Frank
You were woken by the feeling of the warmth of the sun coming through the window of your hotel suite.
You’d just had an all too familiar dream of a past relationship that still haunts you to this day.
It's been a little over a year, but you still can't shake the thought away.
The thought of him.
The thought of Frank.
You worked for one of the small museums in the city.
You were assigned as a rising intern.
That's where you set eyes on each other.
What started out as a playful friendship, turned into a steamy 3-year relationship and when his career moved south, he made sure you weren’t too far away, right by his side, more or less.
You were, in all forms of the word, in love.
You spent every moment together, and that’s what led to your breakup, which shook your family, even though they had probably guess it would happen.
When you spend every minute of every day together, the monotonous routines tend to lead to boredom in a relationship.
That is why you mutually ended your relationship.
You both had seen other people since the split, but in your mind, no one would compare to the way Frank made you feel.
He knew how to make you swoon every time he spoke, let alone every time he touched you.
You just couldn't get him out of your head.
Seeing him regularly in town wasn't any help neither.
You tried your best to keep your encounters professional, but there were times the innocent flirt would lead to impromptu bathroom breaks in his car out back.
How were you to move on completely, when you couldn't resist his arms around you or the touch of his lips on yours?
"Hey love..." a familiar husky voice came from the bathroom doorway. "I didn't wake you, did I?" Frank said as he slowly made his way toward the bed.
"No. I didn't even hear you." you said sitting up, trying to remember what had transpired the night before. "I thought you would have left by now."
"I wanted to jump in the shower before I left..." he trailed off, "I hope that's not a problem."
You shook your head as he sat down beside you.
His scent drove you crazy, making you wish you could stay in that room for all of eternity.
Frank gently traced the side of your face with the back of his fingers, sending shockwaves all throughout your body.
"Frank..." you said, closing your eyes and moving in towards his touch.
"Shhh..." he whispered placing his finger on your lips. "Last night was amazing and we need to discuss some things… but right now all I want to do is taste you again."
He leaned in towards you, cupping your face with both his hands and capturing your lips with his.
You felt like you were literally melting into his arms as he slowly slid his tongue against your bottom lip, teasing you to open your mouth and let him in.
"Frank, we can't do this..." you trailed off, pushing him slightly away from you. "We can't keep doing this to ourselves." You stood from the bed to put as much distance between you as you could.
"This is just all fun and games, remember." he said grabbing your hand and spinning you around to face him. "We agreed. No strings attached."
"How can there ever be no strings attached when I..." you stopped, shaking your head, knowing all too well that you were about to admit the one thing you feared most of all.
"When you what?" he asked searching your eyes for some sort of answer even though he knew what you were going to say.
He just wanted to hear you admit what he was feeling himself, but too proud to say it.
"Nothing. Just go." you said as you opened the door. "Please. I'm already late for a meeting with Meredith. I need space, Frank, to sort what it is we are doing here. And honestly, you should do the same."
He gently rubbed your arm as he walked past you and through the open door. He turned slightly to face you before you shut the door.
"I agree, love." he said giving his trademark smirk and started down the long hall.
You had managed to avoid running into Frank for the rest of the afternoon.
You had back to back meetings and with it being so close to the museum opening, you were busy working on getting the installments just right.
Throughout the day, however, you found yourself often thinking of Frank, and what you’d gotten yourselves into.
You just couldn't understand that if you agreed to split… why the occasional hook ups and sweet nothings being said between the two of you?
You had seen your friends break up and never did they keep going back to their ex.
So, you knew it wasn't normal, let alone right.
You did know one thing for sure though.
That no matter what label the two of you placed on this, you still loved him, and you never stopped.
Because of that, you knew you had to end whatever it was between the two of you or more hurt would come.
As you rounded the corner of the conference room, you saw him talking to Jack.
He caught sight of you out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to acknowledge you.
He grinned and finished up his conversation.
He patted Jack on the back and started to walk towards you.
You knew now was the time, you had to be honest with him on how you felt.
"Well there you are love," he smirked leaning over and brushing his lips against your cheek. "I was beginning to think you ran away." he finished with a wink.
"I've just been busy." you said as you stepped back trying to find the courage to say what needed to be said. "Do you have time that we can talk?"
"Uh... Yeah..." he said looking down at his watch to make sure he did. "We can go to your office so it's a little more private and quieter."
You led him down the hall to your office.
Your nerves were swirling in the pit of your stomach with each step you took.
You didn't know what to expect or how he would react. You knew he loved you, but you weren't sure if that was the case now.
Would this talk make things awkward between you or would it be a step in moving on?
Or, would it do a complete shocker and bring them back together?
"So, I needed to talk to you as well." He said as he sat down on a nearby chair.
"Ladies first." he winked as you sat down beside him.
"Ok, umm..." you stammered as he grabbed your hands in his causing you to look up at him.
His hands were warm.
You looked up into his blue orbs, finding the comfort you needed to continue with what you had to say.
"I know we both agreed to go our separate ways and I was ok with that. But as time went on, I realized... even though I was seeing other men… that I can’t get you out of my head. Your voice haunts my dreams and I find myself hearing you throughout the day. I can't keep doing what we are doing and stay sane."
"I get it love; I do." he said as you looked down.
He knew you were fighting back tears and that tore through him like a knife.
He gently wiped a few strands of hair from your face and placed it behind your ear, then grabbed your chin to make you look at him again.
He tried giving you a comforting smile, but he could tell it wasn't working.
"I don't think you do Frank." you said as a tear started to fall.
"I love you."
He wrapped his arms around you and rubbed the back of your head.
He knew what he needed to say but was afraid to say it.
He was shocked to hear you admit what he was fighting to admit to himself.
He closed his eyes and pulled away slightly, looking at you.
"I still love you, y/n. I never stopped." He said, cupping your face into his hands.
"We never should've split. It was for unnecessary reasons that we could've worked on together. That's why I kept going back to you. You are the one I want to be with. All those other girls could never work because my heart was yours."
That was all you needed to hear.
You let the walls crumble and let the man who still owned your heart back in.
You leaned in closer to him and kissed his lips.
He wrapped his arms around you and drew you closer, deepening the kiss.
"Let's do this right this time, love." He smiled as he drew you in for another passionate kiss.
It felt as if the world stopped. You were his and he was yours.
In the end, it was only them.