CHAPTER 3 — Too Close
760 Words
“Where’s the stylist?”
The question cut through the room sharper than the lights above.
No one answered immediately.
“Five minutes,” someone said from outside.
“That’s not what I asked.”
Kris stood in front of the mirror, sleeves half-done, collar slightly off. The reflection staring back at him was flawless
except for the details.
And he noticed details.
“The main stylist got pulled to another set,” a staff member rushed in. “We’re trying to.....”
“Trying isn’t useful.”
Silence.
Then....
“Lana.”
Her name landed unexpectedly.
She looked up.
The senior stylist beside her frowned. “You....go. Just fix it. Quickly.”
This wasn’t planned.
Good.
Lana stepped forward.
The dressing room felt smaller than it should have.
Too quiet.
Too contained.
Kris didn’t turn when she entered.
Of course he didn’t.
She stopped a step behind him.
Professional distance.
Controlled breathing.
“May I?”
Only then....
his eyes shifted.
Meeting hers through the mirror.
Recognition.
Subtle.
But there.
“You again.”
Not a question.
Lana lowered her gaze slightly.
“Yes.”
No explanation.
No apology.
Interesting.
Kris turned slowly, facing her now.
Up close...
the difference was sharper.
She looked the same.
Calm. Quiet. Unremarkable.
But now...
he knew better.
“Fix it,” he said.
Simple.
Directly.
Lana stepped closer.
Too close.
Her fingers reached for his collar, adjusting the fabric carefully.
Light touch.
Precise movement.
Professional.
But...
Kris didn’t look away.
Not this time.
He watched.
m
The way her hands moved...steady, not rushed.
The way her breathing stayed even.
The way she didn’t hesitate
Not like someone inexperienced.
“Hold still,” she said softly.
The words slipped out naturally.
And for a second...
the room paused.
Kris’ gaze sharpened slightly.
“…You give instructions now?”
Lana’s fingers paused at his collar.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then continued.
“Only when necessary.”
Calm.
Too calm.
Kris didn’t respond.
But he didn’t look away either.
She moved to adjust his sleeve next.
Closer now.
Her arm brushed lightly against his.
Unavoidable.
The contact lingered...
just enough.
Then...
gone.
“Your hair,” she said.
He didn’t sit.
Didn’t move.
So she stepped closer again.
One hand lifting...
carefully adjusting a stray strand near his temple.
Too close.
This time...
closer than before.
Close enough to feel the shift in air.
Close enough...
to notice everything.
Kris’ gaze dropped slightly.
Watching her.
Not her hands.
Her.
“You don’t seem nervous.”
The words came low.
Lana didn’t stop moving.
“I’m working.”
“That didn’t answer the question..."
A pause.
Then...
“…Should I be?”
There it was again.
That balance.
Not defiance.
Not submission.
Something in between.
Kris’ eyes darkened slightly.
“Most people are.”
Lana adjusted the final detail.
Then...
without thinking...
she stepped even closer.
To fix something she didn’t need to.
Her fingers brushed lightly along his collarbone...
barely there.
But enough.
Too much.
The moment stretched.
Then...
she realized.
And stepped back.
Quick.
Controlled.
“…Done.”
Silence.
Kris didn’t move immediately.
Because that...
wasn’t part of the job.
And she knew it.
He saw it.
Clear as anything.
“You missed something.”
Lana frowned slightly.
Looked back at him.
“Where?”
Kris stepped forward.
Closing the distance.
Again.
Too close.
His hand lifted...
not touching her.
But stopping just short of her shoulder.
“Here.”
His voice dropped.
Lana didn’t move.
Didn’t step back.
Didn’t look away.
Because now...
she understood.
This wasn’t about styling anymore.
Her breath slowed.
“…Then fix it.”
The words came quieter than before.
But steady.
Kris watched her for a second longer.
Then...
stepped back.
Breaking it himself.
“No need.”
A beat.
“You’ll get it next time.”
Next time.
Not an accident.
Not a coincidence.
An expectation.
“Two minutes!” someone called from outside.
Reality rushed back in.
Lana stepped away fully this time.
Restoring distance.
Control.
“Yes.”
Simple.
Professional.
Kris turned toward the mirror again.
Adjusting nothing.
Fixing nothing.
But his reflection
had changed.
Just slightly.
Because now
he wasn’t just aware of her.
He was....
interested.
Lana left the room without looking back.
But her steps
weren’t as steady as before.
Just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
“…Too close,” she murmured under her breath.
A mistake.
A small one.
But still
a mistake.
And somewhere behind her
Kris smiled.
Not because of what happened.
But because
she noticed it too.
- Writer
