. posting behind the scenes content and everything. i just don’t want you running yourself into the ground. you already look exhausted.” she couldn’t help the smirk that pulled at her lips as she teased her. legs crossed, she glanced between their glasses. “can we get something stronger than whatever this is?”

"look, the pay from working for you is fine. i wouldn't say i'm getting cheated out of my hard work, but you know i like living a certain lifestyle. having two jobs helps me achieve that." selene shrugged her shoulders. she knew she could handle two jobs, she was capable of hard work - the time management is where she slipped through the cracks. leaning her elbows onto the table as she picked up her glass. her finger tapped lightly against it before nodding her head that she understood. "it makes me feel a bit awkward talking about it with you because you are my best friend and i'd do anything for you - i'm trying. if you and your team really need me, maybe a pay raise needs to be discussed? maybe i can just get paid a little more when there are busier weeks than others. we can keep the pay the same during regular work weeks?" now she rambled on knowing the other girl would probably want someone to discuss the logistics with her. "i'll quit my other job and work for you full time if we can make that work."

evelyn buried the conversation in sweetness that's almost worse to ava than the aggression and concern. the sweetness was easy to fall into. maybe even more than the danger. ava sat her empty glass down on the bar and let it stay there, not refilling it. "i know you are," she sighed. "and i love you for it. but most days, it's a fourteen hour shift and the only text you're going to get is about a guy who thought his gallstones were a heartattack. trust me, you don't want my conversation while working. conversation like this is much better. i missed you too." a beat. "a lot."

when they weren't drowned in conversations about michael, things looked a lot brighter for the two of them. "i know i say this every time we have a small little reunion, but i'm really glad we keep in touch. we're able to sit here together regardless of certain circumstances - it's nice really." swirling her glass around her eyes failed to trail away from ava's. when evelyn looked into ava's eyes, she saw more than the woman sitting across from her in that moment. evelyn saw their history. the years marked by laughter and the pain they had somehow survived. it was a beautiful story, written in the eyes that met hers after all these years. before she could completely fall silent, the woman cleared her throat and teased ava. "enough about you, i actually wanted to share something - you're going to either really hate or love the news," she chuckled before sighing softly. "i might move back...we want to expand our offices and well...it might feel nice coming back to this city. we also wouldn't have to wait months on small, quick meet-ups."

"the 'one' ..?" flat and meaningless. how did a three letter word become full opposite of catherine? incomparable. sloan's hands resurfaced from the sand, and wrapped around herself. her body language was searching for some protection. "sure, swept completely off of my feet. whirlwind of a romance so gushy that nicholas sparks wrote a book about it." that wasn't true. reality felt easier to digest skirting around the truth. sloan could keep everything tucked under rugs until she couldn't. "you don't want to hear about my dating life, do you?" salty air gently brushed against sloan's cheeks. dating had been few. horrid at first. mostly pressured by those around her. there had been one that stuck a little longer, but sloan couldn't pin point if she was trying to prove to herself that she was in love, or if she was trying to let go of the past. there was always a lean towards monogamy. some days she thought it was just settling. "i'm not in a relationship if that's what you're getting at." was it? was catherine being curious for the sake of conversation? sloan didn't want to ask about catherine's dating life. passing years couldn't coat that sting. that ill feeling that would burrow inside of her. still, she dared, "you?"

the question shouldn't have surprised catherine. sloan had always been great at redirecting the spotlight before it lingered too long. the simple 'you?' caught her off guard. it forced catherine to acknowledge what years had failed to change - that every connection since sloan had felt partial. the only one that had ever felt whole sat across from her and yet, she was not catherine's to claim. the breeze coming off of the shore blowing her beautiful golden locks gently - she was nearly hypnotized. shaking her head to bring herself back to reality catherine answered truthfully, "no. no relationships for me. i actually haven't dated in a while." she confessed with a good belly laugh imagining herself trying to get back out in the scene, "i would be a complete mess. i don't know if i am capable of sitting across from a stranger trying to get them to understand me and my life." for years catherine didn't know what the pinpoint of that problem was. was she over so many failed relationships that her mind and heart couldn't take it anymore? or did it go beyond that simple explanation? if someone were to ask her years ago that would be her answer. now, her answer was there all along. the love she had shared with sloan lingered like a ghost in every relationship that came after. nothing ever quite compared. their story had ended in tragedy, but not because their love was absent or they had problems they couldn't resolve. if anything, they had loved each other too much. enough to step aside when staying together would have hurt more than letting go. "i'm not lying when i say you created an impossible standard for people who came after you. i mean...your kindness and love really stuck with me - it will stick with me forever. i always try reminiscing on those indescribable feelings when i'm writing." sighing softly she smiled gently, "i hope that isn't too much to take in."

"No. It's too late for dinner now." she replied, looking at the other in silence for a few moments. "Evelyn, I get how important your work is, truly I do. But how many more times do we have to miss dinners and plans because you got wrapped up in it? I feel like I'm the only one actually making an effort here."

evelyn's eyebrows perked up hearing that mira was clearly starting to pick a fight with her. the woman let out a dry chuckle before narrowing her eyes, as if she was confused. "we haven't missed that many things because of my job," she knew that might have been a far stretch but she shrugged her shoulders. letting her hands fall to her hips she shook her head in disbelief, "you're the only one making an effort? you know how many times i put off work to be with you. tonight was an honest mistake, i simply got wrapped up in my work and missed it." there was a weird pit in her stomach that she couldn't really put her finger on. a feeling that was foreign to their relationship. the two of them never really fought. "please, don't say i'm not making any effort because i do." she knew work consumed a lot of her free time, but to her, that's how they worked together. the two of them so busy that their free time was able to align. "i try mira. i'm not trying to be disrespectful to you or our relationship."