Chapter Nine- Lines Begin To Blur

Liora’s POV

His words kept echoing in my head:

‘I don’t like reminding people twice what’s mine.’

I couldn’t stop thinking about it, those words. What did he actually mean by them?

We finally got to meet the Forsters for a quick meeting. The Forsters were old money, as I’ve heard, and quite condescending too.

‘We expected Mr Carvers,’ one of them noted as we shook hands, ‘not his wife.’

I smiled and ignored the comment, and so did Sebastian. The meeting went smoothly, with Sebastian giving me more than enough room to answer their questions. I tried to act confident, despite the nervousness eating me up.

Even my humming didn’t help.

After everything was settled, we headed out. Sebastian stepped in front of me, making me pause in my movements.

‘Your tone was soft,’ he said as he looked at me, ‘too soft; you’d need to work on that. Also, level up your confidence. You were shaking like a hairless chicken in winter.’

I bowed my head slightly, not knowing what to say.

‘But you didn’t embarrass me,’ he added in a softer tone.

I looked up and realized he was closer than before. His dark eyes stared unblinking, and I couldn’t help but stare back.

‘Excuse me,’ someone coughed behind us.

We both had to move on to make way for the person as we were obstructing the entrance.

I couldn’t sleep that night. The house was silent when I padded into the kitchen, the marbles felt cold beneath my bare feet. I was halfway through pouring a glass of water when I heard a sound behind me.

I turned to see that Sebastian was sitting quietly by the island cradling a mug in his hands. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal his well-built biceps, and his hair was messy, like he had rolled out of bed. I forced myself not to look too much.

‘You’re awake,’ he didn’t sound surprised.

‘So are you,’ I pointed out.

He shrugged. ‘I couldn’t sleep. Do you always work this hard?’

‘Only when I’m afraid,’ I replied.

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t mock me.

‘You’ll find that fear can be a good motivation,’ his lips curved slightly.

Our gazes locked and for a moment, it felt like we weren’t enemies. Just two people awake in the dark.

‘Goodnight,’ I turned and walked away with my glass of water.

It rained heavily the next morning, and we had to head off to work late. Thunderclaps and lightning graced the grey sky, making goosebumps appear on my skin. I didn’t want to show it as we drove in the rain, but I still felt jumpy.

Rain streaked down the windshield as we waited by a red light.

‘You hum when you’re nervous,’ Sebastian said suddenly, not looking at me.

‘I do not,’ I tapped my knees.

‘You did in the Forster meeting.’

Heat crept up my neck. ‘Were you watching me so close?’

He didn’t reply, and we drove in silence.

The weather was really cold, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I really wished I hadn’t worn this light chiffon dress, which did nothing to keep me warm.

I was shivering in my office when the door opened and Sebastian walked in, carrying two cups of coffee.

‘Care for some coffee?’ He sat down, setting the two cups on the table.

‘Sure,’ I moved my chair closer, grateful for the steamy cups of coffee.

I reached for the cup at the same time he did.

Our fingers brushed, and I hung my hand in mid-air.

‘Careful,’ he said as he slid the cup towards me.

Did he feel what I felt too?

‘You didn’t poison it, did you?’ I chuckled.

‘Not yet,’ he mumbled.

I took a sip. It was exactly how I liked it.

‘I need you to work late with me tonight,’ he said to me. ‘There’s a lot I need to clear before a deadline and it’d need more than one hand.’

‘Okay,’ I agreed. As far as my father’s company was concerned, I wouldn’t hesitate.

‘And here,’ he took off his jacket and tossed it to me, ‘I don’t want you coming down with pneumonia or something.’

Surprised, I accepted the jacket reluctantly before he left.

Evening came faster than I expected, and soon, I found myself in the office with Sebastian, going through reports and setting up some profiles on his computer.

I accidentally spilled some documents on the floor and I bent down to collect them.

‘I’m sorry,’ I made to arrange the folders on the tabel but he cut me short.

‘Don’t,’ he said simply, his fingers brushing mine as he took the documents.

It was the second time our fingers were touching and the feeling was still the same as the first.

Pulsating.

‘You came here to learn and help,’ he glanced at the computer screen, his expression unreadable. ‘This is it.’

I hesitated, then slowly sat back down. He pulled a chair and sat across from me, so close that our knees were practically touching under the desk.

‘What are you stuck on?’ He took the pen from my hand without asking.

I explained it to him, and all the while his attention never swayed from me.

The way he spoke- steady and precise- was really different from the sharp man who barked orders in the boardroom, or the one who looked at me in scorn when I had first arrived in his house. There was no mockery or cruelty in his voice.

Just focus, on me.

I found myself listening closely, watching the way his fingers moved and how the crease between his forehead deepened when he concentrated hard.

Hours slipped by without me noticing. The building grew quieter and the lights outside dimmed. I nodded slowly, committing every word to memory.

‘You’re thinking too much,’ Sebastian said suddenly.

I blinked. ‘What?’

‘Your eyes do that thing,’ he tapped his temple slightly. ‘You spiral.’

I hadn’t realized he was watching me that closely.

‘I don’t spiral,’ I muttered.

‘You do,’ he countered. ‘But you don’t break. That’s the difference.’

The words settled heavily between us. I didn’t know if that was a compliment or…?

I stood to stretch, my hand brushing his shoulders as I moved past him to the window. The contact was brief but my breath caught anyway, and I felt him stiffen.

When I turned back, he was standing too; closer than I expected. His eyes were darker, staring with that same unreadable expression.

‘Liora,’ his voice was lower.

I looked up at him fully.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The office felt impossibly small. His gaze dropped to my lips, just for a second but it was enough.

His hand lifted; I felt it before it touched me. His fingers hovered above my wrist, and heat radiated without contact. My pulse thundered so loud I was sure he could hear it.

I didn’t move, and neither did he. Then his jaw tightened and his hand dropped, with him stepping back abruptly.

‘Go home,’ his tone changed back to being cold. ‘We’re done for the day.’

I swallowed and nodded, even though my legs felt weak.

I reached the door when his voice came again, quieter this time.

‘This doesn’t change anything,’ he said.

But as I stepped into the hallway, one thought lodged itself in my chest:

Sebastian was wrong. So many things had changed.