Chapter Five - Take Your Time
911 Words
Elena stayed in the conference room long after Nathan left.
She stared at the closed door.
I like being around you.
The words kept replaying in her mind.
Not because they were dramatic.
They weren't.
Nathan hadn't confessed his love or asked her to be his girlfriend.
He had simply told her the truth.
And somehow, that felt more dangerous.
Elena gathered her laptop and returned to her desk.
Maya looked up immediately.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Maya's eyes narrowed.
“That is the face of someone something happened to.”
Elena dropped into her chair.
“Nathan said he likes being around me.”
Maya's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
“And what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“You said nothing?”
“I didn't know what to say!”
Maya laughed.
“Elena, breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
“Barely.”
Elena covered her face with both hands.
“I don't want this.”
Maya's expression softened.
“Don't want him?”
Elena lowered her hands.
“I don't know.”
That was the honest answer.
She didn't know.
She liked Nathan.
She liked the way he spoke to her.
She liked how attentive he was without being overwhelming.
She liked that he didn't demand anything from her.
But liking someone was one thing.
Trusting them with her heart was another.
“I don't want to get carried away,” Elena said quietly.
Maya nodded.
“Then don't.”
Elena looked at her.
“It's really that simple?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Take your time.”
The phrase hit her differently this time.
Nathan had said the same thing.
Maybe that was what she needed.
Not a decision.
Not a relationship.
Just time.
---
That evening, Elena received another message.
Nathan: Hope your evening is going well.
She stared at the screen.
She typed:
It is.
Deleted it.
Typed:
Yes. Yours?
Deleted that too.
Finally, she sent:
Elena: It's going well. Hope yours is too.
His reply came a few minutes later.
Nathan: Better now.
Elena smiled.
She couldn't help it.
She put the phone down.
Picked it up again.
Elena: That's a dangerous thing to say.
Nathan: Why?
Elena: You know why.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Nathan: Maybe I do.
Elena shook her head.
He was impossible.
But she was smiling.
---
The next morning, Nathan didn't approach her.
Not once.
He didn't come to her desk.
Didn't send unnecessary messages.
Didn't find an excuse to walk past her.
At first, Elena was relieved.
Then she became strangely disappointed.
By lunchtime, she was irritated.
She looked across the office.
Nathan was working quietly.
He looked completely unaffected.
She frowned.
So that's it?
Yesterday, he had told her he liked being around her.
Today, he was acting like she didn't exist.
She turned back to her computer.
Fine.
If he wanted to give her space, she could handle it.
She didn't need his attention.
She absolutely did not.
Ten minutes later, she received an email.
From: Nathan Hayes
Can you send me the final version of the campaign when you're done? No rush.
That was it.
Professional.
Polite.
Nothing else.
Elena stared at the screen.
“Why is this annoying me?”
Maya looked over.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Maya smiled knowingly.
“Ah.”
“Don't.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was.”
---
At six that evening, Elena packed her things.
She was almost at the entrance when Nathan appeared beside her.
“Leaving?”
She looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Good?”
“You've been working since eight.”
“You noticed?”
“I notice.”
There was that word again.
Elena smiled despite herself.
Nathan glanced at the time.
“Have you eaten?”
She laughed.
“You ask that every day?”
“Only when I suspect the answer is no.”
She sighed.
“Fine. No.”
“Dinner?”
She looked at him.
“Are you asking me out?”
Nathan didn't hesitate.
“Yes.”
Her heart skipped.
He continued calmly.
“Not because I expect anything.”
She blinked.
“Then why?”
“Because I'd like to have dinner with you.”
Elena looked down at her bag.
She wanted to say yes.
That was the problem.
She wanted to.
And wanting something had always frightened her more than not having it.
“How about coffee instead?”
Nathan smiled.
“Coffee works.”
“When?”
“Now.”
She laughed.
“You're very confident.”
“I was hoping you'd say yes.”
She looked at him.
For once, she didn't look away.
“Okay.”
Nathan's smile grew.
“Okay?”
“Coffee.”
“Coffee.”
They walked toward the doors together.
Neither of them said much.
But this time, Elena didn't feel the need to create distance.
She didn't know where this was going.
She didn't know whether Nathan would eventually become someone she could trust.
She didn't know whether her heart would cooperate.
But she was beginning to understand something.
Taking her time didn't mean running away.
Maybe it meant allowing herself to see where something could go...
without being afraid of the ending before it had even begun.
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