The elevator doors were just about to close when I stepped in, pretending like I hadn't been standing there waiting for a full thirty seconds to make sure I wouldn't run into anyone. Especially not him.
I turned slowly, keeping my face composed as I pressed the button for my floor, trying not to sag against the wall from exhaustion. Today had wrung me dry in every possible way. All I wanted was to make it to my bed, collapse, and disappear into sleep.
But of course, the universe hated me.
Just as the doors were about to shut, a hand slid in. The doors beeped and eased open again... and there he was.
Looking perfectly calm and powerful in his tailored suit, dark brown hair tousled just enough to make me clench my jaw. His hand dropped to his side as he stepped in, his cologne immediately invading the air like it had a personal grudge against my sanity. I didn't flinch. I didn't move. I didn't even breathe as he pressed the button for the top floor and stood beside me.
I focused my gaze straight ahead, pretending he didn't exist. Like his presence didn't raise every nerve in my body like it was on alert. Like my heart wasn't pounding in my ears so loud I could barely hear the soft ding of the elevator climbing.
And then, the next nightmare hit.
Staff. Three—no, four—people squeezed in just before the doors could close again. I took a tiny step forward, trying to make space. That's when I felt it, his hand. Warm. Firm. Gripping my wrist.
He pulled me into him.
Not just beside him.
Into. Him.
My back was against his chest, and I could feel the tension in his body, the way his breathing shifted just slightly, too subtly for anyone else to notice. The elevator was cramped now. Bodies pressed in. But I was too aware of his hand now lightly resting on my waist, like it belonged there.
My jaw clenched. My heart was in shambles.
I didn't look at him. Not once. I just stared at the elevator numbers ticking upward and prayed to God the floor I needed would come fast. But then… my phone buzzed.
I glanced down. A message.
Aaron: Are you mad at me?
I almost scoffed. Was he serious?
I locked my phone without responding.
The elevator continued its slow crawl upward, staff getting off one by one, floor after floor. His hand stayed exactly where it was, occasionally adjusting as if it had a mind of its own. I should've moved. Said something. But I just stood there, still frozen in place, like my dignity was dangling by a thread I wasn't ready to cut yet.
When my floor finally came, I stepped forward quickly, eager to escape. But before I could take another step, his arm reached around me again, this time, lower. Around my waist.
He pulled me back.
I gasped, my body stiffening as his grip tightened. We were alone now. The elevator hummed around us. My floor had come and gone.
"Aaron," I said, low and warning.
He didn't let go.
We rose in silence until the elevator stopped again, his floor.
The doors opened.
I didn't move.
He looked down at me, lips just slightly curled in amusement. Then he leaned down, voice deep and low in my ear.
"Follow me," he murmured. "That's an order, Kina."
My breath caught.
He stepped out first, not looking back. I hesitated for two full heartbeats… then stepped out after him. I hated myself a little for it.
I followed him down the quiet hallway, each step echoing too loud. My heart was racing. This felt dangerous. I was bracing for him to push me against the wall again, kiss me into silence, like last time.
But instead, he opened his office door and let me in.
The door clicked shut behind me.
I turned to face him, arms crossed. "Why am I here?"
Aaron tilted his head, eyes unreadable. Then, finally, he said it.
"You must really be mad at me."
I shouldn't have come in.
The second the door clicked shut behind me, I regretted stepping into Aaron's office. The air felt heavier in here, like it'd been waiting for me... coiled and tense, like it wanted to see what I'd do next. He leaned against the edge of his desk, arms folded, watching me with that calm, unreadable face of his. Like he always did when I was angry and pretending I wasn't.
He tilted his head. "What are you angry about this time?"
Ouch.
I flinched a little. I hated how it sounded, this time. Like I was some brat throwing tantrums over crumbs. And maybe I was. Maybe that's how I always came off to him, and the thought made my throat tighten.
"It's nothing," I said quickly, gripping my umbrella tighter. "I just… I have to clock in soon. If I'm late again, I'll get a query."
I made for the door, but he moved. Slowly. Deliberately. Blocking the exit with his tall, broad body like he had all the time in the world.
"You report to me," he said. "And I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what's wrong."
My heart was thudding now. Not because I was scared, but because I didn't want to say it. I didn't want to be the girl who got excited over jewelry shop rumors only to end up with empty hands. I didn't want him to know that I thought, hoped, maybe he had been looking at rings. For me.
God, how pathetic was that?