Chapter 13 – Running From What You Want
840 Words
Charlotte had been avoiding him.
It wasn’t intentional. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. But every time she heard his voice or sensed his presence nearby, she found something else to do. Another task. Another excuse.
Anything to keep her distance.
Because what almost happened yesterday… she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Charlotte.”
Her name froze her in place.
She closed her eyes briefly before turning around. “Yes?”
Alexander stood a few steps away, his expression unreadable. “We need to talk.”
“I’m busy,” she replied quickly, gesturing to the clipboard in her hand.
“You’ve been busy all day,” he said. “Funny how that works.”
Charlotte forced a small smile. “It’s called doing my job.”
“And avoiding me?”
Her grip tightened on the clipboard. “I’m not avoiding you.”
“Really?” He stepped closer. “Because it feels like you are.”
She took a small step back. “You’re imagining things.”
“I don’t imagine things,” he said quietly.
The way he said it made her heart skip.
“Look,” Charlotte sighed, glancing around. “We both have work to do. Let’s just focus on that.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The answer came too quickly.
Alexander watched her carefully, as if trying to read something she wasn’t saying. “You’re a terrible liar.”
Charlotte looked away. “I’m not lying.”
“Then look at me and say it.”
She hesitated.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
Alexander moved closer again, closing the distance she kept trying to create. “Why are you running?”
“I’m not running,” she said softly.
“You are,” he insisted. “From me. From what happened.”
“Nothing happened.”
His jaw tightened slightly. “That’s not true.”
Charlotte’s chest rose and fell unevenly. “It didn’t happen, Alexander. That’s the point.”
He studied her face, his voice lowering. “But it almost did.”
The words hung between them.
Too real. Too heavy.
Charlotte swallowed. “Almost doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
She looked up at him, surprised by the honesty in his tone.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Charlotte shook her head, trying to regain control. “We can’t do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because this isn’t…” She gestured between them, struggling to find the words. “This isn’t simple.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“It does,” she insisted. “This is work. A wedding. Not…” She stopped herself.
“Not what?” he pressed.
“Not whatever this is turning into.”
Alexander’s expression softened slightly, but his eyes didn’t leave hers. “And what is it turning into?”
Charlotte opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.
That scared her more than anything.
“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.
Alexander took another step closer, his voice calm but firm. “Then maybe stop pretending it’s nothing.”
Her heart pounded again, louder this time.
“I’m not pretending,” she whispered.
“You are,” he said. “Because if it really meant nothing, you wouldn’t be avoiding me.”
Charlotte felt the truth of his words hit her hard.
She turned away quickly, needing space, needing air. “This is a mistake.”
“What is?”
“This,” she said, gesturing between them again. “Whatever this is. It’s going to complicate everything.”
“Maybe it’s worth it.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”
“I think I do.”
Charlotte laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t even like me.”
Alexander’s lips curved slightly. “That’s not true.”
“You’ve spent most of your time arguing with me.”
“And you’ve spent most of your time proving me wrong.”
She turned back to him, her eyes searching his. “That’s not the same thing.”
“No,” he agreed. “It’s not.”
Silence settled again, but this time it felt different. Less chaotic. More… certain.
Charlotte felt it, the shift. The way things were no longer just playful arguments or accidental touches.
This was something deeper.
Something harder to ignore.
“I should go,” she said finally, her voice quieter now.
Alexander didn’t stop her this time.
But as she walked past him, he spoke again.
“You can avoid me all you want,” he said. “It’s not going to change anything.”
Charlotte paused for just a second.
“Maybe not,” she replied softly.
Then she kept walking.
But as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, one truth followed her with every step
She wasn’t just running from him.
She was running from what she was starting to feel.
- Writer
