Mr Competent

Morning light poured through the high windows in pale, liquid streaks. Thea stirred, her hand reaching across the bed only to find it empty. Her eyes fluttered open , it was really empty.

Even though she couldn't recall, she knew she had slept with Seth right next to her, his arms wrapped protectively around her until she drifted off to sleep.

What the hell even happened to begin with? Why couldn't she even recall what happened last night? Her head ached mildly, forcing her to shut her eyes for a minute to gather her thoughts.

She drank, that's for sure. That has to be the only reason why her head ached and her breath smelt like crap.

She rolled onto her back, eyes still shut in sleep. Her headache was going nowhere that's for sure.

A shadow moved at the far end of the room. She propped herself up on an elbow.

Seth stood by the window, his back to her, one hand braced against the glass. He wore only black joggers that hung low on his hips. The dawn light traced the lines of his shoulders and the muscles of his back and Thea found herself gawking. His head was slightly bowed as if he were listening to something far away.

She stayed very still, watching. She’d seen him like this a dozen times now, in suits, in shirts… but this…there was just something different about seeing him like this.

Her toes curled, eyes narrowing on him slowly.

Her eyes followed the slow movement of his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest. She didn’t realise she was staring until he spoke without turning.

“Enjoying the view?” His voice carried the lazy edge of a smile.

Heat rose in her cheeks. “I wasn't staring at you...”

He turned then, leaning one shoulder against the window frame. The morning light caught his face, softening the hard lines. “You can stare if you want,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, suddenly conscious of the silk strap of her nightdress slipping down her arm. “You're up early..”

“Old habit,” he said. “I run at dawn when I can. Clears my head.” His eyes moved over her, taking in the way she sat in the tangled sheets. “You okay?”

Then it came crashing in, memories from last night. Thea blinked , what the hell was she thinking? Telling him all that yesterday?!

“Yeah.” She hesitated. “Thank you. For last night.”

He walked toward the bed, slow unhurried steps on the polished floor. “I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“You listened.”

He stopped beside the bed, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Then you’re welcome.”

There was a chair at the foot of the bed but instead he lowered himself onto the small couch next to it, elbows on his knees. Up close she could see the faint bruise of sleeplessness under his eyes.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said.

“About me?” Thea teased.

“Yes” he said without thought. “Its not easy to get you out of my thoughts to be honest.”

Thea blushed.

“About what you told me.” He leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs. “About Posy. About Balmero. About….everything.”

She pulled the sheet closer around her, suddenly wary. “I shouldn’t have dumped it all on you.”

“I’m glad you did.” His tone left no room for doubt. “It gives me a chance to be honest too.”

She tilted her head, waiting.

“You’re not a monster, Thea.” He said it simply, as though it were a fact he’d checked and confirmed. “You’re fighting for your reputation, for your life’s work. That’s survival.”

Her throat tightened. “That’s not how it feels.”

“Because they’ve taught you to think of yourself as guilty,” he said. “They shamed you, humiliated you, then built a story that kept you quiet. You’re allowed to fight back.”

She stared at him, the words sinking in like warm water after a long cold day. No one had ever framed it that way for her.

Seth held her gaze. “And I want to help.”

Thea’s fingers knotted in the sheet. “Help me?”

“Yes.” He leaned back, stretching one arm along the back of the couch. “You’re going up against people who have the media on their side. The story is very much in their favour to be honest. You shouldn’t have to do that alone.”

“I’ve been doing it alone since the start.”

“And it’s eaten you alive.” His voice stayed calm but there was steel under it. “You don’t have to keep doing it that way.”

She shook her head. “This isn’t your fight, Seth. You don’t owe me anything.”

A flicker of something… hurt? amusement?... passed over his face. Thea almost reached out to him, to tell him that wasn't what she meant..

“I know I don’t. That’s why I’m offering. Not out of obligation. Because I choose to.”

She looked down at her hands. “You have your own reputation to protect. Aligning yourself with me could destroy that.”

“I can handle my reputation.” His mouth curved, a shadow of the ruthless man the city knew. “Besides, it’s already aligned. You’re my wife, Thea, whether the papers believe it or not.”

Her chest squeezed. “Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He reached out instead and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, fingers barely grazing her skin. The intimacy of the gesture startled her more than a kiss would have.

“Because I don’t like watching you bleed alone,” he said finally. “When you told me everything last night I realised how much you’ve been carrying and how wrong it is that no one helped you.”

Silence filled the room. Thea’s heartbeat drummed in her ears. She had braced herself for some business related question or some self-serving explanation. She hadn’t braced for this.

“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

“Say you’ll let me help.”

She looked at him. “What would that even look like?”

“Whatever you need,” he said. “Legal support. Media control. Digging for the truth behind Posy’s scheme. Protecting you while you walk into that wedding as her maid of honour.” His eyes darkened slightly. “Making sure she can’t touch you again.”

A shiver ran through her, he didn't say he would hurt Posy if she dared to hurt her but the look in her eyes told her more than she needed to know..

“That sounds….serious.”

“It is,” he admitted. “But so is standing alone while they close in.”

She turned her face toward the window, watching a pale ray of sun creep across the carpet. Part of her wanted to say yes immediately, to hand over the weight she’d been carrying for months.

Another part feared what accepting would cost more than she bargained for.

He didn’t push. He just sat there, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body through the cool morning air.

“I don’t want to become like them,” she said softly.

“You won’t,” he replied. “Not while you remember why you’re fighting. And you’re not alone. That makes a difference.”

Her eyes stung. She hadn’t realised until this moment how tired she was of being alone in every room, every meeting she's had with Posy alone, every plan.

She met his gaze again. “You really think I’m worth all this trouble?”

He gave a small, almost boyish smile. “I already decided that.”

Her lips parted but no words came out. She looked down at the sheet, at the tremor in her own hands.

Seth shifted from the couch to sit on the edge of the bed, close but not crowding her. “Take your time,” he said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

For a long moment she just listened to the city waking outside; the faint honk of traffic, the whisper of tires on wet streets. In here the air was warm and still.

Finally she drew a slow breath and lifted her chin. Her eyes met his, searching for a trap and finding nothing but a desperate need to help her in his eyes.

“I don’t know how this ends,” she murmured.

“Neither do I,” he said. “You’re not losing. That I can assure you.”

She let out a shaky laugh. “You sound so sure.”

“Because I am certain.” His voice softened. “You’re not alone anymore.”

Something in her chest loosened. She reached up and touched his wrist where it rested on the bed, a tentative contact. He turned his hand to lace his fingers lightly with hers.

Thea gave a small, deliberate nod. Seth sighed in relief. She was more than willing to include him in her plan.

He squeezed her hand as he leaned in close to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you.”