90 Days With My Ex-Boss

Chapter 12 - The Bedroom Door

I took a step toward the bedroom.

The door was open. Just a crack. Enough for candlelight to spill onto the wooden floor in thin, golden lines.

My heart was so loud I was sure Kairo could hear it from inside.

Day 24.

For 24 days I had told myself this was a contract. A deal. 90 days of pretending, then freedom. No feelings. No risk.

But his voice from the kitchen kept playing in my head. “My father died. I thought if I was ruthless enough, no one could hurt me again.”

I pushed the door open fully.

He was standing by the window. His back to me. The rain made streaks on the glass behind him. He had taken off his shirt.

I froze.

The candlelight traced the lines of his shoulders, the scar just above his left shoulder blade. He looked… human. Not the billionaire. Not my ex-boss. Just a man who was tired.

“Kairo?” My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.

He didn’t turn.

“I told you to come in,” he said. His voice was rough. Like he hadn’t used it in hours.

“I wasn’t sure if you meant it.”

At that, he turned. Slowly.

His eyes found mine and held. No suit. No mask. No walls. Just him. And for the first time since Day 1, I didn’t look away.

“The couch is cold,” he said finally. “And this… this is stupid. The contract says one bed. So we use one bed.”

It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t a confession. It was practical.

But my chest still tightened.

“Okay,” I whispered.

I walked in. The door clicked shut behind me. The sound was final.

There was only one bed. King size. White sheets. Two pillows. An impossible amount of space between us.

He gestured to the left side. “That’s yours.”

I sat down. The mattress dipped. He stayed standing for a second longer, like he was deciding something. Then he blew out two of the three candles.

Darkness cut the room in half.

He got in on the right side. Careful. Like I might break. Like he might.

We didn’t touch. Not even a finger. There was a foot of cold air between us that felt hotter than fire.

The rain kept falling.

For a long time, neither of us spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly into the dark.

I turned my head on the pillow. I could see his outline. “For what?”

“For Day 1.” He exhaled. “For firing you. For making you think you were nothing to me.”

My throat closed.

“You were my boss,” I said. “You were supposed to be ruthless.”

“I was supposed to be fair,” he corrected. “And I wasn’t.”

Silence again. But this time, it didn’t hurt.

“Kairo,” I started.

“Don’t,” he said quickly. Too quickly. “Don’t say anything you’ll regret in the morning. Day 24 is… it’s a lot. The rain. The blackout. The truth.”

He was protecting me. Even now.

“Okay,” I said.

I pulled the blanket up to my chin. The room was cold, but my skin was hot.

I thought I would lie awake all night. Counting the space between us. Counting my heartbeats.

But exhaustion from the day, from the confession, from the tension… it pulled at me.

My eyes started to close.

The last thing I heard before sleep took me was his voice. Barely a whisper.

“Goodnight, Ama.”

He used my name.

Not “Miss Appiah.” Not “you.”

Ama.

And just like that, the foot of space between us felt smaller.

I didn’t answer. Because I was already asleep.

But when I woke up at 3AM to another roll of thunder…

His arm was across my pillow. Not touching me. But close.

Close enough that I could feel his warmth.

Day 24 ended without a kiss.

But it ended with his name on my lips, and his arm guarding my sleep.

[End Of Chapter 12]