confused before, I am now.

Luke's lips leave an aftertaste as I lift my fingertips to my bottom lip, the adrenaline wearing off and knocking me back to reality. Suddenly, I'm no longer thinking about Luke and instead focused on the ex-boyfriend I don't want standing in the lobby of my place of work. My attention immediately going back to him after making note of the look on Maggie's face as she watches the elevator doors slide shut.

"What was that?" Charlie asks, walking towards me.

"It's none of your business, Charlie," I tell him, holding my head a little higher. "So, I'm going to ask you again. What are you doing here?"

"I already told you," he says, stopping in front of me. "To talk."

A rich laugh falls from my lips as I take a step back, putting space between us as I move around the reception desk. "There's nothing we need to talk about," I say, crossing my arms. "You can go now."

"I'm not going till you tell me who that guy was," he says. "What are you doing with him, Em? He's not your type."

"That's rich coming from you," Maggie comments, rolling her eyes at him.

"Charlie, I'm not going to tell you this again," I say. "You need to go before I call security and have them show you out. And we both know that you don't care for creating a scene, isn't that right?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. "Leave."

"He can't replace me."

I roll my eyes. "He's not meant to, but that's great that you're still finding ways to make my life about you. Now, leave."

"Fine," he says, shaking his head as he takes a step back and heads for the elevator doors without another word. As Charlie leaves, a sigh of relief falls from my lips as I rest my face in the palm of my hands and lean my elbows on the reception desk.

"You okay?" Maggie asks, resting her hand on my back.

I shake my head as I lean my head to the side. "Why is today so complicated?"

"I think it's just the life you've chosen, babe," she says with a small smile. "Charlie's will never cease to amaze me. How can one person be so awful?"

"He enjoys being number one." I smile weakly, hoping to make a joke about what was a terrible time in my life. I've asked myself a million times over what I ever saw in him, but can never find an answer that leaves me satisfied. I was young and stupid, because Charlie wasn't just some boy. He was Charlie White, and he wanted me.

He was my first—everything.

And for a long time, I thought I owed him something, and it took way too long for me to understand that I deserved more than him. I didn't need to settle. I could have more. I could be more. I am more than him.

"I love you, you know that?" Maggie says suddenly and my lips lift as I stand up, meeting her deep brown eyes.

"I love you, too."

Her smile matches mine as she grips my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "Can I ask what the hell that was with Luke?" she asks as she leans back in her chair. "Bye baby?"

A groan escapes my mouth. "Don't ask me."

"What happened in your office?"

"Nothing." I shake my head and meet the knowing look on her face. "Nothing!" I say, throwing my hands up in defense. "Nothing happened. It was just Luke being Luke."

"You know, yesterday Luke being Luke meant something entirely different," she says with a teasing grin. "You like him."

"Funny."

"Em, come on," she says, tilting her head to the side. "It's okay to like him."

"And I'm going to my office now," I say, pushing away from the desk.

"You've got a meeting in ten in the conference room."

My lips curl down as I turn to her, completely forgetting about the Friday meeting. Pressing my palms to my face, I lean back onto my elbows. "I wish I had stayed in bed."

"With Luke?"

Lifting my head, I meet her eyes. "Shut up."

She laughs and smooths her hand over my ponytail. "My poor, Emmy."

With a sigh, I stand and put myself back together as I move into the bullpen and towards my office to grab my phone and notes for the meeting. The conference room is already buzzing with excitement as I settle into my usual chair, trying my hardest to keep focused, but find my thoughts drifting away. I'm not usually the person to get lost in thought at work, always able to maintain focus here, but Luke's proven to be more than one problem.

"You doing okay, Wheeler?" Clark asks as we step out of the conference room after the meeting. There's a calm smile rested on his lips, letting me know that he genuinely wants to know the answer and that me being lost in thought hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Yeah," I say and hug my notes tighter to my chest. "I'm sorry I was checked out. I promise it won't happen again."

"I don't know," he says. "I may have to write you up for this."

My lips part before seeing the look on his face. "You're joking."

"Good to know I haven't lost my touch," he says with a grin, resting his hand on my arm. "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? We all have our rough days."

"I'll try," I tell him as we reach the door to his office. "Thank you, Clark."

"Get back to work, Wheeler," he says, teasingly waving me off as he steps into his office. With a small sigh, I approach my office ready to drown myself in work hoping it will distract me from the war taking place in my head, but am met with an even better distraction when I open my office door and find Maggie and Zane inside.

"Hey," I say, shutting the door quietly. "What are you doing here?" I ask Zane as I approach the coffee table, climbing over his legs before settling in between them. The relief of having my two favorite people waiting for me washing over me.

"Can't come see my two favorite girls?" he asks and my lips part as he holds up a brown paper back that can only mean one thing. "I thought I'd bring you ladies some lunch."

A gasp falls from my lips as I snatch the bag out of his hands. "Can you be my husband too?" I ask as I unroll the brown paper bag saturated with grease and pick a burger out before offering it to Maggie.

"Sorry, I'm taken." He laughs and takes the bag from Maggie after she picks the food out. "I figured the least I could do was feed you."

"And why is that?" I ask as I bite into my burger, sinking into the cushion with a small moan as I rest my head against his arm.

"It sounds like you had an eventful night."

"An eventful nigh–" I say and my eyes widen as I look at Maggie. "You told him about Luke?" I ask, my face burning in embarrassment as I hold the burger up to hide behind.

Maggie throws her hands up in defense. "You didn't say it was a secret!"

I narrow my eyes, but know that even if I had, Zane would still know about it. It's one of the many things I love about their relationship, and why it's so easy to be friends with both of them. They don't keep anything from each other, not ever, and I'm fortunate enough to have them both. Zane the calm surface to Maggie's storm.

Zane chuckles as he nudges me with his arm, the dark inked lines on his skin poking out from beneath the sleeve of his shirt. "What changed your mind about Luke?" he questions. "I thought he was the bane of your existence?"

"He's... I don't know."

"She likes him," Maggie says, grinning at me. "She doesn't like it when you say that though."

"Yeah, because it's not the truth!" I groan and bite into my burger again, my stomach sinking at the thought that there's even an inch of truth to the statement. "Nothing changed. I forgot my keys at your guys' place and my super was out for the night, so I couldn't get him to unlock my apartment and we lost power. It was stay with Luke or walk all the way back to your place to get my keys. And things just... happened."

Zane hums, not giving his opinion on the topic.

"I like him," Maggie says, shrugging. "He's charming."

"Yeah, he wants you to think that," I say and shuffle in my spot. "Yesterday was a mistake. I lost my mind for a little, but it's back now and it's never going to happen again."

"Sounds like famous last words," Zane says, sealing my fate.