Chapter Two- A Little Too Close
1115 Words
By ten-thirty, Elena had almost convinced herself that the morning hadn't happened.
Almost.
She was sitting at her desk, staring at a blank design screen while her cursor blinked impatiently at her.
Nothing.
Not one decent idea.
She leaned back in her chair.
“This is ridiculous.”
“You talking to yourself again?”
Elena nearly jumped out of her skin.
She turned.
Nathan stood beside her desk, one hand resting casually in his trouser pocket.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?”
“Only you.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“That sounds slightly concerning.”
“It wasn't meant to.”
“Good.”
She turned back to her screen.
Nathan didn't move.
Elena waited.
One second.
Two.
Five.
She finally looked at him again.
“Can I help you?”
“I need the campaign mock-ups.”
“They're not ready.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I wanted to see how far you've gotten.”
She stared at him.
“That is the same thing as asking if they're ready.”
“Not exactly.”
“It is exactly.”
Nathan smiled.
Elena hated that smile.
Not because it was annoying.
Because it wasn't.
“Your brief changed this morning,” he said.
She frowned.
“When?”
“About an hour ago.”
“You're telling me this now?”
“I came to tell you.”
“You could have emailed me.”
“I could have.”
There it was again.
That calm, irritating confidence.
Elena folded her arms.
“You enjoy making things difficult, don't you?”
Nathan leaned slightly closer.
“Only when you're around.”
Her heart skipped.
She quickly looked back at her computer.
“That's not funny.”
“I wasn't joking.”
Silence.
Elena's fingers stopped moving.
For the first time, she looked at him properly.
Nathan's expression hadn't changed.
He wasn't teasing.
He wasn't smiling.
He was simply looking at her.
And somehow that was worse.
She cleared her throat.
“So... the brief?”
He straightened.
“Right.”
He placed a folder on her desk.
“The client wants something warmer. Less corporate.”
Elena opened it.
She scanned the notes.
“This is completely different from what they originally asked for.”
“I know.”
“And they want it by Friday?”
“Yes.”
She looked up.
“You're joking.”
“No.”
“It's Tuesday.”
“I know.”
“That's three days.”
“I can give you an extension if you need one.”
Elena shook her head.
“No. I'll do it.”
“I thought you might.”
She glanced at him.
“Was that a compliment?”
“Maybe.”
“I'm writing it down.”
Nathan laughed softly.
Then he walked away.
Elena watched him disappear around the corner.
She exhaled.
This man was becoming a problem.
A very attractive problem.
---
By lunchtime, Elena had barely moved from her desk.
She had worked through two cups of coffee and half a packet of biscuits.
Her stomach growled.
She ignored it.
Five minutes later, something landed beside her keyboard.
A sandwich.
Elena looked at it.
Then at Nathan.
He was standing on the other side of her desk.
“What is this?”
“Lunch.”
“I know it's lunch. Why is it here?”
“You haven't eaten.”
She blinked.
“How do you know?”
“I've been here.”
“So you've been monitoring me?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“You're predictable.”
Elena scoffed.
“Excuse me?”
“You forget to eat when you're working.”
“How do you know that?”
Nathan shrugged.
“I've noticed.”
Those two words landed differently.
I've noticed.
Elena stared at him.
“You notice a lot.”
“Some things.”
Her cheeks warmed.
She looked away.
“Thank you.”
Nathan nodded.
“Eat.”
She frowned.
“You sound bossy.”
“I've been told.”
“By who?”
“My sister.”
Elena smiled before she could stop herself.
“You have a sister?”
“Yes.”
“Older?”
“Younger.”
“What is she like?”
Nathan's expression softened.
“Annoying.”
Elena laughed.
“Then she's probably lovely.”
“She is.”
There was something different about his face when he talked about his family.
Less guarded.
More human.
Elena liked that.
Maybe a little too much.
Nathan looked at the sandwich.
“Eat.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, sir.”
He walked away.
Elena unwrapped the sandwich.
She took one bite.
Then another.
And despite herself, she smiled.
---
At five-thirty, most of the office had emptied.
Elena was still working.
She rubbed her tired eyes and looked at the clock.
She hadn't realized how late it had gotten.
She saved her work and finally stood.
When she reached the lobby, she heard footsteps behind her.
“Elena.”
She turned.
Nathan.
“You're still here?”
“So are you.”
“I had a meeting.”
“I had work.”
They stood there looking at each other.
Then Elena noticed the rain outside.
Heavy.
Relentless.
She sighed.
“Perfect.”
Nathan glanced through the glass doors.
“You didn't bring an umbrella?”
“No.”
“I'll drive you.”
Elena immediately shook her head.
“No, it's fine.”
“It's raining.”
“I can order a cab.”
“It'll take forever.”
“I don't mind.”
Nathan studied her for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You don't trust me?”
Elena hesitated.
“That isn't it.”
“Then what is it?”
She didn't know how to answer.
Because the truth was, she trusted him.
That was exactly the problem.
She trusted him enough to be tempted.
And Elena knew better than to trust temptation.
“I just don't want to inconvenience you,” she said finally.
Nathan stepped closer.
“You wouldn't.”
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he opened the door.
“Come on.”
Elena hesitated.
Then stepped outside.
The rain was cold against her skin.
Nathan held his jacket over her head as they hurried toward his car.
And for the first time, Elena wondered if perhaps avoiding him was going to be much harder than she'd expected.
Because Nathan Hayes wasn't chasing her.
Not yet.
He was simply making it very difficult for her to walk away.
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