"So, because Ryder forgot about you, we all have to be sober now?" Dannie asked. I know what he meant. Since Ryder forgot about me, I have been stirring clear of Oil Rig and Rig Style. It was too painful for me to go there. The sweetest guy I've known didn't want anything to do with me and looked down at me as if I was the biggest gold-digging slut in the face of the earth.

"No, Dannie. No one is preventing you from getting drunk out of your wits. As long as you don't do it with me and in any of Ryder's bars." I said.

"But those are my favorites!" He complained.

"Oh I feel so sorry for you!" I said, a little irritated. "My problems are nothing compared to yours!"

That shut him up. He smiled at me apologetically. "You're right." He said. "I'm sorry."

"So, still no development?" Nicole asked.

I shrugged.

How do I tell them that, No, Ryder still has not remembered even an inch of me, and he still has not changed his opinion about me being after his money. But hey, he made it clear though, that he wanted me and can't get his hands off me in bed!

That was a slip. I thought about last night and felt confused more than ever. I was happy that at least he is still attracted to me. But I know there was no love in that department. He touched me last night because he wanted me. He wanted my body. I was a woman he wanted to warm his bed. He didn't touch me because I was his Astrid and that he loved me with all his being.

Last night, I didn't make love to Ryder Van Woodsen, the guy who would go to hell and back for me. I had sex with a guy who looked a lot like the man I love... the man who went to a place where I cannot reach him.

Right from when his arms snaked around my waist and he crushed his lips into mine, I knew it was a mistake. I didn't know this man. He didn't know me. He wanted my body. I wanted a piece of the man I have been aching for for too many nights.

I told myself I will not give up on him. But I was only human. It was painful to be near him and yet I know it wasn't really him. He looks at me with wanton lust and all I wanted was the man who looked at me with so much love and tenderness. They look the same, but I know they aren't.

"I... returned Ryder's investment." I said.

"Oh my, you're shutting down?" Dannie asked.

I shook my head.

"Wow!" John breathed. "At least now, you won't owe him anything. He won't think that you're just using him for his money."

I didn't have the heart to tell them that Ryder was the one who pulled out his investment. That my choices were to either shut down or pay up.

I kept telling myself that Ryder is not fully aware of his actions and everything that comes out of his mouth is based on the fact that he doesn't know me at all. He is disturbed and confused with my existence in his life.

But I know not everybody can be forgiving. And if Ryder comes back to me again, I don't want my friends or my family to hate him.

Speaking of my family, I haven't even had the courage to tell them that Ryder has forgotten about me. Whenever they call and ask about him, I tell them that he's out of the country, somewhere in Europe.

My phone rang. It was Rose, my assistant.

"Astrid, Mr... Mr. Van Woodsen is here." She said in a whisper. "He's looking for you."

My breath caught in my throat. What does he want now?

Did he think that just because I slept with him last night, it is going to be a regular occurrence between us now?

Oh no! He's dead wrong!

Okay, I slipped. I was weak for a night. But that does not mean I'm easy.

I want my Ryder. Not this asshole who thinks all women are trying to get into his pants to get into his pockets.

In a way, I felt like cheating. I should not have gone to bed with him. I have only been with one man in my entire life. And he loved me. Even that first night he touched me, I meant more to him than just a woman he wanted to warm his bed.

The last time I was in Manhattan, Ryder was having a date with Alizia. Of course. He doesn't remember me. But he's known Alizia for more than a year. It's no surprise if he tries to be with her. And if he is, God! What have I done? I should not have slept with him! If he's seeing Alizia, then he's cheated on her with me. Well, if he is with Alizia, technically he's cheated on me with her!

God, it's so unfair! I cannot even blame him if he tries to sleep with Alizia. How can you accuse a man of cheating if he doesn't even know you were his girlfriend in the first place?

"I would never touch Alizia." He said. "Because I would never cheat on you." My heart breaks at the memory. But the man who promised me that was gone now. In his place is a man who looks exactly like him, but does not feel an inch of affection for me. The man who would go to hell and back for me... is gone. I don't know when he's coming back. And all the waiting is killing me.

"Tell him you don't know where I am." I said.

"Huh?" My assistant asked, obviously confused. Usually, I would jump at the chance to see Ryder. Now, I'm running away from him.

Yes, I still have not given up on him. But that doesn't mean I am ready to face him already after sharing a night of insane passion with him.

What happened between us is a game changer. We were already complicated in the first place. Why did we have to give in to our dark desires and think we can get out of it unscathed?

Tough! Even if he doesn't see me for a week, I doubt something will happen to make him recall his memories. I've tried so hard to reach out to him. And all I got were insult after insult, heartbreak after heartbreak.

And now, he gets to spend one night with me. I wonder what insane profanities he's got cooked up for me this time. Before, I was just a mercenary. But because I showed him how I could go wild and mindless in his arms, I'm sure the term 'mercenary slut' now applies! And I'm not ready to hear that from him just yet. Because I don't know if I can stop myself from killing him if he does say that to my face.

I am confused. And more than that, I am scared. So I guess, it doesn't hurt to lay low for a while, and just... take a deep breath.

"You heard me." I said. "I'm not around. You don't know where I am."

"Okay." And she hung up.

My friends raised brows at me.

"What's that about?" Dannie asked.

I shrugged. "Ryder is at the office looking for me."

"Now he's looking for you and you're the one running away from him?" Nicole asked. "You guys are so confusing!"

"Why is he looking for you? Did he have his memories back?"

"Doubt it." I said. "Only yesterday I wrote him a check for his investment. He doesn't even remember why he invested in my talents. Unless he hit his head this morning, I doubt that he's looking for me because he remembers me."

Nicole and Dannie seem to agree. But John was looking at me suspiciously and I don't know why. When I raised a brow at him, he just shrugged and looked away.

"So why did you tell your assistant that you aren't around?" Dannie asked.

I sighed. "Because I'm only human, guys! My heart can only take a couple of heartbreaks at a time. I need a break too."

"Are you giving up?" Nicole asked.

I shook my head. "No. But that doesn't mean I cannot take a breather from all these... pain once in a while."

"Sure, sweetheart." Nicole said, reaching out for my hand. "And I hope you use that breather to think that you deserved to be loved, Astrid. You deserve a man who knows what a good thing he has when has you."

I laughed humorlessly. "You sound like the old Ryder. Thanks for the reminder."

"She's right, sweetheart." Dannie said. "For how long are you going to keep on doing this? How long are you going to hang around and get your heart broken over and over?"

"I'm a rock!" I recited, more to myself.

John shook his head. "No." He looked at me, and I can see that his heart goes out to me, like he's so sad that I have to go through all this pain. "You're a precious stone, Ash. And you need somebody who could appreciate you and not look down at you."

That was a lot coming from John, who only seem to see women as bedroom playmates. And it warms me to think that in spite of what I have been going through with Ryder, I have friends who really love and care for me.

"I had that somebody." I said to him, tears brimming my eyes again. "He looked a lot like Ryder Van Woodsen. But he's a different man now. And I don't know how to get him back."

Nicole put her arms around my shoulder and let me cry. I needed this. I needed to let it out because it gets too heavy sometimes. It felt like this time, I am the walking time bomb and I don't know just when I will lose it and explode.

Dannie finally had the sense to change the subject. He told us about his boyfriend and how serious they were getting. Actually I know the guy. He's the one who broke the news to me that the engagement ring Bryan gave me was a fake and that the supposedly fake ring that Ryder gave me was the real thing.

John told us about his new apartment. He's doing pretty well in his father's company. Now, he can afford a two bed apartment with a garage on a prime area in the city.

Ryder kept calling me. I just chose to ignore his calls. I want him to know I am not a booty call, if that's his intention. Give yourself some dignity, woman!

He needs to decide what to do with me. I'm either with him or without him. Nothing in between. We've been down the 'friends with benefits' road before, and I'm not going back there again.

And more than that, I need to breathe too. Even for just a couple of days. A couple of days without hearing Ryder insult me, accuse me of things that I am not. A few days of not seeing him look at me and not place me in his past.

Last night, after we made love, he actually held me in his arms until we both fell asleep. For a while, he felt like the old Ryder... my Ryder who is content and happy to have me locked in his embrace. And I wanted that to be my last memory of him... at least for now.

I stayed with Nicole for the next couple of days. I cannot be alone, even for just a few moments. Ryder's been showing up at my office everyday.

I decided to conduct all my business outside. I can easily meet my clients at their place or at any restaurant in the city. Plus, I was office and apartment hunting. I have all the excuses in the world to not be in the office.

However, after three days of crashing at Nicole's I had to move out. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but my mother is coming to the city and well... she's gonna be staying with me." Nicole said. "You can stay with us if you want, but I honestly don't recommend it. My mother is unrelenting, you know that."

I know. Her mother wants to know everything about the person she speaks to and I know she'll pry on my love life. And the reason why I'm staying away from my house in the first place is because I'm avoiding the love of my life.

"Oh, that's fine." I said. I looked at Dannie. "Can I crash?"

Dannie smiled at me apologetically. "Sorry sweetie. You know I haven't been single since last month." Yes, right. And I don't want to get in the way of Dannie and his love life.

Rats! I didn't want to go to my place yet. I just... want to surround myself with my friends right now. Otherwise, the first ring from Ryder, I know I will pick up. And if he asks me to come to his house for some fun, I just might blindly accept it... I think. That's how vulnerable I am to him. And damn, he knows it! And even if he didn't, then I have just proven it to him a couple of nights ago.

I'm a rock. I'm standing my ground. Maybe if I give Ryder a little bit of distance, he'll have time to think about why I returned his investment... why I didn't take the severance pay that Adam is so willing to fight for. I'm not the mercenary slut he thought I was.

Adam! I remembered him. He's got a nice place and he will take me in in a heartbeat. But Adam will smell that something was up. The guy has a talent for pulling information out of me. He will know that I slept with Ryder again and he will not like that. He'll give me a good beating for being stupid. Plus, Ryder knows he's my cousin, so if he is looking for me, he might look Adam up. And Adam is already losing his patience with him. I don't want it to turn into a fist fight, particularly since Adam seems to be a fan of martial arts lately. He doesn't talk about it but the mild bruises on his face, and the wounds on his knuckles tell all the story I needed to know.

"I just moved in to a two bed apartment." John reminded me. Right. I forgot. John owns a place big enough to crash in now.

"And the point is?" I asked, smiling. I already know what he will offer. John may be quiet most of the time, but he's such a sweet guy. But somehow, only me, Dannie and Nicole know that. He's a playboy. But as long as he doesn't plan on bringing home a girl while I am there, I am all for it.

"Well, I need somebody to clean up the house once in a while for the price of free nights stay in the guest bedroom." He joked. "You might sleep in the middle of a mountain of boxes though."

"Very funny." I said. "I'll take it! It's only a couple of nights anyway. Then I shall be able to find a new place to move in to."

I sincerely hope I find a new office soon, and a new apartment. It's actually tough, since I just paid Ryder out and I owed Adam some money. But I know that I can still do it. I still have some amount left to support my relocation.

I gathered my stuff from Nicole's place. I decided to go home quickly and get some new clothes before I go to John's. John agreed to pick me up after his meeting.

As soon as I was heading out with my bag, I froze on my feet when I found Ryder standing in the driveway.

He was watching me, a hard expression on his face.

Stick to the program. Stick to the program. I recited in my head.

He approached me. Damn! Why does he have to be smoking hot!? My heart kept pounding inside my chest. I have to consciously remind myself that my brain needs oxygen, ergo, I have to breathe!

He raised a brow at me. "You can't avoid me forever, sweetheart." He said, giving me a crooked smile, which did not touch his eyes.

"Funny you seem to have succeeded a lot in doing that to me." I said sarcastically.

"I know." He said and I thought I heard a trace of guilt in his voice. "But I guess we started out on the wrong foot."

"No. You started out on the wrong foot. I was exactly where I was the last time you said you love me." I said, pain was evident on my voice.

He didn't say anything. He just stared at me.

Then I realized that it was not entirely his fault. I'm sure he didn't want to forget a year of his life. Nobody would want that.

But I wish he could have been a little bit nicer and little less judgmental towards me. I wish he just gave us a chance. I wish he didn't try his best to drive me away... cut me off from his life.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault." I started saying to him. "I..."

I was not able to finish that sentence. I blinked and the next thing I knew is that Ryder's soft lips were ravishing mine. His arms were around me, holding me tightly against his chest.

I savored that kiss for a while. I know I craved it. It makes me weak and shuts down all my senses.

But I also wanted to know... why? First, he doesn't want anything to do with me, asks me to stay away from him and his family... then one day he wakes up and he realizes he likes kissing me and taking me to bed?

If I keep on giving in to this... I know I will end up being hurt by him over and over. I cannot accept these kisses. He's not the same man he used to be. He isn't kissing me because he loved me. He's doing this because he wants me... in spite of the ugly thoughts he has about me.

And whatever Ryder Van Woodsen wants, Ryder Van Woodsen gets.

So I gathered all the courage that I have and pushed him... hard.

That startled him. Maybe he really did think that after that night, I would be a very easy prey. That he can play with me however he wants.