The Almost Kiss
1602 Words
CHAPTER 16
The elevator doors closed with a soft chime, trapping Sophia and Ethan in the narrow glow of warm overhead lights. The storm outside raged like it was furious at them, wind slamming against the hotel windows, thunder rolling low.
Inside, it was quiet.
Too quiet.
Sophia hugged the clipboard to her chest, trying desperately to look anywhere except at him. Ethan stood beside her, hands tucked into his pockets, jaw tight like he was holding something in.
The tension was thick enough to suffocate.
He cleared his throat.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I haven’t,” she replied too quickly.
He raised a brow. “Sophia, you literally ran down a hallway this morning when you saw me.”
She cringed. “I wasn’t running. I was… speed-walking.”
“Mhm. Away from me.”
She refused to look at him, afraid of what might show on her face.
Afraid of what might show on his.
The elevator hummed as it ascended, warm and soft, like the air itself could sense the gravity between them. Ethan shifted closer, his shoulder brushing hers—light, accidental… but electrifying.
“Sophia,” he said quietly, “about yesterday…”
Her pulse jumped.
“Nothing happened,” she whispered. “Let’s just leave it.”
He turned to her fully now, his height closing in, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous warmth.
“That’s the problem. Something did happen.”
Her breath caught.
He wasn’t supposed to say that.
He wasn’t supposed to make this real.
“Ethan—”
He lifted a hand and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. His fingers grazed her skin, sending a shiver straight down her spine.
“I keep thinking about kissing you.”
His voice shook slightly. “It’s driving me insane.”
She forgot how to breathe.
The elevator slowed.
The lights flickered.
Her heartbeat raced like a drum against her ribs.
The doors stayed closed.
His eyes fell to her lips.
“Sophia…” he whispered, leaning in.
The elevator jerked with a violent clunk, the lights sputtered, and the whole car shook.
“Don’t tell me—” she started.
“We’re stuck,” he finished, this time sounding pained.
The moment shattered.
They stepped apart just as emergency lights came on, turning their almost-kiss into a haunting echo in the dim glow.
CHAPTER 17 – The Breakdown
Emergency lights cast a faint red hue over the elevator. The storm had knocked power out in half the city. Sophia leaned against the wall, hands trembling—not from fear, but from the crushing tension she had nearly given into.
Ethan paced like a caged tiger.
“This is unbelievable,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re freaking out,” she said softly.
“I’m not.”
“You’re pacing like someone stole your coffee.”
His chest rose sharply.
“That close,” he said, voice rough. “I was that close to kissing you.”
Sophia shut her eyes.
She didn’t need the reminder.
Her lips were still tingling.
“Ethan… you can’t just say things like that.”
“Why? Because you don’t want me?”
Her eyes snapped open.
“That’s not fair.”
He stopped pacing.
“What’s fair is that every time I think we’ve figured out… whatever this is… you pull away.”
“That’s because you confuse me, Ethan!”
His eyebrows rose. “Me? You’re the one who turns into a tornado whenever I get near you.”
“I’m trying to protect myself,” she whispered.
“And I’m trying not to make the biggest mistake of my life.”
She froze.
“What mistake?”
His voice cracked.
“Kissing you and wanting everything that comes after… when I’m not supposed to.”
The vulnerability hit her like a punch.
The elevator jolted again—louder this time—making her stumble.
Ethan caught her instantly, hands gripping her waist.
For a second, the world stilled.
His breath brushed her cheek.
Her fingers clutched his shirt.
Their bodies fit too perfectly.
“Sophia…” he whispered.
But the elevator groaned open at that exact moment, snapping them apart again like fate wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
CHAPTER 18 – The Glass Shatters
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, the storm inside them continued.
Ethan walked ahead, shoulders tense. Sophia followed, heart twisting painfully.
A few minutes later, they entered the ballroom—dark, half decorated, eerily quiet. The power outage had ruined their setup.
Sophia flicked on emergency lanterns, their soft glow revealing the damage.
Decorations fallen.
Lights broken.
Timelines destroyed.
Ethan cursed under his breath.
“This storm hates us.”
“No,” she murmured, “it hates our pride.”
He spun to face her.
“You think this is about pride?”
“It’s always been about pride,” she said softly. “We’ve been competing so long we forgot how to just… be around each other.”
He walked toward her slowly.
“And what do you want us to be, Sophia?”
Her heart squeezed.
Before she could answer, a loud crash echoed through the room.
A lighting rig—one Ethan had told maintenance to secure—collapsed directly across the ballroom.
Sophia gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
Ethan rushed over, inspecting the damage with frustration radiating off him.
“This is bad. This could delay the whole setup.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said.
But the guilt was already settling in his eyes.
He rested his palms on the fallen metal, shoulders slumped.
“This is too much,” he whispered. “I’m ruining the biggest event of your career.”
She stepped toward him.
“No. We’re doing this together.”
His eyes lifted.
There it was again—
That pull.
That invisible magnetic force.
Before he could speak, the hotel director burst in with panic on his face.
“Is everything alright here? We heard the crash—” He looked at the wreckage and gasped. “This puts the gala behind schedule.”
Sophia tried to calm him.
“I’m sure we can fix it—”
The director shook his head.
“One of you must take responsibility for this delay.”
Sophia opened her mouth, but Ethan beat her to it.
“It was me.”
“No!” she snapped. “It wasn’t—”
“It was,” he said firmly, eyes never leaving hers.
The director nodded stiffly.
“You’ll answer to upper management.”
And he walked away.
Sophia turned to Ethan, shaking.
“Why would you take the blame?!”
His voice was calm.
“Because I’m not letting this fall on you.”
She stared at him.
This man who annoyed her, teased her, challenged her—
And protected her without thinking twice.
Something in her chest cracked open.
CHAPTER 19 – The Confession That Shouldn’t Exist
After the director left, the ballroom was silent except for the storm battering the windows.
Sophia walked toward Ethan slowly.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.”
She swallowed hard.
“Why? Why do you keep protecting me?”
His jaw clenched.
“Because I care about you.”
She froze.
The words echoed in the empty room.
Ethan looked away like he wished he could take them back.
“I shouldn’t,” he added softly. “This is complicated.”
“Complicated?”
Her voice shook. “Ethan, you can’t say things like that and then hide behind the word complicated.”
He rubbed his face.
“I’m trying not to cross lines I can’t uncross.”
“You already did,” she whispered.
His eyes lifted to hers—and in them she saw everything he’d been holding back.
Fear.
Desire.
Guilt.
And something deeper.
“Sophia…” he whispered, stepping closer. “If I kiss you, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
Her heart thudded painfully.
“Then don’t stop.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Ethan exhaled shakily, like she’d just knocked the air out of him.
But instead of kissing her—
He stepped back.
“I want you too much,” he said, voice breaking. “And wanting you scares the hell out of me.”
Sophia felt like she’d been punched.
He walked away before she could see the tears gathering in her eyes.
CHAPTER 20 – Countdown to Heartbreak
The next morning, the ballroom was chaos—decorators rushing, electricians repairing damage, caterers panicking.
Sophia found Ethan across the room, directing staff with a cold, unreadable expression.
His walls were back up.
Like last night had never happened.
She approached him, heart aching.
“We need to talk.”
He didn’t look at her.
“We don’t.”
“Ethan—”
“Last night was a mistake.”
The words sliced right through her.
Her throat tightened.
“A mistake?”
He finally looked at her—eyes tired, guarded, distant.
“Let’s keep this professional. The gala is too important.”
And then—
He walked away.
Right past her.
Without looking back.
Without seeing her blinking away tears.
Sophia stood there, heart splintering, breath shaking.
Across the ballroom, Ethan kept giving orders, pretending he wasn’t breaking too.
Because sometimes pride hurts worse than love.
And because midnight was coming.
The kiss was coming.
And neither of them were ready for what it would destroy… or create.
to be continued......
- Writer
