CHAPTER EIGHT
841 Words
He didn’t call.
He didn’t text.
He didn’t even try.
Three days.
Seventy-two hours of complete silence.
And I hated that I noticed.
I told myself it didn’t matter.
It was just a contract.
Just an arrangement.
Just a mistake.
His words echoed anyway.
That was a mistake.
I swallowed hard, pushing the thought away as I adjusted my jacket.
Focus.
That’s what I needed.
Not him.
The next message came on the fourth day.
Short.
Cold.
Exactly like him.
Adrian:
Event tonight. 8 PM. Be ready.
No apology.
No mention of what happened.
Of course not.
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Then typed:
Me:
Understood.
Nothing more.
If he wanted distance,
fine.
I could do distance.
When the car arrived, I was already outside.
No hesitation this time.
No nerves.
Just control.
I stepped in without looking at him.
“Lena.”
“Adrian.”
Polite.
Distant.
Perfect.
The drive was quiet, not tense like before.
Not charged.
Just...empty.
Like whatever had been building between us,
was gone.
Or at least pretending to be.
“You look different,” he said after a while.
I kept my gaze forward. “So do you.”
Neither of us explained.
We didn’t need to.
The event was smaller this time, more private, more controlled.
Exactly the kind of place where nothing real was supposed to happen.
Perfect.
“Stay close,” he said as we entered.
Professional.
Detached.
Like nothing had changed.
“Of course,” I replied.
Same tone.
Same distance.
We were good at this.
Too good.
For the first hour, everything went smoothly.
We talked when needed.
Smiled when expected.
Played our roles perfectly.
No tension.
No mistakes.
No moments.
And somehow,
that felt worse.
“You’re avoiding me.”
The voice caught me off guard.
Daniel.
Of course.
I turned slightly, keeping my expression neutral.
“I’m not.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because last time we talked, things got...interesting.”
I didn’t respond.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
And I didn’t want to think about it.
“Let me guess,” he continued, glancing briefly toward Adrian across the room, “he didn’t take it well.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Maybe not,” he admitted. “But I’m curious.”
I sighed softly. “Curiosity isn’t always a good thing.”
“Neither is pretending you don’t feel something when you clearly do.”
That again.
Why did everyone keep saying that?
“I don’t,” I said firmly.
Daniel studied me for a moment.
“Right.”
Clearly, he didn’t believe me.
I didn’t care.
“Lena.”
Adrian’s voice.
I turned.
He was watching us again.
But this time,
his expression was different, not angry, not explosive.
Just...cold.
Worse.
Much worse.
“I need you,” he said.
Not “please.”
Not even my name with softness.
Just need.
Like a requirement.
Like part of the role.
I nodded.
“Excuse me,” I told Daniel, stepping away.
The moment I reached Adrian,
“We’re leaving,” he said.
I frowned slightly. “The event just started.”
“We’re leaving.”
No explanation.
No discussion.
Just control.
But I didn’t argue.
“Okay.”
The car ride back felt colder than any silence before.
Because this one wasn’t empty, it was deliberate.
"You shouldn’t talk to him,” Adrian said suddenly.
I let out a quiet breath.
“Here we go again.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I,” I replied. “You don’t get to decide who I talk to.”
“I’m protecting what we agreed on.”
“No,” I said calmly. “You’re controlling it.”
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
I turned to him.
“And you’re pretending it’s easier than it is.”
His gaze sharpened.
“You think this is difficult?”
“Yes.”
Then, quieter,
“Because it’s not just fake anymore.”
There it was.
Out in the open.
No hiding.
No pretending.
His expression changed instantly.
Walls. Back up.
Stronger this time.
“Don’t,” he said.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
“Don’t what?” I asked.
“Don’t make this into something it’s not.”
“Then stop acting like it is.”
Silence.
Explosive.
Unresolved.
The car stopped.
My building.
Again.
I reached for the door.
“Lena.”
I paused.
Didn’t turn.
“This only works if you follow the rules.”
The words felt familiar now.
Repetitive.
Empty.
I glanced back slightly.
“And what happens when you don’t?”
For a split second,
I saw it.
That crack again.
That hesitation.
That something he didn’t want me to see.
Then it was gone.
“Then it ends.”
Final.
Cold.
Clear.
I nodded once.
“Goodnight, Adrian.”
I didn’t wait.
I stepped out.
Closed the door.
And walked away.
But this time...
it didn’t feel like I was the one leaving.
It felt like,
he already had.
- Writer
