The night We Couldn't Escape
525 Words
The rain had become heavier. Bryan stood beside the bar, pouring himself a drink. I watched him from across the room.
“You're avoiding me.”
“I've been accused of worse.”
“You haven't answered my question.”
“You haven't asked one.”
I stood.
“Why have you been searching for me for twenty years?”
His hand stopped around the glass and I walked toward him.
“Was it because I stole your files?”
“No.”
“Because I embarrassed you?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
He placed the glass down.
“Because you were the first person who ever disappeared from my life without asking permission.”
I stared at him.
“That sounds like obsession.”
“It probably is.”
I should have been frightened. Instead, something inside me warmed.
I had spent time believing nobody had cared whether I survived. Now this man was standing in front of me admitting he had spent time looking for me. I reached for his tie. His eyes immediately dropped to my hand.
“You shouldn't do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm trying very hard to behave like a gentleman.”
I smiled.
“Maybe I don't want a gentleman.”
His breathing changed.
“Laura.”
I pulled him closer.
“Tell me one more truth.”
“What?”
“Do you want me?”
He stared at me. For several seconds, and he said nothing. Then he later answered.
“Yes.”
The word came out rough. Honest. Uncontrolled.
I kissed him. This time, there was no drug clouding my judgment. No confusion. No desperation. It was my choice. His arms came around me, pulling me closer. The kiss deepened, carrying periods of questions, anger, attraction, and unfinished tension.
When we finally separated, his forehead rested against mine.
“This is a mistake,” he whispered.
“Probably.”
“You're still angry with me.”
“Yes.”
“You don't trust me.”
“No.”
“And you're still kissing me.”
“Yes.”
His eyes darkened.
“You're dangerous.”
I smiled.
“So are you.”
That night, the walls between us finally broke. We stopped talking about enemies. Stopped talking about corporations. Stopped talking about the past. For a few hours, we were simply two people drawn toward each other despite every reason they should have stayed apart.
The details of what happened belonged only to us. By the time exhaustion finally claimed me, I was lying against Bryan's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. His fingers moved slowly through my hair.
“You'll regret this,” he whispered.
I lifted my head.
“Do you?”
He looked at me.
“No.”
Neither did I. But something had changed. I had entered the penthouse looking for a place to hide. Now I was leaving with a secret I hadn't planned for. Feelings. Real ones. Dangerous ones. And somewhere beneath the attraction was a question neither of us had dared to ask. What would happen when morning came?
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