TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
1140 Words
CHAPTER 4
Too Close for Comfort
ALYA ZANE
The next morning, I walked into the office determined to forget what happened last night.
The quiet conversations.
The coffee.
The way Lucas had looked at me.
Especially that moment when neither of us looked away.
It meant nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“Good morning, Alya.”
I nearly jumped.
I turned around.
Lucas was standing behind me.
“Good morning, Boss.”
He looked at me for a moment.
“You're avoiding eye contact.”
“No, I'm not.”
“You are.”
“I’m busy.”
“It’s seven thirty in the morning.”
“I’m always busy.”
He raised an eyebrow.
Then he walked away.
I released a breath.
This man is going to be the death of my patience.
---
At nine, our team gathered in the conference room.
Lucas stood at the front, reviewing the campaign proposal.
“I've looked through the revisions.”
Everyone waited.
He turned toward me.
“Alya.”
“Yes?”
“Excellent work.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
“And the presentation is tomorrow.”
My smile disappeared.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“You said we had forty-eight hours.”
“You finished early.”
I stared at him.
“So you're moving the deadline because we finished early?”
“Exactly.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does to me.”
I crossed my arms.
“You're impossible.”
“And yet the project is finished.”
I wanted to argue.
Unfortunately, he was right.
---
After the meeting, I returned to my desk.
Camille immediately appeared beside me.
“You two are getting weird.”
I nearly dropped my pen.
“What?”
“You and Lucas.”
“There is no 'me and Lucas.'”
She gave me a look.
“You're smiling.”
“I smile.”
“Not like that.”
I frowned.
“Like what?”
“Like you have a secret.”
I shook my head.
“You're imagining things.”
“Sure.”
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed.
Lucas: My office. Five minutes.
I stared at the message.
Camille peeked over my shoulder.
“Ooooh.”
“It's work.”
“Of course.”
I ignored her.
---
I knocked on Lucas's door.
“Come in.”
He was sitting behind his desk, looking through several documents.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes.”
He pushed a folder toward me.
“I want you to present the campaign tomorrow.”
I opened the folder.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you created it.”
“That doesn't mean I'm the best person to present it.”
“It does.”
I looked at him.
“You trust me that much?”
His expression softened slightly.
“Yes.”
The answer caught me off guard.
I closed the folder.
“Okay.”
As I stood, I noticed a framed photograph on his desk.
A younger Lucas stood beside an older man.
They were smiling.
I pointed toward it.
“Your father?”
His expression immediately changed.
“Yes.”
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—”
“It's fine.”
But his voice wasn't.
I looked at the photograph again.
“He looks kind.”
“He was.”
There was silence.
“What happened?”
Lucas looked down.
“He passed away a few years ago.”
My heart sank.
“I'm sorry.”
He nodded.
“He built this company from nothing. Everything I do is supposed to protect what he created.”
Suddenly, I understood why he was so serious about everything.
Why he worked late.
Why he demanded perfection.
“You're not just trying to run a company,” I said quietly.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I'm trying not to lose what he left behind.”
I didn't know what to say.
So I simply nodded.
“I think he'd be proud of you.”
Lucas looked surprised.
“You never met him.”
“No.”
I smiled.
“But I know what it's like to want to make someone proud.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Lucas smiled.
“Thank you, Alya.”
My heart skipped.
I quickly stood.
“I should get back to work.”
He nodded.
“See you tomorrow.”
I walked out.
And for the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about him.
Not the CEO.
Not my boss.
Just Lucas.
---
The next morning arrived too quickly.
The presentation was scheduled for ten.
I stood outside the conference room, reviewing my notes for the fifth time.
My hands were cold.
“You're nervous.”
I turned.
Lucas.
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you're holding your notes upside down.”
I looked down.
He was right.
I immediately turned them around.
Lucas smiled.
“Relax.”
“Easy for you to say.”
He stepped closer.
“You know the project better than anyone in that room.”
I looked at him.
“You really believe I can do this?”
“I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't.”
His words gave me confidence.
“Thanks.”
He nodded.
Then, before walking into the conference room, he said:
“Go show them why I chose you.”
I smiled.
“Bossy.”
“Always.”
---
The presentation went perfectly.
When I finished, the room erupted in applause.
I looked toward Lucas.
He was smiling.
Not his usual small, amused smile.
A genuine one.
And somehow, that made me happier than the applause.
After everyone left, I stayed behind to gather my notes.
Lucas approached.
“You did well.”
I smiled.
“Really well?”
“Very.”
I laughed.
“I'm starting to like compliments from you.”
“That's dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Because I might stop giving them.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You're impossible.”
He smiled.
“And you're still here.”
I froze.
He froze too.
For a second, the teasing disappeared.
The space between us suddenly felt smaller.
I stepped back.
“I should go.”
“Yes.”
Neither of us moved.
Then I finally walked toward the door.
“Alya.”
I turned.
Lucas looked at me.
“I'm glad you're on my team.”
I smiled.
“I'm glad too.”
I left the room.
But this time, I couldn't lie to myself.
Something was changing.
Slowly.
Quietly.
And dangerously.
I still told myself that I didn't like Lucas Villano.
But deep down, a tiny part of me was beginning to wonder...
What if I was wrong?
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