30: Common ground

I left the estate without answering his question and it haunted me all day and even when we saw each other at the parlour a day after, I couldn’t hold his gaze. A part of me wished I knew what we were because, from what I knew, we were partners who couldn’t maintain a formal relationship. I blamed it on our attraction to each other, which had gotten beyond our control.

It first started carnally, but it was turning into more. I wanted more and I could see in his eyes that he did too and so I understand why being placed in the same box as everyone else would hurt him.

He had ignored me in the parlour since I came in and there was a time when that would have done nothing to me, but not anymore. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know what to say and also didn’t know if he’d want to hear it.

I stood at the corner and as I saw him enter his office; I followed. I slipped into the room and closed the door. He was reading through the scroll in his hand, but he looked at me when he heard