To Close
1077 Words
Elara regretted agreeing to dance with him almost immediately.
Not because Caleb stepped on her feet or made things awkward.
The problem was the exact opposite.
He moved with calm confidence, one hand resting lightly against her waist while the soft music filled the ballroom around them. People continued talking nearby, but Elara could still feel the attention following them across the dance floor.
Especially from the women watching Caleb.
“You look uncomfortable,” he said quietly.
“I’m thinking.”
“That usually leads to trouble.”
She glanced up at him. “You say that like you know me well.”
Caleb’s expression remained unreadable. “I used to.”
The answer unsettled her more than it should have.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Elara became painfully aware of how close he was. Close enough for her to notice the small scar near his jawline that hadn’t been there years ago. Close enough to feel the steady warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of her dress.
This was not the Caleb Morrow she remembered.
The boy from university had always seemed distant from the world around him, like he existed quietly outside everyone else’s attention.
But this version of Caleb understood attention perfectly.
And he knew exactly what his presence did to people.
“You still stare when you’re nervous,” he said suddenly.
Elara frowned. “I’m not nervous.”
A faint smile appeared on his face. “There it is again.”
“What?”
“That look you make before lying.”
She looked away quickly, annoyed that he noticed things like that.
“How do you even remember these things after seven years?” she asked.
Caleb was quiet for a moment before answering.
“Some memories stay longer than others.”
The honesty in his voice caught her off guard.
Before she could respond, the music ended and applause scattered lightly across the ballroom.
Elara stepped back almost immediately.
“That wasn’t so terrible,” Caleb said calmly.
“You sound disappointed.”
“Maybe a little.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
Dangerous.
Everything about this situation felt dangerous.
A waiter passed nearby carrying champagne glasses, and Elara quickly grabbed one just to have something else to focus on.
“You know,” she said carefully, “everyone here is terrified of you.”
Caleb accepted a drink from another tray. “Are you?”
She hesitated too long.
His eyes darkened slightly with amusement.
“That’s interesting.”
Elara rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I wasn’t.”
The smooth confidence in his voice irritated her partly because it worked.
Before either of them could continue, an older man approached with a wide smile.
“Caleb! There you are.”
The man shook Caleb’s hand enthusiastically before turning toward Elara.
“And who is this?”
“Elara Voss,” Caleb answered before she could speak.
Something about the way he said her name felt intentional.
The older man’s eyebrows lifted slightly in recognition. “Voss? As in Richard Voss’ daughter?”
Elara nodded politely. “That’s my father.”
“Well, that explains the beauty and the attitude,” the man joked.
Elara forced a smile she didn’t entirely feel.
“I was actually hoping to speak privately with Caleb about next quarter’s investments,” the man continued.
Caleb glanced briefly toward Elara. “Excuse me for a moment.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
As Caleb walked away with the investor, Elara released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“You look stressed.”
She turned to find Priya standing beside her holding two desserts.
“You disappeared,” Elara said.
Priya handed her one plate. “No, you disappeared onto the dance floor with a billionaire.”
Elara ignored the comment and took a small bite instead.
Priya watched Caleb across the room before lowering her voice. “Okay… I need the truth. Is there something happening between you two?”
“No.”
“That answer came suspiciously fast.”
“There’s nothing happening.”
Priya studied her carefully. “Then why does he look at you like that?”
Elara glanced toward Caleb again before she could stop herself.
He was listening to the investor speaking, but his attention shifted toward her almost immediately.
Like he felt her looking.
Their eyes met briefly across the ballroom.
And for one strange second, the rest of the room disappeared again.
“This is bad,” Priya muttered.
“What is?”
“You’re already affected.”
Elara looked away quickly. “I’m not.”
But deep down, she knew Priya was right.
Because part of her kept comparing the man Caleb used to be with the one standing across the room now.
And the difference unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Later that evening, Elara finally decided to leave.
The party had become exhausting, and being around Caleb for hours felt emotionally dangerous in ways she still couldn’t explain.
She grabbed her coat and headed toward the hotel entrance.
“Leaving already?”
She stopped instantly.
Caleb stood near the doorway, hands resting calmly inside his pockets.
“You keep appearing out of nowhere,” she said.
“I could say the same about you.”
The soft city lights outside reflected faintly against the glass doors behind him.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Caleb stepped slightly closer.
“You’ve been trying very hard to act unaffected,” he said quietly.
Elara folded her arms. “Maybe because I am.”
“No,” he replied calmly. “You’re curious.”
Her heartbeat betrayed her immediately.
“That’s confidence talking.”
“It’s observation.”
She hated how easily he read her now.
Or maybe he always could.
“You know what’s strange?” Caleb continued softly. “Back at Hartfield, you never once asked me who I was.”
The words hit harder than she expected.
Elara looked down briefly. “I was young.”
“So was I.”
Silence settled between them.
Heavy.
Unfinished.
Then Caleb opened the hotel door for her.
“Goodnight, Elara.”
The way he said her name made something twist quietly inside her chest.
She walked past him into the cold night air, trying to ignore the feeling following her all the way home.
The feeling that Caleb Morrow was slowly becoming impossible to escape.
- Writer
