Chapter 11
667 Words
Chapter 11: First Kiss
The tension had been building for days—weeks, even. Every brush of a shoulder, every glance that lingered too long, every silence that said too much. Feliz tried to drown it in work, in thread and fabric and deadlines. But tonight, it wasn’t enough.
They were alone again at Maison Sauveur, the quiet hum of machines and the soft rustle of cloth their only company. The rest of the team had gone home hours ago. Rain tapped at the windows. A storm, both outside and in.
Feliz stood by the mannequin, pins clutched tight in her hand. She was trying to rework a bodice that had already gone through five versions. It wasn’t about the design anymore. It was about the pressure in her chest, the burn in her throat.
Sly watched her from across the room. Still, unreadable, arms crossed. He hadn't said much since he arrived. No teasing. No sly smiles. Just those eyes, following her every move.
Feliz [snapping, without looking at him]
"Stop staring."
Sly [calmly]
"You’ve been sighing and stabbing that mannequin like it owes you money. Hard not to stare."
She spun around, the frustration bubbling over.
Feliz [furious]
"If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, go home like everyone else."
Sly stepped forward, slowly. Controlled. Dangerous in his stillness.
Sly [quietly]
"You’re mad at me. Again. And I still don’t know why."
Feliz [bitter]
"I’m not mad. I’m exhausted. There’s a difference."
Sly [stepping closer]
"No. You’re hiding. Again. From me. From this."
She froze.
Feliz [tense]
" There is no 'this."
Sly stopped a foot away from her.
Sly [softly]
"Bullsh*t."
That single word cracked something open in her.
Feliz [voice rising]
"You don’t get to push and pull like this and then expect me to—"
Sly [cutting in]
"Push and pull? Feliz, I show up. I stay late. I wait. I try. And you—"
He gestured wildly.
Sly [angry now, but still controlled]
"You shut down. Every damn time we get close, you slam the door in my face."
Feliz's breath hitched. Her fingers clenched the fabric she’d forgotten she was holding.
Feliz [shaking]
"Because you don’t know what it’s like to fall for someone who could ruin you."
Silence.
His eyes searched her face.
Sly [softly]
"What are you so afraid of?"
Her chest rose and fell, too fast. Too loud. Her heart was sprinting, and she didn’t know how to make it stop.
She turned away, needing space, air—anything.
Feliz [hoarse]
"You don't get it. If I let myself feel this... If I let you in, there's no going back."
Sly stepped forward. Not touching her. Just there. A presence too strong to ignore.
Sly [firmly, but quiet]
"Then don’t go back."
She whirled around, eyes wide. There it was—raw, open, no games.
And something inside her snapped.
She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward. Their mouths collided in a fierce, desperate kiss. It wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t sweet. It was teeth and heat and years of holding back finally erupting.
Sly [murmuring against her lips]
"Finally."
His hands found her waist, pulling her closer, kissing her like he’d been starving and she was the only thing that could save him. She kissed him harder, like she was drowning and he was the only air left.
Everything blurred—the rain outside, the hum of electricity, the ache in her chest.
But it didn’t last.
Feliz pulled away, breath ragged, eyes wide with panic. The kiss still burned on her lips, but the weight of what just happened crashed down like a wave.
Feliz [barely above a whisper]
"I can’t do this."
And before Sly could speak, before he could reach out, she turned and rushed out of the room—leaving him behind with lips parted and hands curled into fists.
He didn’t chase her.
Not yet.
But the storm wasn’t over.
It had only just begun.
- Writer
