Crossing The Line
1480 Words
Chapter 15 — Crossing the Line
The thunder outside faded into the background.
Neither Amara nor Jake moved.
The air between them felt dangerously charged, thick with everything neither of them wanted to admit out loud.
Jake’s hand still hovered slightly near her waist before he slowly lowered it again.
Control.
Always control.
Amara swallowed softly and stepped back first.
Just enough to breathe properly again.
“This is a bad idea,” she whispered.
Jake studied her carefully.
“What is?”
She laughed nervously under her breath.
“You standing in my apartment looking at me like that.”
“And how exactly am I looking at you?”
Amara folded her arms tightly.
“Like you’re thinking dangerous thoughts.”
Jake’s gaze darkened slightly.
“I am.”
The honesty hit too hard.
Amara looked away immediately.
This man was becoming impossible to resist, and she hated it.
Because attraction was one thing.
Trust was another.
And trust with Jake Henry felt like standing near fire and hoping not to burn.
Jake placed his untouched tea down slowly.
“I should leave.”
Probably smart.
Necessary even.
But disappointment flickered inside her chest before she could stop it.
Amara hated that too.
Before either moved, Thandi suddenly opened her bedroom door dramatically.
“Are you two finally kissing or are we all suffering for nothing?”
Amara nearly died instantly.
“THANDI!”
Jake burst out laughing for real this time.
Deep.
Warm.
Genuine.
And unfortunately that sound made him even more attractive.
“I like your sister,” he admitted.
“She’s a menace.”
“Still accurate though,” Thandi muttered while disappearing again.
Amara covered her face in embarrassment.
“This is horrible.”
Jake’s laughter slowly faded into a softer smile while watching her.
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s normal.”
The word lingered strangely between them.
Normal.
Jake Henry did not experience normal often.
Neither did she lately.
A silence followed again, but this one felt lighter somehow.
Until Jake’s phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
Instant tension returned.
He checked the screen.
His expression cooled immediately.
Amara noticed.
“Another ex-girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Business problem?”
Jake slipped the phone away.
“Something like that.”
Lie again.
Amara could tell.
But before she could ask, Jake spoke first.
“I really should go.”
Amara nodded slowly.
Probably for the best.
She walked him toward the door while trying to ignore the strange heaviness settling inside her chest.
Jake paused before leaving.
Then unexpectedly said:
“You make me forget things.”
Amara looked up at him slowly.
“What things?”
His eyes held hers for a second too long.
“The noise.”
The vulnerability in those two words hit harder than any flirtation could.
Before she could answer, Jake stepped back toward the hallway.
“Goodnight, Trouble.”
“Goodnight, Jake.”
And then he was gone.
Amara closed the door slowly behind him before leaning back against it with a long exhale.
This was bad.
Very, very bad.
Because somewhere along the way—
Jake Henry stopped feeling like just a project partner.
Meanwhile, Jake sat inside his car outside the apartment building for nearly ten minutes without driving.
His thoughts felt messy.
Uncontrolled.
Dangerous.
The image of Amara standing close to him refused to leave his mind.
Neither did the softness in her eyes when she spoke about peace.
Jake rested both hands against the steering wheel and closed his eyes briefly.
What exactly was happening to him?
He didn’t do emotional attachment.
Didn’t trust it.
Didn’t survive it well.
Yet around Amara, the walls inside him kept cracking anyway.
His phone buzzed again.
Same number as earlier.
This time he answered coldly.
“What?”
A male voice responded immediately.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Jake’s expression darkened instantly.
“I’m busy.”
“You’re making mistakes again.”
Jake gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“I said I handled it.”
“You think your father can protect you forever?”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Jake’s jaw clenched hard.
“Don’t threaten me.”
The man laughed softly.
“Then stop pretending your past disappeared.”
The call ended.
Jake stared ahead at the rain-covered streets with fury slowly building inside him.
Past.
Mistakes.
Regret.
The words echoed like poison.
Without warning, Teresa’s terrified face flashed through his memory again.
Jake shut his eyes tightly.
No.
He didn’t want to think about her tonight.
Not after leaving Amara’s apartment.
Not after almost forgetting who he really was for one dangerous hour.
The next morning, Amara arrived at the Henry Group earlier than usual.
But the moment she entered the building, tension filled the atmosphere immediately.
Employees whispered nervously.
Security guards moved through the lobby quickly.
Something had happened.
Amara frowned while stepping into the elevator.
By the time she reached the creative floor, Veronica rushed toward her looking stressed.
“You came at the wrong time.”
“What happened?”
Veronica lowered her voice immediately.
“Jake lost his temper.”
Amara’s stomach tightened slightly.
“What happened?”
“One of the investors accused him of damaging the company’s reputation.”
“And?”
Veronica hesitated.
“He punched the wall.”
Amara closed her eyes briefly.
Of course.
“Is anyone hurt?”
“No. But the meeting ended badly.”
Amara glanced toward Jake’s office.
The glass doors were shut tightly.
Through them, she could see him pacing aggressively while speaking on the phone.
Even from a distance, anger radiated from him.
Veronica sighed softly.
“He’s been worse lately.”
Amara looked carefully at Jake through the glass.
And suddenly she noticed something else beneath the anger.
Fear.
Interesting.
Without fully thinking it through, Amara walked toward his office.
“Amara,” Veronica warned quietly, “maybe give him space.”
Too late.
She already knocked once before entering.
Jake turned sharply immediately.
“What?”
The harshness in his voice would’ve scared most people.
Not her.
Amara calmly shut the office door behind her.
“You punched a wall.”
Jake scoffed bitterly.
“So now everyone’s discussing my emotional state?”
“You injured your hand.”
Only then did she notice blood across his knuckles.
Jake looked away immediately.
“It’s nothing.”
Amara walked closer carefully.
“You know violence against walls still counts as losing control.”
His eyes snapped toward hers instantly.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Analyze me right now.”
Amara crossed her arms lightly.
“You’re angry.”
“No kidding.”
“You’re also scared.”
Silence.
Jake’s breathing changed slightly.
“There it is,” Amara whispered softly. “That look.”
Jake laughed without humor.
“You think you know everything.”
“No.” She stepped closer carefully. “But I think something from your past is catching up to you.”
That hit too directly.
Jake suddenly slammed both hands onto the desk.
“Enough.”
The sound echoed sharply through the office.
Amara froze briefly.
Not because she feared him.
Because she saw the battle happening inside him again.
Rage fighting restraint.
And today restraint looked weaker.
Jake turned away immediately, breathing heavily now.
“I said leave it alone.”
Amara remained quiet for several seconds.
Then softly:
“Did you hurt someone badly?”
Jake closed his eyes.
Wrong question.
Dangerous question.
The silence answered her before he did.
Amara’s chest tightened slightly.
Oh God.
Jake finally spoke without turning around.
“You should go.”
His voice sounded tired now.
Broken almost.
Amara looked at the blood on his hand again.
Then at the man standing in front of the window looking like he was fighting demons nobody else could see.
She should leave.
Definitely.
Instead, she walked toward the office bathroom, grabbed the first aid kit, and returned.
Jake frowned immediately.
“What are you doing?”
“Sit down.”
“I’m not a child.”
“No,” she replied quietly. “You’re a man who doesn’t know how to stop hurting himself.”
The words landed heavily.
Jake stared at her for a long moment.
Then surprisingly—
He sat down.
Amara gently cleaned the blood from his knuckles while silence filled the office.
The intimacy of the moment unsettled both of them.
Jake watched her carefully.
No fear.
No manipulation.
Just care.
Real care.
And somehow that felt more terrifying than anger ever could.
“You shouldn’t be kind to me,” he said quietly.
Amara didn’t look up.
“Maybe someone should’ve been a long time ago.”
Something inside Jake cracked painfully at those words.
Because deep down—
He couldn’t remember the last time anyone treated him gently without wanting something in return.
- Writer
