The rules we break
1378 Words
I shouldn’t have gone.
That was the first thought in my head as I stood outside his office door long after everyone had left.
The building was quiet now.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that made every small sound feel louder than it should.
More noticeable.
More dangerous.
---
This was a mistake.
Coming here.
Waiting like this.
Wanting this.
---
And yet—
I didn’t leave.
---
The soft click of the door unlocking made my breath catch.
I hadn’t even heard him approach.
---
“You’re still here.”
His voice was low.
Calm.
But there was something underneath it.
Something that matched the tension sitting in my chest.
---
I turned slowly.
“I could say the same thing about you.”
A faint shift in his expression.
Not quite a smile.
Not quite anything soft.
---
“I had work,” he said.
“That’s a convenient excuse.”
“And yours?”
I hesitated.
Because mine?
Mine wasn’t something I could say out loud.
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“I forgot something,” I replied.
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He stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
And just like that—
The air changed.
---
“You’re a terrible liar,” he said quietly.
---
“I’ve heard that before.”
---
Silence.
But not empty.
Never empty when he was this close.
---
“We said no mistakes,” I added.
More to remind myself than him.
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“And yet you’re here.”
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“So are you.”
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That was the problem.
It wasn’t just me.
It was both of us.
---
A step closer.
Then another.
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“This is exactly what we said we wouldn’t do,” I whispered.
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“And yet,” he replied softly.
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My heart was beating too fast.
Again.
Always.
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“We shouldn’t be seen together like this.”
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“No one’s here.”
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“That’s not the point.”
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“Then what is?”
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I opened my mouth—
Then closed it.
Because the truth?
The truth didn’t sound as strong when I tried to say it.
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“The point is we’re supposed to be careful,” I said finally.
---
“And we are.”
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“This isn’t careful.”
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His gaze dropped briefly—
Then lifted again.
Slower this time.
More intense.
---
“Then why didn’t you leave?”
---
That question—
It hit deeper than it should have.
---
“I…” I started.
---
But the answer stayed stuck.
Because we both knew it.
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I didn’t leave—
Because I didn’t want to.
---
---
That realization hung between us.
Unspoken.
But understood.
---
And that was all it took.
---
The distance disappeared.
Again.
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This time—
There was no hesitation.
---
No pretending.
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No rules.
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Just something stronger than all of that.
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And that was exactly why it was dangerous.
---
---
Minutes later—
Reality came back.
---
It always did.
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I stepped back first.
Breathing uneven.
Trying to gather something that felt like control.
---
“This is exactly how we get caught,” I said.
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“We won’t.”
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“You keep saying that like it’s guaranteed.”
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“It is.”
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I shook my head slightly.
“You’re too confident.”
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“And you worry too much.”
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“Someone could walk in.”
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“They won’t.”
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“You don’t know that.”
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Silence.
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Then—
A sound.
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Footsteps.
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My heart stopped.
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“Ethan?”
A voice.
From outside.
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Everything froze.
---
Every thought.
Every movement.
Every breath.
---
Without thinking—
He pulled me.
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Not roughly.
Not urgently.
But fast enough.
---
Behind the side partition near his office shelves.
Hidden.
Close.
Too close.
---
The door opened.
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“I thought you were still here.”
A woman’s voice.
---
Victoria.
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My chest tightened instantly.
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“Working,” Ethan replied smoothly.
Like nothing had happened.
Like everything was normal.
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“Of course you are.”
Her heels clicked softly as she stepped inside.
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I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
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Because I was right there.
Hidden.
One wrong movement—
And everything would be over.
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“You’ve been distant today,” she continued.
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“I’ve been busy.”
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“Busy with work?”
A pause.
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“Among other things.”
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Something in her tone shifted.
Subtle.
Careful.
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“I noticed,” she said lightly.
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My pulse quickened.
---
Because that didn’t sound casual.
---
It sounded like observation.
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Like suspicion.
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“I don’t see how that concerns you,” Ethan replied.
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“It doesn’t,” she said smoothly.
“Unless it starts affecting things that do concern me.”
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Silence.
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I couldn’t see her clearly.
But I could feel it.
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Her presence.
Her attention.
Her calculation.
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Then—
Another step.
Closer.
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“You’ve been paying attention to someone,” she said.
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My heart pounded harder.
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“And?” Ethan replied.
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“And nothing,” she said lightly.
“But it’s… noticeable.”
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A pause.
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Then—
A soft laugh.
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“But I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
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My breath caught.
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Because of what came next.
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“You wouldn’t seriously involve yourself with someone beneath your level,” she added casually.
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The words hit.
Hard.
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Not loud.
Not aggressive.
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But sharp enough.
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I clenched my hands slightly.
Forcing myself to stay still.
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Because that—
That was exactly what she believed.
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And maybe—
That was the only reason she hadn’t figured it out yet.
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“Careful, Victoria,” Ethan said quietly.
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There was something in his voice now.
Something warning.
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She didn’t react.
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“I’m just being realistic,” she replied.
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Silence followed.
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Then—
Her tone softened again.
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“We have dinner arrangements to finalize tomorrow.”
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“I’ll handle it.”
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“I know you will.”
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Another pause.
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Then—
Her footsteps moved away.
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“Goodnight, Ethan.”
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“Goodnight.”
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The door closed.
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And just like that—
The silence came rushing back.
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But this time—
It felt heavier.
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I stepped out slowly.
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My chest still tight.
My thoughts racing.
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“She suspects something,” I said quietly.
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“She doesn’t know anything.”
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“Not yet.”
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He didn’t deny it.
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And that—
That was enough to confirm it.
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“This is exactly what I was talking about,” I continued.
“This is how it starts.”
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“And this is where we stop it.”
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“You think we can control this?”
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“Yes.”
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I let out a soft breath.
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“You’re impossible.”
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“And you’re still here.”
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That again.
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That truth I couldn’t argue with.
---
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Silence fell.
But it felt different now.
---
More serious.
More real.
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Because this wasn’t just tension anymore.
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This was risk.
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And we were both fully aware of it.
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“You’re not temporary.”
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The words caught me off guard.
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I looked at him.
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“What?”
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His gaze didn’t shift.
Didn’t soften.
Didn’t hide.
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“You’re not something that just passes,” he said.
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My heart skipped.
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Because that—
That wasn’t casual.
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That wasn’t light.
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That meant something.
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Something dangerous.
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Something real.
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“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I whispered.
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“But I mean it.”
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That was worse.
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Because now—
I didn’t know what scared me more.
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The world finding out—
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Or the fact that I was starting to believe him.
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And deep down—
I knew—
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This wasn’t just something we could hide anymore.
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It was already becoming something we couldn’t control.
- Writer
