Chapter 15
1460 Words
The electrical charge in the car was impossible to ignore—thick, warm, humming between them like a live wire stretched too tight. Every bump in the road, every shift in the city lights across their faces, only made the tension sharper.
Brody finally turned toward her, his voice low and steady. “Would it be so wrong to date me? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we have a strong connection.”
Emily’s breath caught. Her pulse was racing so fast she could feel it in her fingertips. She looked down at her hands, then back at him, her voice soft but honest. “Brody… you’re right. We do have a connection. But you’re my boss. It wouldn’t look right. And if this—” she motioned between them, her finger tracing the space charged with everything unsaid “—doesn’t work, I don’t want awkwardness at work.”
Brody nodded slowly, absorbing her words, not pushing. “I understand.” He paused, eyes searching hers. “But what if this works?”
Emily’s heart squeezed. She held his gaze, feeling the weight of the question settle deep inside her. “I need time to think about it,” she whispered.
Brody didn’t look disappointed. If anything, he looked patient—determined in a quiet, confident way. “Take all the time you need,” he said. “I can wait.”
The rest of the ride was silent, but not empty. It was full—full of everything they weren’t saying, everything they were feeling, everything that had been building all night.
The car pulled up to her apartment building, and before she could reach for the door, Brody was already stepping out. He opened her door and held out his hand. Emily placed hers in his, and he helped her out gently—but he didn’t let go right away.
Their hands lingered together, warm, fingers brushing, neither of them ready to break the contact.
They walked toward the building entrance side by side, their hands finally parting but the warmth staying with them.
“Emily,” Brody said softly, stopping just before the door. “Tonight was the best evening I’ve had in a long time. I really enjoyed being with you. And I hope… I hope we can do it again soon.”
Emily smiled, unable to hide how deeply his words touched her. They stood there, staring into each other’s eyes, neither blinking, neither moving. The world around them blurred, faded, disappeared.
Brody lifted a hand—slowly, giving her every chance to pull away—and cupped the side of her face. His thumb brushed her cheek in a soft, tender stroke that made her eyes flutter closed without her permission.
She leaned into his touch, breath trembling.
Brody’s resolve cracked.
He leaned in, just enough to let his lips barely graze hers—a soft, feather-light touch, more a question than a kiss. Emily gasped, her eyes flying open, but before she could react, Brody stepped back.
Not abruptly. Not coldly.
Just… carefully.
He walked backward toward the car, eyes still on her, as if he couldn’t look away. And right before he got in, he paused—stealing one last look at her standing under the building lights, breathless, stunned, glowing.
Only when she finally turned to go inside did he slip into the car.
And the door closed on a night neither of them would ever forget.
Emily barely made it through her apartment door before her knees went weak. Her heart was still in her throat, her lips still tingling from the softest almost‑kiss she’d ever experienced, and her entire body felt like it was buzzing.
She didn’t even take off her shoes.
She grabbed her phone, hit Lola’s name, and pressed it to her ear.
“Girl—” Emily started.
“Oh my god, WHAT HAPPENED?” Lola practically screamed.
Emily dropped onto her couch, breathless. “Lola… I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start at the BEGINNING,” Lola demanded. “I’ve been waiting all night!”
Emily launched into everything, words tumbling out faster than she could control.
The Spanish restaurant “He loved it, Lola. He actually loved it. He said he trusted my decision. And he meant it.”
The arcade “We played every game. He was laughing, like really laughing. And he kept looking at me like—like he was seeing me for the first time.”
The pool table “Lola, he stood behind me when I was taking a shot and I swear I forgot how to breathe.”
The dance “We slow danced. In the middle of the arcade. No music. Just… us.”
Lola gasped so loudly Emily had to pull the phone away. “EMILY. STOP. I’m dying.”
“I’m not done,” Emily said, pacing now, her free hand pressed to her chest. “When we got back to my building… he—he touched my face.”
“Oh my god.”
“And then he leaned in and kissed me.”
“WHAT?!”
“Well—barely. It was like… the softest touch. Like he was asking permission. And then he walked away before I could even react.”
Lola was silent for a moment, which was rare.
Then: “Emily… you’re in trouble.”
Emily sank onto the couch again. “I know.”
“Like… real trouble.”
“I KNOW.”
As if summoned by the universe, her phone buzzed in her hand.
She pulled it away from her ear and looked at the screen.
Her breath caught.
Brody: May I see you tomorrow?
Emily stared at the message, her heart swelling, her stomach flipping, her entire body warming.
Lola’s voice crackled through the speaker. “What? What happened? What did he say?”
Emily whispered it out loud, almost afraid to break the moment. “He wants to see me tomorrow.”
Lola exhaled sharply. “And… what do you want?”
Emily didn’t hesitate.
Not this time.
Not after tonight.
“I want to see him,” she said softly. “Because… I think I’m falling for him.”
And saying it out loud made it real.
Made it terrifying.
Emily stared at her screen for a heartbeat, her pulse fluttering. She didn’t let herself think—thinking would only make her panic. She typed the one word that felt right.
Yes.
She hit send before she could second‑guess it.
Her breath left her in a shaky rush.
On the other end of the line, Lola’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Emily? Hello? What just happened? You went quiet.”
Emily pressed the phone back to her ear, her cheeks warm. “I… I answered him.”
Lola gasped dramatically. “Oh my god. What did you say?”
Emily swallowed. “Just… yes.”
There was a beat of silence, then Lola shrieked so loudly Emily had to pull the phone away. “YES?! Emily, that’s not a casual answer! That’s a take me now, I’m yours answer!”
Emily groaned, flopping back onto her couch. “Lola, stop. It’s not like that.”
“Girl, please. You don’t send a man like Brody a one‑word yes unless you mean business.”
Emily covered her face with her free hand. “I do mean it. I want to see him again.”
Lola’s tone softened instantly. “Then I’m happy for you. Really. But… Em?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’re going to have to tell the rest of the group soon.”
Emily’s stomach tightened. “I know.”
“They’re going to figure it out anyway,” Lola said gently. “The flowers. The smile you can’t hide. The way you’re glowing through the phone right now.”
Emily let out a breathy laugh. “I’m not glowing.”
“You’re practically radioactive,” Lola shot back. “And honestly? I’m proud of you. But you can’t keep this secret forever.”
Emily sat up, running a hand through her hair. “I just… I don’t want the judgment. Or the lectures. Or the ‘he’s your boss’ comments.”
“You’ll get all of that,” Lola admitted. “But you’ll also get support. And excitement. And maybe a little jealousy because, girl, Brody is—”
“Lola,” Emily warned, laughing despite herself.
“I’m just saying! But seriously… tell them soon. Before someone else pieces it together.”
Emily looked down at her phone again, Brody’s message still glowing beneath her reply. Yes. She’d said yes.
And she wasn’t scared.
She was thrilled.
- Writer
