Work wasn't the problem.
It should have been.
There were deadlines. Files. Meetings stacked one after another.
But none of that was what his mind stayed on.
It kept going back to her.
Bosco leaned back in his chair, eyes briefly closing.
And then—
That moment replayed.
Not the argument.
Not the tension.
The kiss.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Not because he regretted it.
But because he didn't understand it.
Why did I do that?
He wasn't impulsive.
Never had been.
He didn't act without thinking.
Didn't let emotions take over decisions.
But yesterday—
That wasn't control.
That wasn't logic.
That was something else entirely.
A quiet knock broke his thoughts.
He opened his eyes.
"Come in."
The door opened.
And there she was.
Riyana.
For a second—
He forgot what he was about to say.
She stepped in, holding a file, her expression calm.
Too calm.
Like nothing had happened.
Like that hadn't happened.
"Sir, the revised report."
That word again.
His eyes stayed on her a moment longer than necessary.
Then he straightened slightly.
"Keep it."
She walked forward.
And that's when he noticed it.
The way she moved.
It wasn't something he had paid attention to before.
Not consciously.
But now—
Now it was there.
Clear.
Measured steps.
Confident.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
Just… steady.
She placed the file on the desk and stepped back.
Maintaining distance.
Always that distance now.
"Anything else?" she asked.
Bosco should've answered immediately.
Should've said no.
Should've moved on.
But instead—
His gaze stayed.
On her face.
He had seen it a hundred times before.
Every day.
Nothing new.
Nothing different.
And yet—
Now it felt like he was seeing it properly for the first time.
The way her expression stayed controlled even when she was uncomfortable.
The slight tension in her jaw when she was holding something back.
The way her eyes avoided his… but only for a second before steadying again.
And then—
Without meaning to—
His gaze shifted.
To her lips.
He stilled.
Because that—
That was new.
He hadn't noticed them like this before.
Not like this.
Not with the memory of yesterday still fresh.
The way they had felt—
The thought cut off immediately.
He looked away.
Too late.
Because now—
He had already noticed.
And it wasn't something he could ignore.
"Sir?"
Her voice pulled him back.
Bosco cleared his throat slightly, forcing his focus back.
"No. That's all."
She nodded once.
Turned.
And walked out.
Again—
His eyes followed.
Not intentionally.
Just… automatically.
The same steady walk.
The same quiet confidence.
The same distance.
The door closed behind her.
And the room felt—
Different.
Bosco exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"This is not normal."
It wasn't.
Not the way he was noticing things now.
Not the way his attention kept shifting back to her.
Not the way his mind refused to move past it.
It wasn't just the kiss.
That would've been easier to explain.
This—
This was awareness.
Unwanted.
Unplanned.
Persistent.
He picked up the file she had brought.
Opened it.
Tried to focus.
Didn't work.
His thoughts drifted again.
To the way she had looked when she pushed him away.
Confused.
Angry.
Shaken.
And then—
To the way she looked today.
Controlled.
Distant.
Untouchable.
His grip on the file tightened slightly.
She meant it.
Don't do that again.
A part of him understood why.
Clearly.
And yet—
Another part of him—
Didn't like it.
Didn't like the distance.
Didn't like the way she had shut everything down.
Didn't like the way she was acting like nothing existed between them.
Because something did.
He had felt it.
Clearly.
And now—
Ignoring it didn't make it disappear.
It just made it louder.
Across the office, he caught sight of her again.
She was at her desk.
Focused.
Working.
Like always.
But now—
Every small detail stood out.
The way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear when it fell forward.
The way her fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.
The slight pause when she thought about something before continuing.
Nothing new.
Nothing unusual.
And yet—
He noticed everything.
Too much.
His gaze lingered for a second too long.
Then he looked away again.
"This is getting out of hand."
But even as he said it—
He knew.
It wasn't going to stop that easily.
Because this wasn't just about what happened yesterday.
It was about what changed after it.
Him.
And the way he looked at her now.
Not just as someone who worked under him.
Not just as someone who challenged him.
But as someone he was starting to see.
And that—
That was far more dangerous than the kiss itself.
Because a kiss could be ignored.
Explained.
Pushed aside.
But this?
This quiet, constant awareness—
That was harder to control.
And for the first time in a long time—
Bosco wasn't entirely sure he wanted to.