CHAPTER 6
1325 Words
Chapter 6: Crossing Lines
The streetlights of New York glimmered softly in the late evening haze, bathing the sidewalks in amber as Lena stepped out of her apartment. The night air was crisp, cutting through the city’s usual noise with a quiet clarity she hadn’t realized she missed. She pulled her trench coat tighter around herself, trying to shake off the storm of thoughts swirling in her head.
She had texted Tasha earlier in the day: Drinks tonight? I need to talk.
Tasha, being Tasha, had replied instantly with a thumbs up emoji and a gif of someone dramatically pouring wine into a glass.
Lena smiled faintly now as she spotted her best friend already seated at the rooftop bar, wrapped in a plaid scarf, two glasses of wine waiting on the table. Tasha stood as Lena approached, hugging her tightly.
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Tasha said, pulling back with a teasing glint in her eye.
“I might have,” Lena murmured as she took her seat and reached for her glass.
“Wait—what?”
Lena took a long sip before answering. “I had my interview today. W.B. Holdings.”
Tasha leaned in. “Yeah? How’d it go?”
Lena looked down into her glass, swirling the liquid. “Damian was there.”
Tasha blinked. “Wait—your Damian?”
Lena nodded. “Apparently, he’s the CEO of W.B. Holdings. Has been for over a year.”
Tasha gaped. “Hold on. Damian Wolfe is the CEO? How did I not know this? How did you not know this?”
“I’ve been in Paris, remember? And I wasn’t exactly googling him every day.”
Tasha leaned back in her chair, absorbing the shock. “That explains why you look like someone slapped you with a memory.”
Lena gave a wry smile. “You could say that.”
Tasha picked up her wine glass. “Tell me everything. From the moment you walked in.”
Lena exhaled slowly and began. “I was nervous, of course. I walked into the boardroom, expecting a panel. Instead, it was just one man sitting at the head of the table. He had his back to me at first. Then he turned around, and it was Damian.”
“Was he surprised?”
“He was shocked. Tried to hide it, but I could tell. His jaw clenched, his hand tightened around his pen. He didn’t say anything for a full minute. I almost walked out.”
Tasha frowned. “But you didn’t?”
“No. I told myself I had to be professional. That I came back to build something. He asked a few questions—nothing personal—but his tone was… cold. Detached.”
Tasha tilted her head. “And how did you feel?”
Lena took another sip. “Thrown. Angry. Confused. But mostly… sad. There’s still something unresolved between us, and seeing him just reopened the wounds I thought had healed.”
Tasha reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “So what now? Do you still want the job?”
“That’s the thing,” Lena said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know. I want to work. I want to be independent and build my life again. But if I take that job, I’ll see him every day.”
“Do you think you can handle that?”
“I don’t know.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the buzz of other patrons swirling around them, distant and blurry.
Tasha finally said, “You’re not the same person you were when he walked out of your life, Lena. You’ve grown. Paris changed you.”
Lena gave a soft smile. “It did. But I guess I haven’t figured out how to separate my past from my future.”
—
Meanwhile, across town, in a sleek corner office on the thirtieth floor of W.B. Holdings, Damian Wolfe sat alone, his back to the skyline.
The lights of the city blinked like a heartbeat, but he wasn’t paying attention. His elbows rested on the armrests of his chair, fingers steepled in front of his lips. The room was silent except for the low hum of the HVAC and the occasional distant honk from the streets below.
He had dismissed his assistant hours ago. Told her he didn’t need anything. That was a lie. He needed clarity, and it was the one thing eluding him.
Lena Carter.
She had walked into his boardroom like a dagger from the past. Poised, elegant, calm. But he’d seen it—the flicker in her eyes, the catch in her breath. She hadn’t expected him either.
And now she was here. In his city. In his building.
His fingers moved unconsciously toward the phone on his desk. He opened the photos app and stared at the picture he hadn’t had the strength to delete. It was a candid shot—taken one Sunday morning two years ago. Lena, barefoot, coffee in hand, laughing at something he said. Her head tilted back, sunlight pouring in from the window. He looked younger in the picture. So did she.
Damian’s jaw tensed.
Why did she leave?
That question had haunted him. Even after all this time. Even after the promotions, the late nights, the endless meetings that drowned out the ache of her absence. And now she was back, standing in his office as if no time had passed.
He should have asked her then—demanded to know why she had broken things off so suddenly. But pride had choked the words in his throat.
And now he was angry. Not just at her, but at himself.
Why did she still affect him this much?
He stood suddenly, walking to the bar in the corner of the room and pouring himself a whiskey. He took a deep drink and leaned against the edge of the desk.
He thought he had buried her memory. Clearly, he was wrong.
—
Back at the rooftop bar, Lena and Tasha finished their drinks.
“You need to sleep on it,” Tasha said as they stepped into the elevator. “You’re allowed to be conflicted. But don’t run just because it’s hard.”
“I’m not running,” Lena said.
“You’re thinking about it.”
Lena sighed. “I just don’t want to make the wrong move again.”
Tasha looped her arm through hers as they stepped onto the sidewalk. “Then take a step. One at a time. You’ll figure it out.”
—
Later that night, back in her apartment, Lena stood by the window overlooking the street. New York felt familiar yet distant. Like slipping into an old dress that didn’t quite fit the same way anymore.
She thought about the look in Damian’s eyes. The coldness. The pain.
And then her phone pinged.
A new email.
From W.B. Holdings.
Subject: Interview Outcome – Media Presenter Position.
She stared at it for a long time before clicking it open.
Dear Ms. Carter,
Thank you for interviewing with W.B. Holdings. We are pleased to offer you the position of Lead Media Presenter for our upcoming digital expansion initiative…
Lena slowly sat down.
The job was hers.
Now the real question was: Would she take it?
And if she did—was she prepared to see Damian Wolfe every day?
Because no matter how much she told herself she was over him, one look in that boardroom had told her the truth.
She wasn’t.
Not yet.
But maybe it was time to face it head-on.
To stop running—from him, from the past, from her own heart.
As the city settled into sleep, Lena Carter stared out at the skyline and wondered if this was the beginning of a new chapter—or the return of an old story with a different ending.
- Writer
