Too Close
1338 Words
Emily’s POV
I shouldn’t have agreed.
This was the first thought that went through my mind as I faced Lucas, with my heart racing in my chest at a fast pace.
This was no longer about Brian.
This was no longer about survival.
This was something else.
This was something dangerous.
And the worst part of all was that a small part of me did not want to stop.
Lucas was still looking at me calmly.
“You’re hesitating,” Lucas said.
“I’m thinking,” I replied.
Lucas’s lips curled at the corners as if he knew that I wasn’t thinking at all.
“It looks like you’re regretting it,” he said as he folded his arms.
“No!”
“Okay, if you say so, princess.” He raised his hands slightly in mock surrender.
I rolled my eyes, but my heart was beating way too fast for someone who was supposedly ‘not regretting anything.’
“You’re annoying,” I muttered.
“And you’re defensive,” he shot back calmly.
“I am not—”
“You are,” he said, cutting in.
And with that, there was no space in between us.
Why does he always come this close?
“Why do you always do this,” he continued, his voice lower… more dangerous. “You say one thing…”
He took a step forward.
“…but your body is saying something else entirely.”
My back automatically pressed slightly against the edge of the desk.
I was now cornered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but my voice betrayed me slightly.
Lucas furrowed his brow.
Observing me closely.
Trying to see me through.
“So why is your heart racing,” he said softly.
My stomach sank.
“You don’t know that.”
“You think so?”
There was silence, just the two of us staring into each other’s souls.
“Are you really sure, you’re not regretting?”
“Yeah”
“So why are you nervous?”
“I’m not!”
He smirked.
“Okay, prove it then.”
“Prove?…what?”
“That you’re not affected by me Emily,” he said in a low voice.
He stepped even closer.
My heart started beating faster.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides.
Why was he playing a dangerous game with me?
“Lucas,” I said softly, trying to be in control but I could hear the tiny crack in my voice.
He heard it too.
“You’re thinking too much,” he murmured.
“And you’re not at all,” I shot back.
The statement made his eyes darken.
“Thinking won’t get you out of this mess,” he said. “Feeling is what’s going to get you out of it.” He added.
There was silence, and we looked each other in the eye.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What am I doing?”
“This…” I gestured between us. “Whatever…this is.”
He didn’t say anything.
Instead, his hands lifted.
Slow.
He brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face.
I almost choked on my breath.
His touch was so light but it felt like everything.
He knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Making me lose total control.
“Still thinking?” he asked in a low voice.
I swallowed.
“I—”
But the words couldn’t come out.
Because his hand was still on my face
Brushing just slightly past my cheek…
Down to my jaw.
Tilting my face just enough so I had no choice but to look at him.
I looked him in the eyes.
My heart was racing.
“You’re not running,” he said quietly.
And that statement...hit me.
He was right, I was standing.
I should run away.
But no!
I am still standing here.
I should have made him realize this was over.
But I didn’t.
“I should,” I whispered.
“But you won’t.”
His tone was sharp.
"You don't get to decide that," I said, trying to sound cool but my voice gave me away.
His thumb touched my lower lip lightly.
Like head testing me.
"Then prove me wrong," he said, his voice low.
His second time of asking me to prove to him.
My body froze.
Because at this point, it wasn't about words anymore.
It was about action.
And I was losing control of my body.
"You think you know what I'm doing?" I said, attempting a small smile.
"I know exactly what you're doing."
His eyes flicked down to my lips.
Then back to mine.
"No."
"Exactly what you're not doing."
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said, leaning closer, “you say you don’t want this…but you’re just pretending.”
“Huh?”
“Yes…And you want it badly.”
His lips almost brushed mine.
Almost.
“Well…Anything that helps you sleep at night.” I rolled my eyes at him.
Before I could think—
I grabbed the front of his shirt.
And pulled him closer.
His hand moved from my face to my waist.
He moved with no hesitation.
“Still not affected?” he whispered against my lips.
I say anything.
Because I couldn’t trust what would come out of my mouth if I did.
So instead I closed the distance between us.
The kiss wasn’t slow nor soft.
It was like we were hungry.
All the frustration.
The anger.
The confusion.
The betrayal.
Everything I had been holding in - they all broke down.
My fingers curled tighter into his shirt.
My mind was screaming how dangerous it was.
But I can’t stop.
I don’t want to stop.
Stop.
This is dangerous.
This is—
The door clicked.
We stopped and froze.
The kind of freeze that comes from being caught doing something you shouldn’t.
I stepped back too fast.
My heart is pounding out of control.
Lucas turned toward the door.
But he was very calm and composed.
Like nothing had just happened.
The door opened.
Vanessa.
Her eyes landed on us.
Then immediately scanned the space.
She looked at the distance between us.“Oh.”
Just that one word.
“It seems I was interrupting something.”
My fingers began to tremble.
“Uhm…We were just—”
I didn’t even know what to say next.
She folded her arms.
“Just what?”
Lucas stepped forward.
Like he was protecting me from the Lion’s den.
“We’re working.”
Vanessa smirked, looking at us like we were amusing.
“Working?” she asked.
She turned to me
Then back to him.
“Looks intense.”
“I came for a document,” she said, walking further into the room.
Her gaze moved around slowly.
She walked slowly, taking everything in.
“Brian called,” she added casually.
My heart dropped instantly.
“And?”
She looked at me now.
“He’s looking for you.”
Of course he is.
“I’ll call him back,” I said.
“Hmm.”
That word…like she didn’t believe me.
Her eyes shifted to Lucas.
“You’ve been moving weird lately,” she said lightly.
My chest tightened.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Busy?…with work?” she asked.
As I was about to respond, she smiled.
Her fake and annoying smile.
“You should be careful, Em.”
“Careful of what?” I asked.
Her head tilted slightly.
“Of mixing things up.”
Now, she is doing too much.
She moved closer to me.
“So you don’t end up losing everything.” She spoke softly.
My heart was running at a fast pace.
She was not telling me this out of concern for me, but out of threat.
She moved towards the door.
She paused.
“Oh…And Emily?”
“Brian does not like surprises.”
The door shut behind her.
And just like that.
The game has changed.
- Writer
