The Pull Between Them
785 Words
Bertha couldn’t sleep after the event.
No matter how many times she closed her eyes, she kept seeing Kenneth standing across that crowded hall in his black suit, calm and successful, looking like a man who had finally rebuilt himself.
And somehow…
that hurt her more than seeing him broken.
Because now she understood something clearly:
Kenneth no longer needed her to survive.
She lay awake staring at the ceiling while jealousy and regret battled inside her chest.
Who was that woman beside him?
Were there others?
Had he started moving on emotionally?
The questions tortured her endlessly.
And the worst part?
She had no right to ask them anymore.
Meanwhile, Kenneth sat alone on his balcony that same night with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
The city lights stretched endlessly before him while soft wind moved through the silence.
But his mind wasn’t on business.
It was on Bertha.
Again.
He hated how easily she still affected him.
One conversation.
One look.
One moment.
And suddenly all the emotional walls he spent months building felt weaker.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Bertha.
“You looked happy tonight.”
Kenneth stared at the screen for several seconds before replying.
“I’m trying to be.”
Bertha read the message immediately.
Her chest tightened.
Because even now, Kenneth still answered honestly.
She typed again carefully.
“The woman with you… is she someone special?”
Kenneth leaned back slowly after reading it.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
Not because the question amused him.
Because he recognized the jealousy behind it immediately.
And strangely…
part of him still liked knowing she cared.
“No,” he replied.
Bertha exhaled quietly without realizing she’d been holding her breath.
Then another message came
“Why does it matter?”
That question froze her fingers over the keyboard.
Because she didn’t know how to explain that despite the breakup, despite the betrayal, despite everything…
she still emotionally saw Kenneth as hers.
Several minutes passed before she finally replied.
“Because I still love you.”
Kenneth read the message twice.
Then a third time.
And suddenly the loneliness inside his apartment felt heavier.
Love was dangerous after heartbreak.
Because it no longer came alone.
Now it arrived carrying memories, fear, disappointment, and emotional scars.
And Kenneth knew reopening that door could either heal him…
or destroy all the peace he had fought to rebuild.
Still, he replied.
“Bertha…”
She waited anxiously for the next message.
Nothing came.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Kenneth never finished the sentence.
The unfinished message tortured her more than silence itself.
Because it felt like Kenneth standing emotionally at a doorway… uncertain whether to enter or walk away.
Three days later, fate pushed them together again.
Bertha visited a luxury café for a business meeting involving her fashion brand.
And unexpectedly…
Kenneth was there too.
Alone.
Working on his laptop near the window.
The moment he looked up and saw her, the same tension from the event returned immediately.
Powerful.
Unavoidable.
Bertha walked toward him slowly.
“Seems we keep meeting.”
Kenneth almost smiled.
“Maybe Lagos is too small.”
“That’s impossible.”
Kenneth leaned back slightly.
“You’re right. Maybe the universe is just stubborn.”
The flirtation in his tone surprised both of them.
But it also reminded them of something painful:
Their chemistry had never disappeared.
“Can I sit?” Bertha asked softly.
Kenneth hesitated only briefly before nodding.
And that small permission felt strangely intimate.
As they talked, conversation slowly became easier.
Natural again.
They laughed quietly. Shared business updates. Teased each other gently.
For a moment…
it almost felt like before.
And that scared Kenneth more than anger ever had.
Because happiness around Bertha still came too easily.
At one point, Bertha reached across the table absentmindedly and touched his wrist while laughing.
The contact lasted less than two seconds.
But both of them felt it instantly.
Electric.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
Their eyes locked immediately afterward.
And suddenly the atmosphere changed completely.
Neither moved away quickly enough.
Neither wanted to.
The silence between them became thick with unfinished emotions and suppressed desire.
Kenneth’s voice dropped lower.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that.”
Bertha’s heartbeat quickened.
“Like what?”
“Like you still know exactly what I feel when you touch me.”
The tension became unbearable.
Bertha looked down briefly before whispering:
“Maybe because I still do.”
Kenneth exhaled slowly.
Because that was the problem.
No matter how much time passed…
their connection still felt alive beneath the damage.
And both of them were beginning to lose the strength to resist it.
- Writer
