Chapter 2: Too Close
1175 Words
Working with Darven Cortez was a different
kind of torture.
It had only been three days since their official partnership meeting, but to Kisses, it already felt like weeks. Everywhere she turned, he was there—reviewing financial reports, leading strategy discussions, casually taking control of rooms like he was born to dominate them.
And somehow, every space felt smaller when he walked in.
The conference room lights reflected off the glass table as Kisses sat straight-backed in her chair, fingers lightly gripping her pen. On the large screen in front of them, numbers and projections flashed in neat columns. Expansion plans. Mergers. Profit margins.
She should have been focused.
She wasn’t.
Because Darven was standing at the head of the table, sleeves slightly rolled up, one hand resting casually in his pocket while the other clicked through the presentation remote. His voice was calm, controlled, smooth—like he had rehearsed confidence his entire life.
“Valderrama Holdings’ retail division has potential,” he said, eyes scanning the board members. “But without restructuring management and cutting unnecessary costs, growth will plateau within two years.”
His tone was professional. Detached.
But when his gaze flickered toward her—just for a second—it felt personal.
Kisses straightened. “And what exactly are you suggesting, Mr. Cortez?”
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Distance. He noticed it.
“I’m suggesting collaboration,” he replied evenly. “Unless you’d prefer to run it alone.”
The subtle challenge in his voice made her pulse spike.
“I don’t need saving,” she said smoothly.
His eyes darkened slightly. “I never said you did.”
The air shifted.
The board members sensed it too—something unspoken, something heavier than business strategy. When the meeting finally ended, chairs scraped softly against the floor as everyone filed out one by one, murmuring polite goodbyes.
Until it was just the two of them.
Again.
The silence stretched.
Kisses stood, gathering her files slowly, pretending she didn’t feel his presence approaching.
“You’re avoiding me,” Darven said.
She didn’t look up. “We’re working. There’s nothing to avoid.”
“You won’t even look at me.”
That made her pause.
Finally, she lifted her gaze—and immediately regretted it.
He was closer now.
Too close.
Close enough for her to notice the faint scent of his cologne. Close enough to see the tension in his jaw, like he was holding something back.
“Why does it matter?” she asked quietly.
His voice lowered. “Because you used to look at me like I was your entire world.”
Her breath hitched before she could stop it.
“That was five years ago,” she replied, forcing steel into her tone. “People change.”
“Do they?” he asked.
The question lingered between them.
She stepped around him, trying to create distance, but he reached out—not aggressively, not roughly—just enough to brush his fingers against her wrist.
And everything inside her body reacted.
The contact was brief.
But it was enough.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“Don’t what?” he asked softly.
“Don’t act like nothing happened.”
His jaw tightened.
“I never acted like nothing happened.”
“You disappeared, Darven,” she snapped, emotion finally cracking through her calm exterior. “You left. No explanation. No goodbye. Just gone.”
The words echoed louder than she intended.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Outside the glass walls of the conference room, employees walked by, unaware of the storm brewing inside.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said quietly.
Her laugh was hollow. “You always had a choice.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Then tell me,” she challenged, stepping closer now, anger giving her courage. “Tell me why.”
He looked at her like he wanted to.
Like the truth sat right behind his lips.
But something stopped him.
Silence.
That silence hurt more than his absence ever did.
Her voice softened despite herself. “Was I that easy to leave?”
His reaction was immediate.
“No.”
The answer came too fast. Too firm.
His hand moved from her wrist to her waist before he could stop himself, pulling her just slightly closer. Not enough to trap her—but enough to feel the heat between them.
“You were the hardest thing I ever had to walk away from.”
The confession sent a wave of emotion crashing through her chest.
“Then why?” she whispered again.
His eyes searched hers, intense, conflicted.
“I was protecting you.”
The same answer.
The same vague excuse.
“From what?” she demanded.
His grip loosened, but he didn’t step back.
“From things you don’t understand.”
Her pride flared.
“Stop deciding what I can and can’t handle,” she said. “You don’t get to make choices for me.”
His voice deepened. “If I hadn’t left, you would’ve been dragged into something dangerous.”
She blinked.
Dangerous?
Her mind raced, but he didn’t elaborate.
Instead, his gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
And the shift was undeniable.
The anger. The questions. The unresolved past.
They blurred into something else.
Something hotter.
Something reckless.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” she murmured.
“Like what?”
“Like you still want me.”
His thumb brushed slightly against the fabric at her waist, almost unconsciously.
“I never stopped.”
Her breath caught.
The room felt smaller. Warmer.
Her hands pressed lightly against his chest, meaning to push him away—but she didn’t.
Instead, she felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her palm.
Just like before.
Just like five years ago.
“This is a mistake,” she whispered.
“Probably,” he agreed.
But neither of them moved.
The tension snapped the moment her phone vibrated loudly against the glass table.
Reality rushed back in.
Kisses stepped away first, creating space between them, smoothing down her blazer like nothing had happened.
“We’re business partners,” she said firmly, regaining control. “That’s all.”
Darven’s expression shifted back to composed CEO, but his eyes betrayed him.
“Of course,” he said.
Professional.
Distant.
Safe.
But the heat in the room hadn’t disappeared. It lingered.
As she walked toward the door, she paused, glancing back at him one last time.
“You don’t get to protect me anymore,” she said softly. “You lost that right.”
Then she left.
Darven stood alone in the conference room, fists slowly clenching at his sides.
He had walked away once to keep her safe. But now that she was back—
Stronger. Colder. More beautiful than he remembered—
He wasn’t sure he could walk away again.
And that was the real danger.
Because the more they worked together..
The harder it would be to resist.
- Writer
