Chapter 16: Too Close
1385 Words
By seven thirty that evening, the twelfth floor was almost empty.
Most of the lights had been switched off, leaving only the soft glow from the executive offices and the city beyond the glass windows.
Eliana looked at the clock on her computer.
Seven thirty-two.
She sighed.
“Almost done.”
She had been saying that for the past forty minutes.
A stack of contracts sat beside her keyboard, each one requiring Scott’s signature before morning. She had already arranged them according to priority, highlighted the pages he needed to sign, and attached a note explaining the few changes the legal department had requested.
She closed the final file.
Then her phone vibrated.
Hayden: Are you still at work?
Eliana smiled.
Eliana: Unfortunately.
The reply came almost immediately.
Hayden: You work for that man too much.
Eliana glanced toward Scott’s office.
The door was still open.
“He’s not even the reason I’m here this late,” she whispered.
Technically.
She looked back at her screen.
Another message appeared.
Hayden: Don’t let him charm you.
Eliana rolled her eyes.
Eliana: Goodnight, Hayden.
She put her phone away.
“Who is charming you?”
Eliana jumped.
She turned sharply.
Scott was standing behind her.
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough.”
She pressed a hand against her chest.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
“I walked.”
“You walk quietly.”
“I’ll try to make more noise next time.”
She stared at him.
“Please do.”
Scott glanced at the empty office around them.
“You’re still working?”
“So are you.”
“I’m the CEO.”
“And?”
“And I don’t have to explain why I’m here.”
Eliana gathered the contracts.
“Neither do I.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
“Fair.”
He walked toward her desk and picked up one of the files.
“What’s this?”
“The contracts you need to sign.”
“Tonight?”
“They’re due first thing tomorrow.”
Scott opened the folder.
“You could have left them.”
“And have you complain tomorrow morning that nobody reminded you?”
He looked at her.
“You know me well.”
“I know your schedule.”
“Same thing?”
“Not even close.”
He laughed quietly.
It was a genuine laugh.
Eliana wasn’t expecting it.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Scott looked down at the contracts again.
“You’re different after hours.”
“So are you.”
“How?”
“You’re quieter.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Is that a compliment?”
“An observation.”
“And what else have you observed?”
Eliana hesitated.
Too many things.
That he wasn’t as careless with people when he wasn’t performing for a room.
That he listened when he wanted to.
That his arrogance sometimes seemed less like confidence and more like armor.
That he had a strange habit of rubbing the back of his neck whenever something bothered him.
That he liked his coffee black but somehow never finished the first cup.
She wasn’t supposed to notice any of that.
Especially not the things that made him human.
“Nothing important,” she said.
Scott studied her.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m going home.”
She reached for her handbag.
He placed the file back on the desk.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
“You haven’t finished.”
“I’ve finished everything assigned to me.”
“I’m talking about this.”
He held up the contract.
“You need to explain the changes.”
“I can explain them tomorrow.”
“I need to understand them tonight.”
Eliana looked at him.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She exhaled.
“Fine.”
They moved into Scott’s office.
The city stretched beneath them, thousands of lights scattered across the streets.
Eliana stood beside his desk while he read through the contract.
She pointed to a paragraph.
“That’s the section legal changed.”
Scott leaned closer.
“Why?”
“Because the previous clause left the company exposed if the client withdrew after the initial agreement.”
He looked at her.
“You caught that?”
“Legal caught it.”
“You caught it before legal.”
Eliana shrugged.
“I read things.”
“I’ve noticed.”
He returned to the document.
She leaned over the desk to point at another section.
At the same time, Scott moved closer.
Their shoulders brushed.
Both of them stopped.
It was barely anything.
A fraction of a second.
But neither moved immediately.
Eliana could feel the warmth of him beside her.
Scott looked down at her.
She slowly straightened.
“You’re in my space.”
“You stepped into mine.”
“I was showing you the contract.”
“And I was reading it.”
“You could have read it from there.”
“So could you.”
Their eyes met.
Neither smiled.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Eliana swallowed.
“Scott.”
He didn’t answer.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes.
That tiny movement was enough.
She stepped back.
He noticed.
Something unreadable crossed his face.
“I should go,” she said.
“Yes.”
But neither of them moved.
Scott broke the silence first.
“Why do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Pull away.”
Eliana looked at him carefully.
“Because you’re my boss.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“It answers enough.”
He leaned against the desk.
“Do you think I’m going to do something?”
“I think you don’t always think before you act.”
His expression changed.
“That bad?”
“Sometimes.”
He looked toward the windows.
For once, he didn’t have a sarcastic response ready.
“You’re right.”
Eliana blinked.
“I am?”
“I don’t always think before I act.”
She had expected an argument.
Instead, he continued.
“It’s caused problems.”
She remained silent.
Scott’s voice became quieter.
“More than people know.”
There was something different about him now.
Not the CEO.
Not the man everyone talked about.
Just Scott.
She studied his face.
“Why?”
He looked at her.
“Why what?”
“Why do you keep doing things you know cause problems?”
He smiled without humor.
“Because knowing something is bad doesn’t always make you want to stop.”
Eliana didn’t know what to say to that.
So she said the first honest thing that came to mind.
“That’s a lonely way to live.”
His expression went still.
“You think I’m lonely?”
“I think you don’t let many people get close enough to find out.”
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Scott looked at her for a long moment.
“You’re very observant.”
“Occupational hazard.”
“No.”
His voice softened.
“That’s just you.”
Her heart skipped.
She hated that it did.
Scott stepped closer.
Not enough to touch her.
Just enough that she noticed.
“Eliana.”
She looked up.
For one dangerous second, neither of them seemed to remember who they were supposed to be.
His eyes moved over her face.
Her breath caught.
He lifted his hand.
Slowly.
His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek.
Eliana froze.
Scott froze too.
The touch lasted barely a second.
Then he pulled his hand back.
Something had changed.
Neither of them could pretend it hadn’t.
Eliana took a step away.
“I really need to go.”
Scott nodded.
“Okay.”
She grabbed her handbag.
At the door, she stopped.
“Goodnight, Scott.”
“Goodnight.”
She left.
The door closed softly behind her.
Scott remained where he was.
His hand still felt warm.
He stared at the closed door.
Then he let out a slow breath.
That had been too close.
Much too close.
And for the first time, the problem wasn’t that he wanted to cross the line.
It was that he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop himself anymore.
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