CHAPTER SEVEN
969 Words
“I’m not jealous.”
The words still hung between us.
Heavy. Sharp. Unconvincing.
I held his gaze, refusing to back down.
“Then prove it.”
For a moment,
nothing.
No movement.
No reaction.
Just that look.
Dark. Intense. Dangerous.
Then he stepped closer.
Too close.
“You want proof?” he asked quietly.
My heartbeat picked up.
“That’s what I said.”
Something shifted in his expression.
Not anger.
Not control.
Something deeper.
Something...unstable.
“You don’t get to test me,” he said, his voice lower now.
“And you don’t get to control me,” I shot back.
Silence cracked between us.
Tension snapping tighter with every second.
People were still around.
Music still playing.
But it all felt distant.
Muted.
Like we were the only two people left in the room.
“You walked away,” he said.
“You told me not to act,” I replied. “So I stopped pretending.”
“That wasn’t pretending.”
The words came out sharper than he intended.
We both heard it.
Felt it.
And suddenly,
this wasn’t about Daniel anymore.
“Then what was it?” I asked quietly.
A dangerous question.
The kind that doesn’t have a safe answer.
“Nothing.”
Lie.
I took a small step closer.
Closing the space between us.
“Say it again,” I said softly. “But this time, try to make it believable.”
Another mistake.
Because that was the moment,
he lost control.
His hand caught my wrist.
Not rough.
But firm.
Certain.
My breath hitched.
“Careful, Lena,” he murmured.
“Or what?” I challenged, even though my voice wasn’t as steady anymore.
His eyes dropped to my lips.
And stayed there.
Too long.
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“So are you.”
That was it.
That was the last push.
The kiss wasn’t gentle.
It wasn’t planned.
And it definitely wasn’t part of the contract.
It was sudden.
Intense.
Like something that had been building since the moment we met,
finally breaking free.
For a split second, I froze.
My mind screaming:
Rule number seven.
No feelings.
No attachment.
No crossing the line.
But my body,
my stupid, traitorous body
didn’t listen.
It leaned into him, a silent surrender I hadn't anticipated.
I kissed him back.
A desperate seeking gesture.
His grip tightened slightly around my waist, pulling me closer.
Too close.
No space left between us.
The scent of him, a mix of expensive cologne and something uniquely his, filled my senses.
His lips were soft, surprisingly so, and the kiss deepened, no longer tentative but a raw exploration.
My hands, which had been fisted against his jacket, found their way to his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart beneath the fine fabric.
A groan, low and guttural, escaped him, and it sent a shiver of pure electricity down my spine.
The air grew thick.
Heavy.
I could feel the heat radiating from him.
My knees felt weak, and I pressed closer.
Seeking support,
or perhaps something more.
Nothing made sense.
Not the way his other hand moved, his thumb brushing the curve of my hip, sending tremors through me.
Not the way the world seemed to disappear.
Not the way my heart felt like it was about to break out of my chest.
It lasted minutes.
Maybe less.
Maybe more.
I couldn’t tell.
Because the moment he realized what he had done,
he pulled back.
Fast.
Too fast.
Like he had just burned himself.
Silence.
Heavy.
Shattered.
We both stood there, breathing unevenly.
Staring at each other like we didn’t recognize what just happened.
“What was that?” I whispered.
His expression changed instantly.
Walls.
Back up.
Control restored.
“That,” he said coldly, “was a mistake.”
The words hit harder than the kiss.
Something inside my chest tightened painfully.
“A mistake?” I repeated.
“Yes.”
Just like that.
Like it meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
Anger flared instantly, covering everything else.
“Funny,” I said sharply. “You didn’t seem confused a second ago.”
“That’s exactly the problem.”
“Oh, I see,” I let out a dry laugh. “You lose control
for two seconds and suddenly it’s my fault?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
My voice rose slightly.
I didn’t care who was watching anymore.
“Don’t twist this.”
“I’m not twisting anything!” I snapped. “You kissed me.”
“And you kissed me back.”
Silence.
That one landed.
Hard.
Because it was true.
And we both knew it.
“That doesn’t change the fact that you crossed your own rule,” I said more quietly.
His gaze hardened.
“It changes everything.”
My chest tightened again.
“Right,” I muttered. “Because God forbid something real happens.”
“That’s exactly what we’re avoiding.”
I looked at him.
At the control.
At the distance.
At the way he was already pushing this away.
Like it didn’t matter.
Like it never could.
And something inside me...
shifted.
“Then maybe you should’ve stuck to your own rules,” I said.
My voice was calm now.
Too calm.
Dangerously calm.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Maybe I should have.”
There it was.
The line.
Drawn.
Clear.
Final.
I stepped back.
Creating space.
Real space this time.
“Good,” I said quietly. “Then we’re on the same page.”
Lie.
But I needed it to be true.
Because the alternative,
was worse.
Much worse.
“Lena-”
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
I held his gaze for one last second.
Then turned and walked away.
This time,
I didn’t look back.
- Writer
