Until We Choose Us

CHAPTER 7 Rules and Boundaries

POV: Elena Maren

By the following Monday morning, the reality of the Crescent Hotel contract had finally settled in.

This wasn't a short project.

It wasn't a single meeting.

It wasn't something I could finish and forget.

The contract covered several months of work.

That meant Alexander Vale was going to be part of my professional life for a long time.

I needed rules.

Not because I hated him.

Not because I was afraid of him.

Because I knew myself.

I opened my notebook and wrote:

Rule 1: Keep conversations professional.

Then:

Rule 2: No discussing the past during work.

I stared at the list.

It looked ridiculous.

I crossed out the second rule.

I couldn't control whether the past came up, only whether I chose to discuss it.

I rewrote it.

Rule 2: Keep personal matters separate from work.

Better.

Then I added:

Rule 3: Don't mistake familiarity for trust.

I closed the notebook.

“Are you writing company policies now?”

I looked up.

Mia stood at the door.

“Something like that.”

She walked closer.

“What are those?”

“Rules.”

“For?”

I hesitated.

“You know.”

She read my face.

“Alex.”

“Yes.”

She nodded.

“I approve.”

“Really?”

“Completely.”

She pointed at my notebook.

“Protect your peace.”

I smiled.

“That's the plan.”

At 10:00 AM, I entered our project meeting.

Alex was already there.

He glanced at my notebook.

“You brought notes.”

“Always.”

“Good.”

We began reviewing the timeline.

The project had several stages.

Design approval.

Material selection.

Event planning.

Installation.

Final inspection.

It was a lot.

I appreciated having something concrete to focus on.

When the meeting ended, Alex remained seated.

“Elena.”

I stopped.

“Yes?”

“I want to clarify something.”

I waited.

“Our working relationship.”

My stomach tightened slightly.

“What about it?”

“I know our history could make things complicated.”

I didn't answer.

He continued.

“I don't want it to affect the project.”

Neither did I.

“Agreed.”

“And I won't bring up anything personal unless you want me to.”

I looked at him.

“That includes the past?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Good.”

He leaned back.

“Then we understand each other.”

“We do.”

I turned to leave.

Then he said, “And Elena?”

I looked back.

“You don't have to avoid me.”

I frowned.

“I'm not avoiding you.”

He smiled slightly.

“Okay.”

I walked out.

I wasn't avoiding him.

I was simply being careful.

There was a difference.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Over the next few days, the rules worked.

We communicated through email when possible.

Meetings stayed focused.

We discussed designs.

We reviewed schedules.

We solved problems.

Nothing more.

It was surprisingly peaceful.

Until Thursday afternoon.

A supplier canceled an important delivery.

I received the message at 3:15 PM.

My stomach dropped.

The materials were supposed to arrive the following week.

Without them, our timeline would be delayed.

I immediately called the supplier.

No answer.

I tried again.

Nothing.

I closed my eyes.

“Great.”

“Problem?”

I looked up.

Alex was standing near my desk.

I explained the situation.

He listened.

Then he said, “I'll handle the supplier.”

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

“I can handle it.”

“I know.”

“Then why—”

“Because you already have enough to do.”

I stopped.

He wasn't trying to control the situation.

He was helping.

“Fine.”

He took out his phone.

Within 10 minutes, he had reached someone at the supplier's office.

I watched him quietly.

He didn't mention his position.

He didn't threaten anyone.

He simply asked for a solution.

Eventually, the delivery was restored.

I looked at him.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

I smiled.

“That doesn't count as breaking a rule.”

He frowned.

“Which rule?”

“Personal matters separate from work.”

“This was work.”

I laughed.

“Then you're safe.”

He smiled.

For a moment, it felt easy.

Too easy.

I looked away.

That evening, Mia found me staring at my notebook.

“You're thinking about changing the rules.”

“No.”

“You are.”

I sighed.

“He helped me today.”

“That's allowed.”

“I know.”

“He's allowed to be a decent person.”

“I know.”

She sat beside me.

“Elena, boundaries aren't walls.”

I looked at her.

“What's the difference?”

“A wall keeps someone out. A boundary tells you where you stop.”

I thought about that.

Maybe she was right.

I didn't need to treat Alex like an enemy.

I just needed to remember who I was.

I closed the notebook.

“I can work with him.”

Mia smiled.

“That's progress.”

“Don't make it sound dramatic.”

“I didn't.”

“You did.”

She laughed.

I smiled too.

That night, I lay awake thinking about the rules.

Maybe I had been trying too hard to control everything.

I couldn't control what Alex remembered.

I couldn't control what he felt.

I couldn't control what I felt.

But I could control what I chose to do.

And that mattered.

I opened my notebook one last time.

I looked at the list.

Then I added one final reminder beneath the others.

Don't be afraid of your own feelings.

I stared at it.

Then closed the notebook.

That one was going to be the hardest.