Chapter 10: Too Close
1001 Words
Aria could not focus.
Not after this morning.
Not after her.
Valentina.
The way she spoke.
The way she looked at Dante.
The way Dante didn’t explain anything.
It shouldn’t bother her.
It really shouldn’t.
This was a contract.
Nothing more.
Nothing real.
And yet—
It stayed in her mind.
Uncomfortably.
Annoyingly.
By evening, the mansion had fallen quiet again.
Too quiet.
Aria stood by the window in her room, staring out at the fading light.
Her arms were crossed, her thoughts restless.
“You’re overthinking,” she muttered to herself.
Again.
But this time…
It didn’t help.
A soft knock came at the door.
Her heart skipped slightly.
Why?
She didn’t know.
“Come in,” she said.
The door opened.
Dante stepped inside.
Her breath caught.
Of course it was him.
It was always him.
“You didn’t come down for dinner,” he said.
His voice was calm.
But there was something else beneath it.
Something quieter.
Something she couldn’t quite place.
“I wasn’t hungry,” she replied.
which was a lie.
But easier than telling the truth.
Dante didn’t move closer immediately.
He just stood there, watching her.
Like he was trying to read something she didn’t want him to see.
“You should eat,” he said.
“You’ve said that before.”
“And you ignored it before.”
Her lips pressed together slightly.
Then—
“I’ll eat later.”
A pause.
Then Dante stepped forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Deliberate.
Aria’s heart started beating faster.
And she hated that it did.
“Why does she bother you?” he asked suddenly.
Her breath caught.
“What?”
“Valentina.”
Her chest tightened instantly.
“I never said she bothered me.”
“You didn’t have to.”
That irritated her.
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”
Dante stopped just a few steps away.
His gaze locked onto hers.
“I know enough.”
Silence stretched between them.
Tense.
Charged.
“She’s part of your world,” Aria said finally.
“Yes.”
“And I’m not.”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“You are now.”
Her heart skipped.
“I didn’t choose that.”
“No,” he agreed calmly.
“But you’re here.”
The truth in his words hit harder than she expected.
Her chest tightened slightly.
“I don’t belong here,” she said quietly.
Dante studied her for a moment.
Then—
“You’re still here.”
Her breath caught.
Because she didn’t have an answer for that.
Silence fell again.
But this time…
It felt different.
Less sharp.
More… heavy.
Dante stepped closer.
Closing the space between them slowly.
Aria didn’t move.
Couldn’t move.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
He stopped just in front of her.
Too close.
Close enough for her to feel his presence.
His warmth.
The shift in the air around them.
“Look at me,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
But she did.
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
And just like that—
Everything else faded.
His gaze was different tonight.
Less cold.
Less distant.
Still intense.
But softer.
In a way that made her chest tighten.
“You’re not afraid right now,” he said.
It wasn’t a question.
She swallowed slightly.
“No.”
That was the truth.
And it confused her.
Because she should be afraid of him.
Everything about him said she should be.
And yet—
In this moment—
She wasn’t.
Dante’s hand lifted slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was giving her time to stop him.
She didn’t.
His fingers brushed lightly against her cheek.
Warm.
Unexpectedly gentle.
Aria’s breath hitched.
Her heart skipped.
Her thoughts blurred.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
This wasn’t part of the contract.
But it didn’t feel forced.
It didn’t feel controlled.
It felt… real.
And that scared her more than anything else.
“You’re shaking,” he said quietly.
“I’m not,” she whispered.
But her voice betrayed her.
Dante’s thumb moved slightly against her skin.
Soft.
Careful.
Like he was testing something.
Or maybe holding back.
Aria’s chest rose slightly as her breathing changed.
Everything felt too close.
Too intense.
Too real.
“This is a mistake,” she said softly.
But she didn’t move away.
Dante’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Then stop me.”
Her breath caught.
But she didn’t.
She couldn’t.
Because something inside her didn’t want to.
And that was the problem.
The distance between them disappeared completely.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Just… gone.
Aria’s heart pounded wildly as his hand moved slightly, tilting her face just enough.
Her breath slowed.
Her thoughts blurred.
Everything narrowed down to this moment.
To him.
To the way he was looking at her.
Like she was something more than just a responsibility.
And then—
He stopped.
Just before their lips could meet.
Her breath caught sharply.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Dante’s gaze held hers.
Intense.
Controlled.
But there was something else there now.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous in a completely different way.
“Not yet,” he said quietly.
The words barely above a whisper.
But they hit harder than anything else.
He stepped back.
Just like that.
The moment broken.
The air shifting again.
Colder now.
Distant.
Aria stood there, frozen.
Her heart still racing.
Her thoughts completely tangled.
“What was that?” she whispered.
More to herself than to him.
Dante didn’t answer.
He just looked at her one last time.
Then turned.
And walked out.
The door closed softly behind him.
But the feeling stayed.
The tension.
The closeness.
The almost.
Aria slowly raised her hand to her cheek.
The place where he had touched her.
Her fingers lingered there.
Her chest tightened.
Because now—
Everything was worse.
More complicated.
More dangerous.
Because it wasn’t just about survival anymore.
Or the contract.
Or his world.
It was about him.
And the way he made her feel.
And that…
Might be the one thing she couldn’t escape.
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