Chapter 10
774 Words
He was still talking.
Still explaining.
Still trying—too hard—to stay composed.
“I don’t mean to interfere with your life, or your friendships, or your..”
I pushed the door open a little wider.
Not to invite him in.
Just enough to step closer.
And that was all it took.
He stopped.
Right in the middle of his sentence.
His eyes dropped to me.
Closer now.
Too close.
For a second, neither of us said anything.
The air shifted—so slight it was almost nothing.
But it was there.
I tilted my head, studying his face like I was trying to solve something that refused to be solved.
“You talk too much,” I said quietly.
Not sharp.
Not cruel.
Just… true.
His jaw tightened.
Barely.
“I’m explaining my actions, Miss.”
“I didn’t ask for an explanation.”
A pause.
His gaze didn’t move.
“I thought you deserved one.”
That almost pulled a smile out of me.
Almost.
Instead, I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe, still watching him like he was something new… something unfamiliar.
“You always this serious?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head slowly.
“No… I don’t believe that.”
Something flickered in his expression.
Small.
Gone just as quickly.
“I’m doing my job.”
“There you go again,” I muttered.
Silence stretched between us.
Thick.
Not quite comfortable.
Not quite tense.
Just… something in between.
My eyes drifted before I could stop them—his collar, the line of his neck, the way his shirt pulled slightly across his chest with every breath.
Then I forced them back up.
Control.
I wasn’t about to lose mine.
“Next time,” I said slowly, “don’t do that again.”
He didn’t answer right away.
And that—more than anything—irritated me.
“Did you hear me?”
“I did.”
“And?”
His voice dropped, just enough to feel it.
“I can’t promise that.”
There it was.
That calm refusal.
That quiet, unshakable line he wouldn’t cross.
Wrapped so neatly in respect it almost sounded polite.
I let out a soft, breathless laugh.
“You’re actually serious.”
“Yes.”
I held his gaze a second longer.
Then I nodded.
Once.
Slow.
Measured.
“Okay.”
That was it.
Just one word.
But the way it left my mouth..
He noticed.
I saw it in the slight narrowing of his eyes.
Like he understood something without me saying it.
Like he knew—
That wasn’t the end.
Not even close.
I stepped back.
Finally putting space between us again.
“Goodnight, Vaelor.”
His name slipped out softer than I meant it to.
And he felt it.
I saw that too.
Small.
Subtle.
But real.
“Goodnight, Miss.”
I looked at him one last second..
Then closed the door.
Silence.
The real kind.
Heavy.
Still.
I stood there for a moment without moving.
Then I turned and walked into my room.
Slow.
My mind wasn’t quiet anymore.
Not even close.
It kept replaying everything—
The club.
His hand.
The way he stepped in without hesitation.
The way he said no.
The way he looked at me.
I dropped my bag on the bed without thinking.
Ran my fingers through my hair.
Exhaled sharply.
“God…”
I didn’t even know what I was reacting to anymore.
The anger?
The irritation?
Or something else entirely.
I moved to the mirror.
Stopped.
My reflection stared back at me.
Same face.
Same expression.
But my eyes—
My eyes were different.
Sharper.
More aware.
More… interested.
And that irritated me more than anything.
Because I wasn’t supposed to feel like this.
Not over him.
Not over a man who kept telling me no.
A quiet scoff left my lips.
“Relax.”
But my body didn’t listen.
Because that wasn’t the problem.
The problem was—
I liked that he said no.
A sound pulled me out of my thoughts.
Soft.
Faint.
Footsteps.
Outside.
Then nothing.
Gone.
I moved before I even thought about it.
Opened the door slightly.
The hallway was empty.
But I knew.
He was there.
Somewhere.
Watching.
Waiting.
Doing his job.
Always his job.
I closed the door again.
Slowly this time.
Then leaned back against it.
And stayed there.
For a long moment.
Just breathing.
Thinking.
Feeling something I hadn’t planned to feel tonight.
Something I wasn’t ready to name.
But it settled anyway.
Quiet.
Steady.
Patient.
Because whether I liked it or not—
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
- Writer
