CHAPTER SEVENTEEN — The Distance Between Us
853 Words
The office buzzed more than usual that Monday morning. Phones ringing, voices low, footsteps quick.
Something was happening.
Ava barely looked up from her laptop until Mia walked in, eyes wide.
“Miss Cole,” she said carefully. “Mr. Hale’s back.”
Ava froze. “What?”
“He just arrived. He’s in the boardroom with the directors.”
Her pulse tripped over itself. “He’s—he didn’t mention he was coming back.”
Mia shook her head. “Apparently, it was a last-minute flight.”
Ava swallowed the lump rising in her throat and forced her tone flat. “Good. Maybe now things will move faster.”
She didn’t know who she was trying to convince — Mia, or herself.
When she entered the boardroom an hour later, Cassian was already there.
He stood at the far end of the table, sleeves rolled up, hands resting on the polished wood as he spoke to the executives.
Same dark hair, same sharp jawline, same quiet authority — but something about him felt… distant.
When his eyes met hers across the room, there was no smile.
No spark of amusement like there used to be.
Just a calm, unreadable look that made her stomach twist.
“Miss Cole,” he said with a polite nod, his tone strictly professional.
“Mr. Hale,” she replied evenly.
And that was it. No teasing. No warmth.
Just a handshake between two business partners who happened to know each other too well.
The meeting dragged on for nearly two hours. Cassian presented updates from Singapore — numbers, charts, projections. His voice was smooth, precise, detached.
He didn’t look at her once.
When it ended, everyone started packing up. Ava stayed seated, pretending to jot notes in her planner.
Cassian’s chair scraped back as he stood. “Good work, everyone.”
She waited for him to glance her way. He didn’t.
Instead, he slid his laptop into his bag and left, holding the door open for two others — but not slowing down for her.
Her pen stilled mid-sentence.
He used to linger.
He used to wait.
Now, he was gone before she could even find her voice.
By lunchtime, she’d convinced herself she didn’t care.
“New York’s requesting figures by tomorrow,” Mia reminded her.
“Handle it,” Ava said, scrolling through her phone. “And tell catering to send lunch to my office.”
“Yes, Miss Cole.”
As Mia left, Ava glanced out through the glass wall that overlooked the main lobby. Cassian stood near reception, talking to one of the department heads — his suit crisp, his expression unreadable.
He looked good. Too good.
She hated that she noticed.
When he finally turned toward the elevator, his gaze flicked upward. For a brief second, their eyes met.
And then the elevator doors closed.
By evening, she’d had enough.
He’d been back less than a day and was acting like she didn’t exist.
Fine. Two could play that game.
She stayed late, finishing reports she didn’t even need to. Her phone buzzed once — a message from Jenna:
> JENNA: You’re still at the office, aren’t you? You seriously need to fall in love already.
Ava snorted and typed back,
> AVA: Not happening.
She set her phone down — only for the door to open behind her.
“Still here?”
Her heart jumped.
Cassian.
He leaned against the doorway, arms folded, his expression calm — too calm.
Ava blinked. “I could ask you the same.”
“I had a meeting with Legal,” he said. “Just finished.”
“Right.” She looked back at her screen, pretending to type. “Well, welcome back. Singapore seems to have treated you well.”
He nodded slowly. “It was productive.”
A pause. Heavy.
“You got my email?” he asked.
“I did.”
“And?”
“Efficient,” she said, shrugging. “Very… professional.”
Something flickered behind his eyes — almost a smile, but not quite. “That was the idea.”
Her chest tightened. “Good. You’re finally learning boundaries.”
He gave a quiet laugh, low and humorless. “Maybe I am.”
Their eyes met again, the tension between them humming like an invisible wire.
Then he said, almost softly, “You wanted space, Ava. I listened.”
Her throat went dry.
He turned toward the door before she could reply. “Good night, Miss Cole.”
When the door closed behind him, she stared at it for a long time — her hands clenched, her heart too loud.
She got what she wanted.
So why did it suddenly feel like a loss?
Cassian walked to the elevator, his reflection staring back at him in the chrome doors.
He’d meant every word. He had given her space.
But the silence that followed had been far lonelier than he’d expected.
Still, he wasn’t going to chase her anymore. Not when she clearly didn’t want him to.
If she wanted distance — she could have all the distance she wanted.
- Writer
