LINES BEYOND THE OFFICE
1031 Words
Chapter 7: Lines Beyond the Office
Kai woke to the shrill buzz of his alarm and the heavy ache of exhaustion pulling at his bones. The past week had been a storm of deadlines, critiques, and Rafael’s whirlwind energy. He’d gotten so used to seeing the company walls that his small apartment felt strangely foreign half-packed boxes still leaning against one wall, unpacked from his move weeks ago.
“Pathetic,” he muttered, dragging himself out of bed. “Can conquer a boardroom but not my own closet.”
He shuffled into the kitchenette, cracked two eggs into a pan, and stared blankly at the sizzling edges. The silence was suffocating. For a second, he almost missed the sound of Aiden’s voice sharp, demanding, insufferably confident. Almost.
A knock startled him.
When he opened the door, Lena stood there, grinning and holding a cardboard tray of coffees. “Surprise.”
Kai blinked. “How do you even know where I live?”
“Office gossip chain,” she said cheerfully, brushing past him into the apartment. “Also, you’re impossible to find after hours, and we decided you need a life. We’re going out tonight.”
“We?” Kai echoed, wary.
“Me, Rafael, a couple of the designers. Drinks, dancing, bad decisions. You in?”
Kai hesitated, glancing at the sketchpad lying open on his counter. Work was safer. But then again… maybe a night away from the office was exactly what he needed.
“Fine,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “But I’m not dancing.”
Lena smirked. “We’ll see.”
---
The bar was loud, alive with neon lights and pulsing music. Kai stuck close to Lena as they wove through the crowd, finally settling at a booth where Rafael waved them over.
“Kai!” Rafael grinned, sliding a drink toward him. “Finally decided to join us in the real world.”
“Don’t make it weird,” Kai muttered, taking a cautious sip.
But as the night wore on, he found himself laughing more than he expected. Lena teased him mercilessly, Rafael told ridiculous stories about his first job, and for once, the weight of deadlines didn’t crush Kai’s chest.
He was halfway through another drink when a familiar voice cut through the noise.
“Well. This is unexpected.”
Kai froze. Slowly, he turned.
Aiden stood at the edge of the booth, dressed not in his usual armor of tailored suits but in a fitted black shirt and dark jeans. His presence was still magnetic, drawing eyes from across the bar, but there was something looser about him tonight. Dangerous in a different way.
Kai’s heart stuttered. “What are you doing here?”
“Rafael invited me,” Aiden said smoothly, sliding into the booth as if he belonged there. His eyes flicked to where Rafael sat comfortably close to Kai. “Didn’t realize I was interrupting.”
“You’re not,” Kai said quickly, though his pulse betrayed him.
Rafael, oblivious to the tension, clapped Aiden on the shoulder. “Perfect timing. We were just about to hit the dance floor. You in?”
“Not my scene,” Aiden said, eyes never leaving Kai. “But don’t let me stop you.”
So they went Lena dragging Rafael with her, leaving Kai and Aiden alone at the table.
The silence stretched, thick with unsaid things. Finally, Aiden leaned back, swirling the drink Rafael had left behind.
“You don’t strike me as the bar type,” he said.
Kai snorted. “You don’t strike me as the human type, but here we are.”
Aiden’s lips curved, almost amused. “Careful. I might start to think you enjoy this… whatever it is between us.”
Kai bristled. “Don’t flatter yourself. Not everything revolves around you.”
“Doesn’t it?” Aiden’s tone was teasing, but there was something sharper beneath it. His gaze dropped briefly, almost imperceptibly, to Kai’s lips before snapping back up.
Kai’s breath caught, but before he could reply, Lena and Rafael returned, laughing and breathless. Rafael slid back into the booth beside Kai, shoulders brushing.
And Aiden’s expression shifted. Subtle, but unmistakable. His jaw tightened, his fingers drummed once against the glass.
Jealousy.
The realization hit Kai like a spark. Aiden Cross, untouchable and controlled, was jealous.
Kai should’ve been smug. Instead, his pulse raced, heat pooling low in his stomach.
---
Later that night, after too many drinks and too much noise, Kai stepped outside for air. The cool breeze sobered him instantly, cutting through the haze.
“Running away already?”
He turned. Aiden leaned casually against the wall, cigarette unlit between his fingers.
Kai shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just needed a break.”
Aiden studied him, eyes shadowed by the neon glow from the bar’s sign. “You’re different out here. Less… guarded.”
Kai bristled. “Maybe because you’re not breathing down my neck every second.”
“Or maybe,” Aiden said softly, “because you’re tired of pretending you don’t care what I think.”
The words sank deep, raw and unsettling. Kai’s heart pounded, but before he could reply, Rafael’s voice called from inside.
“Kai! You good?”
Kai glanced back toward the door. When he turned again, Aiden’s expression was unreadable, the unlit cigarette now snapped clean in half between his fingers.
“Go on,” Aiden said lightly, though his voice was tight. “Wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.”
Kai hesitated, then stepped back toward the bar, throat tight with words he couldn’t form.
Behind him, Aiden watched, shadows clinging to his sharp edges.
---
The night ended in a blur of taxi rides and half-said goodbyes. By the time Kai stumbled into his apartment, his head spun not just from the alcohol, but from the mess tangled inside him.
Rafael’s easy warmth. Lena’s laughter. And Aiden’s gaze, burning even when Kai closed his eyes.
For weeks, their battlefield had been the office. But tonight proved something dangerous: wherever they went, whatever they did, the tension followed.
And it was only getting harder to ignore.
- Writer
