Chapter 16
1006 Words
Monday morning came too soon. Amelia barely slept, and dragging herself out of bed felt like a small act of war, but she had work and there was no negotiating with that.
She got dressed on autopilot, barely aware of what she was doing. By the time she grabbed her bag and stepped outside, she was still half asleep. She had almost started walking toward the bus stop before remembering she was supposed to be picked up.
She turned toward the apartment gate and immediately spotted the familiar black car waiting by the curb.
She assumed Andre was behind the wheel, and she was already preparing a cheerful greeting as she walked over. But the moment she pulled open the passenger door, the smile froze on her face.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, startled.
"Just get in," he said simply.
She had learned over the past few days that arguing with Travis rarely got her anywhere. Letting out a quiet sigh, she pressed her lips into a thin line and reached for the back door out of habit.
"Front," Travis said without looking away from the steering wheel.
She resisted the urge to groan, instead, she walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and slid into the seat beside him. Pulling the seatbelt across her chest, she folded her arms and stared straight ahead.
"Good morning," she said flatly, her eyes fixed on the road.
"Good morning," Travis replied, stealing a quick glance at her before pulling away from the curb. "How was your night?"
"Fine." She replied, she wasn't in the mood for conversation especially not with him.
Whether Travis noticed or simply chose to ignore it, she couldn't tell.
"So," he said after a moment, "did you enjoy your weekend?"
"Hmm" she answered
He gave a small nod as though that counted as an answer, a few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again.
"So... what did you have for breakfast?"
Amelia slowly turned her head to look at him, one eyebrow lifting in disbelief.
"I didn't eat breakfast."
A quiet chuckle escaped him. "No wonder."
She frowned and turned fully toward him. "No wonder what?"
"Nothing," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a teasing smirk.
Amelia narrowed her eyes. "You definitely meant something."
"I said nothing."
She stared at him for another second before letting out a small huff and turning back toward the window.
"You're annoying."
"So I've been told."
Despite herself, the corner of her lips twitched for the briefest moment before she quickly wiped the expression away.
When they arrived at the office, Travis stepped out first and walked around to her side of the car before Amelia could reach for the handle, he opened the door for her, she blinked at him.
He simply held out his hand, for a brief second, she considered ignoring it then she remembered, they were supposed to be a couple.
Trying not to overthink it, she slipped her hand into his. His fingers closed around hers with effortless confidence as he led her through the lobby and toward the elevators.
She could feel the eyes on them almost immediately.
By the time they reached her desk, Amelia wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Tavis stopped beside her but didn't let go of her hand instead, he gently tipped her chin up with two fingers.
Before she could react, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, her entire body froze, warmth spread from the spot his lips had touched, racing through her so quickly it made her heart stumble.
She immediately dropped her gaze, suddenly finding the floor far more interesting than the dozens of curious faces around the office, if everyone were already staring before, the forehead kiss only made it worse.
"What was that for?" she whispered, nearly squeaking as she pulled back.
A faint smile played on Travis's lips, his finger traced lightly from beneath her chin to the curve of her cheek before he leaned in just enough for only her to hear.
"There are people watching us," he murmured. "Remember?"
His warm breath brushed against her ear, sending another wave of heat through her.
Amelia swallowed hard and quickly composed herself, this was only for show, what was she even thinking? This was all part of the act.
Travis deserved an award for how convincing he was. If she hadn't known the truth herself, she might have believed every second of it.
Without another word, he straightened to his full height, adjusted the sleeve of his suit, and walked away with the same confidence he carried everywhere.
Amelia remained standing beside her desk for a few seconds longer, very much aware of the stares, she lowered herself into her chair, spun toward her computer, and forced herself to focus on the growing pile of work waiting on her desk, determined to ignore the stupid warmth that still lingered on her forehead.
About an hour later, a coworker walked over with a lunch bag. "Travis asked me to bring you this."
"What is it?" she looked at him confused
"Me ?" She asks pointing at herself
"Yes ma'am " the man says In return
"He told me to bring you food"
Amelia rolled her eyes but took the bag. Refusing would only cause a bigger scene than she wanted. Once the coworker left, she picked up her phone and sent Travis a short thank you even though she didn't want to, she didn't send him after all.
She turned her phone off and opened the bag.Inside was a note, it read: You should eat immediately, I don't want you starving.
She rolled her eyes again, who did he think he was, telling her what to do? She had no interest in being managed, she pushed the food aside anger bubbling up inside.
She went back to work until her phone buzzed, she picked up to open the text and it was from Travis, she hissed.
- Writer
