🩸 CHAPTER 6 — Push Me
1132 Words
The elevator ride felt longer than it should have.
Mara stood still, her reflection staring back at her from the mirrored walls.
Same face.
Same expression.
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But something had shifted.
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Her pulse wasn’t steady.
Not anymore.
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She exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders once.
“Get it together,” she muttered under her breath.
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The doors slid open.
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Silence greeted her.
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Different from downstairs.
Heavier.
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The upper level was darker.
Less glass.
More shadow.
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More him.
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Mara stepped out, her eyes adjusting quickly.
“Adrian?” she called.
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No answer.
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Of course not.
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She moved forward anyway.
Slow.
Measured.
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The space opened into a wide room—minimal like the rest, but colder somehow.
A desk.
A wall of screens.
Low lighting.
Everything intentional.
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And him.
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Adrian Voss stood near the window, his back to her, city lights cutting around his silhouette.
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“You like making entrances?” she asked.
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“No.”
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He didn’t turn.
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“I like observing them.”
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Mara folded her arms.
“Of course you do.”
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A pause.
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Then—
He turned.
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And just like that—
The distance between them felt… wrong.
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Too close.
Even though it wasn’t.
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“You came,” he said.
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“You asked.”
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“That’s not why.”
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Her jaw tightened slightly.
“Don’t do that.”
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“Do what?”
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“Decide what I’m thinking.”
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A step.
Closer.
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“I don’t decide,” he said.
“I conclude.”
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Mara held her ground.
“You don’t know me well enough for that.”
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Another step.
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“I know enough.”
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Her pulse picked up.
Sharp.
Unwelcome.
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“Then enlighten me,” she said.
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A beat.
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“You were going to stay in your room.”
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Her breath hitched—just slightly.
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“You told yourself it was safer.”
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Another step.
Closer now.
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“You lasted,” he glanced at the clock briefly, “twelve minutes.”
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Mara’s fingers curled at her sides.
“You were counting?”
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“Yes.”
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Of course he was.
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“You came because you’re curious,” he continued.
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“I came because you’re controlling,” she shot back.
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A pause.
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Then—
“Both can be true.”
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That irritated her more than it should have.
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“Stop analyzing me,” she said.
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“No.”
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Flat.
Final.
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Mara exhaled sharply.
“Right. Of course not.”
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Silence stretched between them.
Tight.
Charged.
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“You wanted to see how I react in person,” she said finally.
“Well? Here I am.”
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A beat.
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Then—
He moved.
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Not fast.
Not aggressive.
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But direct.
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Straight toward her.
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Mara didn’t step back.
She refused to.
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Even when he stopped—
Too close.
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Her breath caught.
Just slightly.
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He noticed.
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Of course he did.
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“You regulate your breathing,” he said quietly.
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Her eyes narrowed.
“Everyone does.”
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“Not like you.”
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His gaze dropped—just for a second.
To her throat.
Her chest.
The rise and fall.
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Then back to her eyes.
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Mara swallowed.
“You’re staring.”
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“Yes.”
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No apology.
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Her pulse spiked.
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“Is this the part where you figure me out?” she asked.
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“I already am.”
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Another step.
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Now—
There was no space left.
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Mara felt it.
The shift.
The pressure.
The awareness of him—too close, too present.
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“Careful,” she said quietly.
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“Why?”
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Her voice dropped slightly.
“Because you’re getting closer than you think you are.”
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A pause.
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Then—
“Good.”
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Her breath caught.
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That wasn’t the response she expected.
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“You don’t get to control everything,” she said.
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“No,” he agreed.
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A beat.
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“Just what matters.”
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Her chest tightened.
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“And I matter?” she asked.
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Silence.
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Then—
“Yes.”
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The word landed heavier than anything else.
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Mara’s gaze flickered—just for a second.
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He saw it.
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Of course he did.
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“You don’t like that,” he said.
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“I don’t trust it.”
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“Same thing.”
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“No,” she said.
“It’s not.”
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A pause.
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Then—
His hand moved.
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Not touching.
Not quite.
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But close enough that she felt it.
The shift in air.
The heat.
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Mara didn’t move.
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Didn’t breathe.
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“Move,” she said quietly.
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“Why?”
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Her voice sharpened slightly.
“Because you’re crossing a line.”
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A pause.
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Then—
“What happens if I do?”
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Silence.
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Mara held his gaze.
Steady.
Unyielding.
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“You won’t like the result.”
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Another beat.
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Then—
Something changed.
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Subtle.
But real.
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He pulled back.
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Not far.
Just enough.
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Space returned.
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Barely.
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“You’re right,” he said quietly.
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Mara blinked.
That—
She didn’t expect.
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“You wouldn’t,” he added.
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Her chest tightened.
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“Then stop testing it.”
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A pause.
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Then—
“You started it.”
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That pulled a short, sharp laugh from her.
“By existing?”
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“Yes.”
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Silence.
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Then—
Mara shook her head once.
“You’re insane.”
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“No,” he said calmly.
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A beat.
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“I’m interested.”
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That again.
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And somehow—
It felt more dangerous now.
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Mara stepped back this time.
Creating space.
Taking it.
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“Careful with that,” she said.
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“With what?”
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“Interest.”
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A pause.
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Then—
“It becomes something else.”
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Silence stretched.
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Then—
His voice dropped.
Quieter.
Closer.
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“Like what?”
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Mara held his gaze.
Didn’t look away.
Didn’t soften.
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But her pulse—
Betrayed her.
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“You won’t survive what it turns into,” she said.
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A pause.
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Then—
Something flickered in his expression.
Not control.
Not calculation.
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Something sharper.
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“Try me.”
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And for the first time—
Mara wasn’t sure who was pushing who anymore.
- Writer
