She and He

Prologue

She didn't know what to do. All her life, Kady was in control. Her mom praised her for her poise and her dad always gave her comforting words of motivation. They were the perfect parents, really. Not too harsh yet they had their strictness. She grew up in a comfortable upper-class family in a nice neighborhood. There was no crime if you forgive the one time that the kids down the street accidentally broke someone's living room window playing ball outside.

Everything was perfect for Kady. Her job was only a stepping stone to what she truly wanted to do. Being the manager at one of the most prestigious hotels in North Carolina gave her the rep and resume she needed to be promoted to the CEO of the state's branch.

So why did she feel like something was missing in her life. She had money, loving parents, great friends, an awesome job. So why did she feel this way?

It hit her in the face like a wrecking ball when, one night, she and her friends from her alumni sorority decided to go out for a drink. It wasn't one of the bars she would have chosen, a little too down to earth for her, but she settled because she hadn't seen her old friends in a while. There was a live band that night and the atmosphere could be described as borderline grungy. The few drinks she had muddled her opinion of the place. All that mattered was that she was finally reconnecting with the people she spent countless nights studying and enjoying college life with. That was all that mattered, until she accidentally kissed a man trying to avoid an attempted pick up. Little did she know that before that kiss, all her other kisses with a man were dull in comparison to the one she was locking lips with then.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as he pulled her closer too. Perhaps it was the alcohol in their systems, or maybe it was just pure chemistry that night. She didn't know. All she could fathom was that this man's lips felt amazing on her lips and she needed more.

That was what she was missing. That pure sexual connection in her life. She had partners before sexual and platonic. But nothing like this. And this was just a kiss!

Failed pickup was long forgotten when they pulled apart from each other.

"Thanks," she got out, albeit breathlessly. The man she just blatantly kissed gave her a sexy smirk with raised eyebrows.

The man gave a little bow and said once he raised back to his full height, "I aim to please." He held out his hand, "The name's Daniel. I take it you're not one to suddenly kiss a stranger considering your cheeks are a flaming red and you're avoiding eye contact with me?"

She bit her lip. He caught her red handed even though there really wasn't anything to catch. Just her appearance screamed upper class privilege. She also wasn't one for public displays of affection so what she had just done was a first. Shyly, she held up her hand.

"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," she managed to say with as much calm as she could muster, even though she was all garbled inside. That kiss gave her all kinds of messed up. "I'm Kady. Nice to meet you I guess." She finally took his hand and shook it. The warmth and surprising softness of his palm took her off guard. Her hand retreated back to her side quickly. Anymore contact with her alcohol infused brain might result in regretful actions.

Hoping he would leave, she turned back to her drink, even though she shouldn't, and took a big gulp from it. In her peripheral, he sat down on the stool beside her. On one hand, she was giddy that he might actually be taking an interest in her. On the other, though, the critical part of her was judging her for actually considering him. He was definitely opposite of what she would normally go for. The leather jacket and sort of messy way his hair lay on his head proved so.

Before she could nurse her drink again the man, Daniel, placed his hand over the top, stopping her suddenly. Reluctantly, she turned her body fully towards them, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"Look," Daniel started. "Obviously we both felt what that kiss did. It was hot, even if it was a mistake."

She blurted before he could say anything else, "I'm not sleeping with you."

To her chagrin he laughed a full hearty tone. "I didn't say that now did I?" His finger stroked hers on the side of the glass. "What I was trying to say before you so rudely interrupted me was, we should continue this some other time. When you're not tipsy and in the company of others." He waved to her group of friends who, at that very moment, were giggling and pointing towards him. One of them even gave her a thumbs up as if to jump him right then and there.

She should have said no. She knew that these types of guys only brought trouble. But from the alcohol levels in her brain came the words "do it".

That was the start of their grand yet toxic relationship.

They started out wonderfully. He was the perfect gentleman for the most part. Occasionally he would slip his hand lower than her waist but quickly return it. He knew she was from good money and would have the perspective of someone from it too.

They didn't have sex until a month after they met, when his grand gesture of a romantic dinner and a walk on the beach swayed her. At that point, he was in it for a relationship as she was too. She didn't like flings and only stayed on when she knew it was getting serious.

It was after that when things started going downhill. Months passed and he became secretive, always leaving without telling her. Some points in time he was borderline verbally aggressive with her. Thankfully, he never once physically hurt her. She didn't know what she would have done if he was.

Their intimacy decreased but the sexual relations only went up tenfold. It was like a routine for him to release all of his pent-up energy. She should have seen the signs immediately but it had been so long since she felt a genuine connection with someone that she ignored them. This was as close to love as she thought she could get. She imagined that her and Daniel would be it. Her parents warned her as well as her therapist, whom she started seeing when depression all of a sudden set in. She refused to believe that he was the reason for her blue emotions and lack of motivation for anything. Her job suffered for it too. She didn't give any effort anymore and it was noticed by her superiors as well as her support group.

Her life was flipped upside down out of the blue when, all of a sudden, she realized something. Her period was due to arrive two weeks ago. Her sullen emotions clouded anything important, including her bodily cycle. She took the test as soon as she got home from her impromptu visit to the pharmacy. Either her life was about to change forever or it would remain the same. All she knew was that this little stick would be the one to determine it.

And so, it did. But whatever it showed her, it would ultimately guide her for the future to come.