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Including her.

Okay, that part had nothing to do with his wealth and fame and everything to with him as a person. The connection had always been there and back when they were younger, they sort of knew all they could have was a friendship.

Until that last day when she’d gotten bold and kissed him.

But even if he had stayed, it would have been years before they could have started dating without everyone freaking out about it.

So now, here they were; making up for lost time and trying to figure out what comes next. Mick already seemed confident in what that was—he had stated it so boldly that first day—but Sienna wasn’t quite so sure. Glancing around at the scenery and the house, she wasn’t so sure she could fit into this world. It took her years to commit to buying a house and it wasn’t even one she loved, it was one she could afford. Meanwhile, he had his choice of houses in every time zone and barely had to think about the price tag.

They’d talked a little about that last night over dinner. This house he’d owned the longest, but he’d been buying and selling homes around Malibu and L.A. for years. He had the penthouse in Manhattan, a condo in Vale, a flat in London, and a small condo in the heart of L.A., just a block away from his office. Again, part of her wanted to argue that she didn’t fit in his world, but she desperately wanted to.

And not just for the monetary perks.

Every day that they spent together, she found more to genuinely like about Mick. They talked about everything, from sharing memories from their childhood to her research on clinical neuropsychology. He’d been very open about his own career and both the struggles and successes he’d dealt with. The more he shared, however, the more she realized that he preferred working behind the scenes and not taking any of the spotlight for himself. And now that he’d achieved the level of success that he had, he didn’t know how to just live for himself.

And it made her incredibly sad.

In contrast, much of her life had been spent in a classroom or a lab. There were very few circumstances that put her in any kind of spotlight, but she still spent most of her time locked away from anything enjoyable. She socialized with other scientists and made a lot of good friends, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling as carefree as she had this past week.

So what did it all mean?

Mick had kept true to his word and, other than his declaration that first day on the plane, he had put no pressure on her to talk about her feelings. He certainly wasn’t pushing her for anything beyond their two weeks.

Although... she really wished he would.

God, what a mess I am...

For so long, Sienna had made all her own decisions. Because of her intelligence and skipping two grades, she’d been more mature than her peers and had always known what she wanted to do with her life. She didn’t rely on guidance counselors or academic advisors. Every step had been planned meticulously by her. Now she suddenly wished for someone else to take the lead for a while. Someone to tell her it was okay to take a step back from her career and take a sabbatical.

Someone like Mick to ask her to stay with him.

She had taken her phone outside with her and she reached for it and captured a picture of the early morning view of the beach and sent it to Eleanor.

Sienna: Good morning from Malibu

Eleanor: Now that is a beautiful way to start the day

Sienna: I don’t think I’ve ever been outside to watch the sunrise like this

Eleanor: Because most days you were either already in the lab or rushing to get to it

Sienna: Very true

Sienna: How are you feeling today

Eleanor: Tired. Very tired. I have a bunch of scans later today

Eleanor: I told them not to bother because it won’t change anything

Eleanor: But no one’s listening

Sienna: Why won’t they listen? If you’re against it, that should be your decision

Eleanor: For the sake of research, I’m going to allow it

Frustration built in her and she wanted to say fuck the research! Where had it gotten her friend, huh? All the research that goes into cancer every damn day and it still couldn’t save Eleanor.

Closing her eyes, Sienna mentally counted to ten because the last thing anyone needed was for her to get argumentative and make things worse