The Almost Kiss
504 Words
His fingers were still on my cheek when reality decided to step in.
Not gently. Not politely.
Loudly.
My phone rang.
We both froze.
For a few seconds, neither of us moved. Like if we stayed still enough, the moment wouldn’t break.
It rang again.
I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Of course.”
Ethan slowly dropped his hand, like he had just remembered the world existed.
I checked the screen. It was his assistant.
I answered. “Hello?”
“Miss Carter, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s been a change in tomorrow’s schedule. Mr. Blackwood has an early morning meeting with the board.”
I glanced at Ethan. He looked annoyed but not surprised.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll be there.”
The call ended.
And just like that, the bubble burst.
We stood there in silence, the space between us suddenly feeling very real again.
“That was close,” I said, trying to sound normal.
“Too close,” he replied.
I laughed nervously. “Guess the universe is still on Team Professional.”
He smiled faintly, but his eyes didn’t match it.
“Or maybe it’s warning us.”
“About what?”
“About what happens when we stop pretending.”
That word again.
Pretending.
I walked past him and sat on the couch, suddenly aware of my heartbeat. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No,” he said. “But we almost did something very right.”
My chest tightened. “Ethan…”
He sat down on the opposite side again, like he was physically putting the line back in place.
“We should slow this down,” he said. “Before it gets messy.”
I nodded, even though part of me didn’t want to. “Yeah. That’s probably smart.”
Silence settled between us. Not awkward. Just heavy.
“So,” I said, forcing a lighter tone. “You almost kissed me.”
He looked at me. “You didn’t stop me.”
I smiled softly. “I didn’t want to.”
Neither of us said anything after that.
Because there was nothing left to hide.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment over and over. The way his hand felt. The way he looked at me. The way the world almost disappeared.
Almost.
And that was somehow worse than if it had actually happened.
Because now I knew.
He wanted me.
Not as part of the contract.
Not for the cameras.
But as himself.
The next morning, we were back in public mode.
Matching outfits. Perfect smiles. Hand in hand.
But something had changed.
Every touch lingered longer.
Every glance meant more.
Every “fake” moment felt real.
And the scariest part?
We were both pretending nothing happened.
Even though we were one phone call away from breaking every rule we had ever agreed on.
And I had a feeling…
The next time, the universe wouldn’t interrupt.
- Writer
