Free Private Emotions – Invitations (The Private Emotions Trilogy) by Elize Amornette Page B

from different planets, right?”
    “That is an apt way of describing this Mark but I think that both sexes are easy to figure out especially if you have the right information to help guide your way through the minefield.”
    “Now that we are back in good graces, why don’t you tell me how things are going with, Ethan. He’s my best friend, you know, and I wouldn’t trust anyone with you, but him.”
    “He’s been an interesting addition to my life and I am hoping that things will only get better with time. It’s still early days so we can only wait and see I suppose.”
    “Okay, if that is the case then I am happy for the both of you, Em.” The relief on his face was clear from his slight smile. It was nice to have my two best friends back in my life.
    I went back up to my room after leaving Ronnie and Mark and I found Ethan sleeping soundly in the bed even though it was only 10 PM. Softly, I got undressed and crawled in behind him with his body against mine.

    In the morning, he never mentioned the locket or anything that happened at suppertime and was purposely keeping me at an arm’s distance. He was treating me like just a friend and was going out of his way not to show me any sort of loving gesture, probably thinking that I was going to get the wrong idea.
    We had an early flight and were soon in the air with the elephant sitting in the plane next to us. We tried to engage Ethan into a conversation but he only nodded his head and didn’t say much of anything the whole way back home. When we dropped him off at his house, he turned to me and almost leaned in for another kiss goodbye. He thought better of it and instead just kissed me on the cheek like my grandmother would when I came to visit. He shook his head as he carried his luggage into his condominium. It was obvious that he was struggling with something deep inside himself. I looked down at the locket and realized I still loved it even though it had caused a bit of a rift between us because he couldn’t admit what giving it to me meant. I would still treasure it, knowing that for a brief moment his defenses had crumbled to allow himself to purchase it for me.

    Chapter Five Ethan’s Dilemma
    I still didn’t know how it happened but something had changed between Ethan and me. Now I had this special locket to remind me of how deeply he felt for me in a moment of vulnerability. That vulnerability lasted until Ronnie and Mark had teased him about his feelings and suddenly it was like a light switch that went off and he immediately reverted to being the teacher and me, the student.
    We had been back from the trip for a couple of days now and I hadn’t heard anything at all from Ethan which told me that he was purposely staying away. He was probably thinking that if I was out of sight then I would be out of mind. Maybe it was possible that I was wrong and that what I saw in his eyes during the trip was just a mirage. Something that I hoped was happening but really wasn’t, and now he wasn’t comfortable with being around me. Despite all the emotional turmoil that had occurred during the trip, I had enjoyed myself immensely and just wished that he could see what was right in front of his face. If he wasn’t man enough to grasp onto the fact that he had feelings for me then it wasn’t my place to throw it in his face.
    Despite my current situation with Ethan Sterling, I woke up in the most fantastic mood because my favorite cousin, Matthew, was stopping over for one night in the city. He delayed his connecting flight by a day so that he could visit me. It had been three years since we got together because he was always busy jetting off to some part of the world with his IT consultancy business. Matthew was a loving but matter-of-fact type of guy who did not suffer fools gladly. He was honest and direct both in his work and with his advice. He always believed that lasting relationships were based on being totally honest with each other. Matt would be a