Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 5

Alex didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

His body froze in place, but his heart? It pounded like a drum against his ribs. He could feel every beat in his throat, his ears, his fingertips. The scent of Sebastian’s cologne filled the air, dark, spicy, and expensive, like something from a luxury boutique he’d never dare step into. It surrounded him, pulled him in.

Their faces were close. Too close.

Sebastian's breath touched his lips. Warm. Shaky.

His hand hovered near Alex’s waist — not touching, but so close that Alex swore he could feel it. A soft burn right through his shirt. His eyes, intense and locked, didn’t move from Alex’s mouth. Not once.

Alex’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. He didn’t even mean to do it. It just happened — nerves and heat and that aching want inside him. He was sure it was going to happen.

Finally.

The kiss he had been dreaming of, fantasizing about for weeks.

That kiss that would change everything.

His whole body leaned toward it, toward him, and for one perfect, silent moment — the world held its breath.

Then came the sound.

Sebastian’s phone rang.

Loud. Sharp. Rude.

And completely wrong in the thick, s*x-heavy air between them.

Sebastian pulled back like he’d touched fire. His entire body jerked as if waking from a spell. His expression shifted fast — from soft heat to cold confusion, like he suddenly remembered who he was and where they were.

Alex blinked. His whole body buzzed, but it felt like cold water had been thrown on him. He felt a deep sense of loss.

Sebastian fished the phone from his pocket, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. He stared at the screen. The name there must have hit a nerve because his whole posture changed.

“f**k,” he muttered low, then answered with a clipped, sharp tone.

“What is it, Vanessa?”

Vanessa.

Alex's brain paused on the name. That was probably his ex-wife. Only a sour relationship can make a man that pissed at a woman.

Sebastian turned his back on Alex, walking toward the window as he spoke, but his voice wasn’t exactly private. He was tense, pacing, and clearly angry.

“I already told you, I’m not discussing the terms over the phone… No. That’s not what the lawyer said. You’re twisting this again, as usual— Vanessa, for f**k’s sake, I said I’m not doing this now.”

Alex stood there awkwardly, feeling like he shouldn’t be listening to his conversation and caught between staying and leaving. But his feet wouldn’t move.

He glanced toward the door but didn’t take a step. Something inside him still hoped Sebastian would come back, would say something, would pull him close again. But that didn’t happen.

Sebastian hung up with a loud sigh and tossed his phone onto the couch. It landed with a soft thud, but the anger behind it was anything but soft. He dug both hands into his thick, dark hair and dragged his fingers through it like he was trying to rip out the stress. Gosh, even angry, he looked so damn sexy.

When he turned slightly, his whole energy was different. The warmth was gone. Replaced by something closed-off and cold.

Alex noticed it immediately.

The space between them felt heavier now.

The tension was no longer sexy. It was just... uncomfortable.

Alex cleared his throat, his voice a little shaky. “Everything okay?”

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah. Fine.”

But his tone didn’t match. His voice was tired, rough, and not even trying to be convincing.

Alex shifted where he stood. He suddenly felt out of place. “Should I go?” Maybe he shouldn’t have asked that, he thought immediately to himself.

That made Sebastian stop. He finally looked at Alex again, but this time his eyes were unreadable. The silence between them stretched so long Alex thought maybe he wouldn’t answer at all.

Then came the blow.

“Yeah,” Sebastian said. “I think that’s best.”

Alex felt that in his gut. Damn you Vanessa.

Just like that, the moment was gone. All the heat, the closeness, the anticipation — gone like it never happened. Just ashes in the air.

He swallowed hard, his chest tight. He didn’t expect Sebastian to push him away so fast. Not after that look he gave him. Not after they almost just kissed.

He picked up his jacket, his fingers trembling slightly. “Well,” he mumbled, “thanks for the water.”

Sebastian didn’t say a word.

Alex waited. Just for a second. A part of him still clung to hope — maybe Sebastian would stop him, say something, offer a reason, a smile, anything.

But nothing came.

So he walked out.

The hallway felt too quiet. The elevator ride too long. His body moved on autopilot.

When he stepped out into the night, the cold air hit him hard, like a punch. His cheeks burned. Not from the cold — from shame. Embarrassment. Hurt.

He walked fast, not even sure where he was going anymore. He just needed to move. To breathe. To not feel everything at once. Why does he always have to be the one heartbroken?

The look in Sebastian’s eyes haunted him. The coldness. The way he shut down like a switch had been flipped. Like Alex was nobody. Like he was just another assistant.

Not the guy he almost kissed.

By the time he reached the subway station, Alex had replayed the moment in his head over and over again.

Had he imagined it?

The closeness? That fire between them?

Maybe it was all in his head. Maybe Sebastian hadn’t wanted it. Maybe it was just a mistake. An impulse.

Or maybe… the call reminded Sebastian why he shouldn’t be doing that with someone like Alex.

That night, Alex lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His body was tired, but his mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

He kept seeing Sebastian’s face.

The near-kiss. That heat. That stupid ringtone.

He groaned, rolling onto his side.

He shouldn’t feel this way over one moment. One kiss that didn’t even happen. But it hurt. And that hurt stuck to his skin like sweat.

Maybe that kiss would have been a lie anyway.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Alex frowned and reached for it.

A new message.

Unknown Number:

Don’t get too comfortable. You’re just a distraction.

Alex stared at the screen.

His heart stopped.

What the hell?

He sat up in bed, blinking at the message like it might disappear if he looked long enough.

But it didn’t.

It stayed right there, glowing on the screen like a threat.

Like a warning.

Confused and a little afraid, Alex read it again.

You’re just a distraction.

Who sent this?

What did it mean?

And why did it feel like this had something to do with Sebastian?