6 The Pushback
408 Words
The next morning, I was in the studio early, tracing the curves of a new sketch when the sound of the elevator doors sliding open pulled my attention.
Damien walked in, crisp and composed, but there was a heaviness in his steps — the kind of deliberate pace that meant he was here for more than small talk.
“Busy?” he asked.
“Always,” I replied, not looking up.
He stopped beside my worktable, eyes scanning the sketch before landing on me. “You’re avoiding me.”
I set my pencil down. “I’m working.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I met his gaze, refusing to flinch. “You embarrassed me last night.”
His brows lifted. “By stopping another man from putting his hands on you?”
“By making it look like I’m some possession you can parade around and guard like a trophy.”
Damien’s expression didn’t change, but his jaw tightened. “If you think I see you as a trophy, then you haven’t been paying attention.”
I crossed my arms. “Then what am I?”
For a long moment, silence stretched between us. Then he stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the low hum of his presence.
“You’re the first person in years who makes me forget the rules I’ve set for myself,” he said quietly. “And I don’t know if that’s dangerous… or inevitable.”
His words stole the air from my lungs.
I turned away, forcing myself to focus on the sketch. “I’m not here to be your weakness, Damien. I’m here to work.”
“And yet,” he murmured, “you’re already both.”
The room felt smaller, charged. My pulse betrayed me, thudding in my ears, and I hated that he could see the effect he had on me.
I grabbed a roll of silk from the shelf, needing something to break the moment. “If you want this project done on time, you’ll stop treating me like some piece in a game you control.”
He studied me for a beat longer, then nodded once. “Careful, Elara. Push me too far, and you might find I don’t play fair.”
When he finally left, the studio felt quieter — but my heartbeat didn’t slow.
Because I knew, deep down, this wasn’t the end of the fight between us.
It was just the beginning.
- Writer
