CHAPTER SIX: BOUNDARIES
1154 Words
Sarah changed her perfume the next morning.
She hated herself for doing it.
Not because Daniel had asked her to.
Because she had thought about his words all night.
I liked it too much.
She had spent hours convincing herself that his comment meant nothing.
That Daniel was simply a confident man who enjoyed making women uncomfortable.
That she wasn’t thinking about him.
That she hadn’t replayed their conversation before falling asleep.
That she hadn’t wondered what he would say when he saw her again.
She had lied to herself so many times that morning that she was almost beginning to believe it.
Almost.
“Morning.”
Sarah looked up.
Maya dropped into the chair opposite her at the café.
“You look terrible.”
Sarah frowned.
“Thank you.”
“I mean emotionally.”
“That’s better.”
Maya studied her.
“Did something happen?”
“No.”
“Sarah.”
“I’m fine.”
Maya leaned forward.
“You’ve been saying you’re fine for three months.”
Sarah looked away.
Maya’s expression softened.
“Is it Michael?”
Sarah didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Maya sighed.
“You two need to talk.”
“We did.”
“And?”
“It didn’t help.”
Maya reached across the table.
“Then maybe you need to stop trying to save something alone.”
Sarah looked at her.
The words stayed with her.
At eleven, Sarah walked into the conference room.
Daniel was already there.
Of course.
He was standing beside the window, his jacket off, sleeves rolled to his forearms.
Sarah immediately looked away.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
His voice was calm.
Professional.
She placed her files on the table.
“We’re here to discuss the contract.”
Daniel nodded.
“Of course.”
Nothing.
No teasing.
No mention of last night.
No mention of the hotel.
Sarah almost felt relieved.
Almost.
They worked for twenty minutes.
Daniel was intelligent.
Extremely intelligent.
He understood the legal implications of every clause she raised and challenged her on several points without ever becoming disrespectful.
Sarah hated that she enjoyed arguing with him.
“You’re wrong,” she said.
Daniel looked up.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Prove it.”
She slid a document toward him.
“Clause twelve.”
Daniel read it.
Then smiled.
“You’re good.”
“I know.”
His eyes lingered on her.
“I know.”
Sarah looked away.
The room suddenly felt too warm.
She closed the folder.
“We need to establish boundaries.”
Daniel’s expression became serious.
“Okay.”
“You can’t text me outside work.”
“Understood.”
“You can’t show up where I am.”
“Fine.”
“You can’t talk about what happened between us.”
“Okay.”
“And you can’t…”
She hesitated.
Daniel waited.
Sarah forced herself to continue.
“You can’t touch me.”
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Understood.”
She nodded.
“Good.”
Daniel leaned back.
“Anything else?”
Sarah looked at him.
“No.”
“Then we’re done.”
She gathered her papers.
Something about his compliance unsettled her.
She had expected resistance.
Instead, he had accepted every boundary without an argument.
Sarah turned toward the door.
“Sarah.”
She stopped.
Daniel remained seated.
“You’re right.”
She looked back.
“About what?”
“I shouldn’t cross your boundaries.”
She nodded.
“Thank you.”
“But there’s something you should understand.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What?”
Daniel looked directly at her.
“I can respect your boundaries.”
A pause.
“But I can’t control how you feel.”
Sarah’s heartbeat quickened.
“I’m not going to feel anything.”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“You already do.”
She walked out before he could say anything else.
That evening, Sarah came home early.
Michael was in the kitchen.
He looked surprised.
“You’re home.”
“Yes.”
“Everything okay?”
“Fine.”
He smiled.
“Dinner?”
Sarah nodded.
“Sure.”
They sat together.
For once, Michael wasn’t working.
He wasn’t looking at his phone.
He was simply there.
Sarah watched him.
This was the man she’d married.
The man she’d once loved without hesitation.
The man she’d built a life with.
She wanted to feel something.
She wanted the warmth to return.
She reached across the table and took his hand.
Michael looked at her.
“Sarah?”
“I miss us.”
His fingers tightened around hers.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He brought her hand to his lips.
Sarah smiled.
For a brief moment, she felt hopeful.
Maybe she could fix this.
Maybe Daniel really had been nothing more than a terrible mistake.
Maybe—
Michael’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
The warmth disappeared from his face.
Sarah noticed.
“Who is it?”
“No one.”
He rejected the call.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
Michael stood.
“I need to take this.”
He walked into the hallway.
Sarah watched him.
Something was wrong.
She couldn’t explain it.
But she knew.
Michael returned a few minutes later.
He looked pale.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.”
Sarah studied him.
“Michael.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
His expression hardened.
“Sarah, drop it.”
She went quiet.
Then, almost casually, she said:
“Daniel Black.”
Michael froze.
Only for a second.
But Sarah saw it.
His face changed.
His fingers tightened around the phone.
“Why are you saying his name?”
Sarah’s pulse quickened.
“You know him.”
Michael stared at her.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“At work.”
“What does he want?”
“I don’t know.”
Michael stood abruptly.
“Stay away from him.”
Sarah frowned.
“Why?”
Michael looked at her.
And for the first time since she had known him, Sarah saw something she couldn’t remember ever seeing in his eyes.
Fear.
“Because Daniel Black isn’t someone you want in your life.”
Sarah’s voice dropped.
“What happened between you two?”
Michael said nothing.
“Michael.”
“Nothing.”
“That isn’t what your face is saying.”
He walked away.
Sarah remained at the table.
Her mind raced.
Something had happened.
Something Michael refused to tell her.
She picked up her phone.
A notification appeared.
Unknown number.
Her stomach tightened.
She opened it.
A single message.
Daniel: He still hasn’t told you, has he?
Sarah stared at the screen.
Another message appeared.
Daniel: Don’t worry.
Then:
Daniel: He will.
She slowly lowered the phone.
And for the first time, Sarah understood that whatever existed between Daniel and Michael…
was much older than her.
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