🖤
Cassy regretted it the second the word left her mouth.
Caleb. Not "sir." Not "Mr. Garcia." Just… him.
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything she'd experienced in that office before.
But what shocked her more— Was that he didn't correct her.
—
Caleb stood still. Completely still. Like the world had paused and only he remained aware of it. His expression didn't change right away. But something in his eyes did. A shift. Small. Dangerous.
—
"You just said my name," he said finally.
Cassy swallowed lightly. "I did." A pause. Then she added softly: "I'm sorry if that was inappropriate."
That made him look at her. Really look. Not as a secretary. Not as an employee. But as Cassy.
—
"Don't apologize," he said quietly.
That surprised her. "…I thought you preferred formality."
"I do," he replied. Then a beat. "But not with you."
Silence. The air felt different again. Closer. Heavier. More personal.
—
Cassy's fingers tightened slightly around her tablet. "Why me?" she asked before she could stop herself.
That question again. Always that question.
Caleb didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer. Slow. Measured. Until the distance between them felt almost nonexistent.
—
"You keep asking that," he said quietly.
Cassy didn't move back. "I don't understand it," she admitted.
Caleb studied her for a long moment. Then— "I don't either," he said.
And that honesty hit differently. Because Caleb Garcia didn't admit uncertainty. Ever.
—
Cassy looked down for a second. Then back up. "…Does it bother you?" she asked softly.
A pause. "Yes," he said immediately. Then, quieter: "And no."
That contradiction hung in the air.
—
Cassy blinked slightly. "That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to," he replied. A beat. Then— "Not everything around you does."
Silence.
—
Cassy felt her chest tighten slightly—but not from fear. From awareness. Of him. Of the space. Of the way he was looking at her like she was something he couldn't categorize.
—
"I should go," she said softly. But she didn't move immediately. Neither did he.
—
Caleb finally stepped back first. A controlled withdrawal. "Finish your work," he said.
Cassy nodded. "Yes… Caleb."
He paused again. Just briefly. Then turned away.
—
But the moment she said his name again— It didn't feel like a mistake anymore. It felt like a choice. And that was worse. Or better. Neither of them could tell yet.
—
Later that night, Cassy stayed late again. Not because she needed to. But because she couldn't stop thinking.
About the way he said: Not with you.
About the way he didn't correct her. About the way he looked at her like she mattered in a way that didn't fit his world.
—
Inside his office, Caleb was still working. Or pretending to.
Because every few minutes— His gaze drifted toward her desk. Empty for now. But still somehow present in his mind.
—
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "This shouldn't be happening," he muttered.
But for the first time… He didn't sound convinced.
Because somewhere between silence and names— Something had already begun.
And neither of them had stopped it.