Chapter 8
The Way He Stared At Me
It is raining, I said.
It started as a thunder light drizzled, which was making a huge sound on the window then turned into a storm that made the city look softer, almost quieter. The office was already empty, and I had stayed behind again maybe on purpose, maybe because a part of me wanted to see him.
I was staring at the wet streets below when I heard the door open behind me.
Are u still working? Junior's voice came through the soft hum of the rain.
I didn't mind him. I didn't have to. I could already feel the way the air changed when he came closer.
Trying to, I said quietly.
He came closer. No footsteps, just presence like he had a way of filling the room without saying a word. He took off his jacket and gave it to me and I placed it on the back of a chair. For a moment, we didn't speak. The rain didn't stop and it did all the talking.
You always love the rain, he said, and it made me freeze.
That was years ago. Back when everything between us was safe. Innocent. When I was just the little girl who followed him around.
I turned to look at him, and I swear the world slowed down for a second. His hair was a little damp, a few strands falling over his forehead. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and the way he leaned against the wall looked both effortless and dangerous.
You remember that? I asked.
I remember everything about you, he said simply.
My heart skipped. I hated how easy it was for him to do that.
You shouldn't say things like that, I whispered, though I didn't sound convincing even to myself.
He took a step closer, just one, and the space between us became something alive. Then stop looking at me like that, he said softly.
I didn't even realize how I was looking at him until he said it. I took a shaky breath.
Junior
He reached out not to grab, not to pull just to brush a raindrop from my cheek. His fingers lingered a second too long, warm against my skin. And for a heartbeat, I didn't want him to move away.
The silence between us wasn't just silence anymore. It was a pulse. A rhythm.
He leaned in, just slightly. Close enough that I could feel his breath. Tell me to stop, he whispered again.
I didn't.
I couldn't.
But right before our lips could meet, a flash of thunder echoed outside, and the moment broke like glass. I stepped back, my heart racing like it was trying to escape my chest.
This is wrong, I breathed out.
His jaw tightened. He nodded, but his eyes didn't agree. Then why does it feel so right? he asked softly.
I didn't have an answer.
Because he was right. And that terrified me more than anything else.