š„ Chapter 6 ā The Breaking Point
1184 Words
Michael didnāt remember driving home.
He didnāt remember changing his clothes, or if he even tried.
All he remembered was her.
He thought, briefly, that maybe he was overreacting. Maybe she was justā¦ another woman, one of those fleeting moments heād been used to. But deep down, he knew it wasnāt like that. He realized, she wasnāt one of those girls. Not at all. She wasnāt fleeting. She wasnāt just a distraction. She wasā¦ the one heād been waiting for, without even knowing.
Ellaās distant voice.
Ellaās cold eyes at work.
Ella walking away from him as if he meant nothing.
That image burned him alive.
He slammed the door to his apartment, ripped off his jacket, and paced the room like a trapped animal.
Why did she talk to that guy with that soft smile?
Why did she laugh when Tom from finance complimented her?
Why did seeing another man even look at her feel like someone was twisting a knife inside him?
For the first time, he realized he didnāt just want her in moments of passionāhe wanted her, entirely, permanently. And the jealousy was proof.
He rubbed his hands down his face.
He had lost control today ā jealousy, frustration, desire, fear ā all mixed in a way that scared him.
He understands now, it's the real love. He resists himself but she was real. Everything about her was real. And he could not let her go.
He was her boss.
He was supposed to be professional.
It was supposed to stay simple.
But nothing about Ella was simple.
Every time she looked away from him, he felt something snap inside him.
Every time she smiled at someone else, he felt heat climb up his spine.
When she didnāt even look back at himā¦
That destroyed him.
She had no idea how much she had already claimed of him. And he hated that he couldnāt stop himself from wanting more.
He grabbed his keys again.
Tie still around his neck.
Shirt still tucked into his dress pants.
Shoes still polished from work.
He didnāt even notice he was still dressed like the CEO who tried so hard to stay in control.
He just hurried out of the house directly to her apartment.
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Ella jumped at the sharp knock on her door.
She froze.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, because somehowā¦ somehow she knew it was him.
She approached the door slowly, hand shaking.
She opened it ā just a little.
And her breath left her body.
Michael stood there, towering over her in his dark office suit, tie loosened, hair messy as if he had run his fingers through it a hundred times. His chest rose and fell quickly, like he had sprinted all the way here.
His eyes ā usually icy, calm, unreadable ā were burning.
āElāEllaā¦ā His voice cracked.
He cleared his throat and tried again, softer.
āPlease. Can I come in?ā
She should have said no.
She should have reminded him that she was angry. Hurt. Confused.
But he looked like a man about to break.
She quietly opened the door wider.
Michael stepped inside, but he didnāt move any further.
He just stood there, looking at her like she was the only thing keeping him alive.
He looked directly in her eyes and thought: I canāt lose her, not now, not ever. Sheās not just another woman. Sheāsā¦ everything.
āIām sorry,ā he said.
Her lips parted, surprise flickering across her face.
āForā¦ what exactly?ā
āFor everything.ā His voice was rough.
āFor being cold at work. For acting like none of it mattered. For making you feelā¦ unwanted. Or unimportant.ā
He swallowed hard.
āFor pushing you away when itās the last thing I want.ā
She looked down. āThen why do you do it?ā
He closed his eyes briefly.
āBecause Iām your boss. And Iām a jealous i***t. I couldnāt control this. I want to touch you, to hold you, to tell you I was done pretending.
Her head snapped up. āJealous?ā
Michael let out a breath that shuddered slightly.
āYes. Painfully. Irrationally. Every time someone talks to you. Looks at you. Gets a piece of your smile that isnāt mine.ā
Ella stepped back, stunned.
Michael stepped forward, closing the distance.
I thought you was just another girl for a night, he reflected, but the more I know you, the more I realizeā¦ you're the one. The only one.
āI tried to stay away today,ā he whispered.
āTried to be the professional CEO. The man who can control himself.ā
He shook his head.
āBut every second I wasnāt near youā¦ it felt wrong.
āI couldnāt breathe.ā
Her voice softened.
āMichaelā¦ youāve been so distant at work. Iā¦ I need to believe in you, to trust you. And it hurt. It really hurt. I wanted to believe in you but couldnāt because of your behavior. I can't understand you. Sometimes you closer to me, but sometimes I feel that you don't want to see me, don't want to be near and feel my presence.
āI know. I'm an i***t. I thought about work, work ethic, gossip, anti-love laws at work and these types of stupid things. I almost lose you..
He reached up slowly ā giving her every chance to stop him ā and cupped her cheek with the lightest touch.
āI hated every second of pretending we were nothing.ā
Ellaās breath hitched.
His thumb brushed her skin ā just once ā but it lit up her entire body.
āI came here,ā he murmured, ābecause if I went one more hour without seeing youā¦ I wouldāve gone mad.ā
Silence swallowed the room.
Their breathing.
Their closeness.
Their unspoken desire.
His forehead gently rested against hers.
āI donāt want distance between us,ā he whispered.
āNot at workā¦ and definitely not now.ā
Ellaās voice trembled.
She wanted to admit she loved him, but she had fear of losing herself. She stood silent in front of him.
Michael exhaled.
His hand slid to the back of her neck.
And she didnāt pull away.
Not this time.
Not anymore.
Their lips met.
The room seemed to shrink around them ā the heat of their closeness, the brush of skin, the taste of each other ā it was intoxicating.
Soft at first, questioning, then more urgent, desperate.
Hands tangled in each otherās hair, around shoulders, pulling closer, exploring the connection they had both fought to deny.
They pulled back just slightly, breaths mingling, foreheads touching, eyes searching, hearts hammering.
Every moment screamed how long they had both waited for this ā how much they needed it, even if the world demanded they resist.
Michael, finally realizing she was not a fleeting desire, held her tighter.
On the other hand, she, understands the depth of her own feelings, allowed herself to trust, to feel, to hopeā¦ and to fall.
- Writer
