Chapter Ten

Julian 

Julian woke to the soft morning light filtering through the hotel curtains, the distant sound of waves on Long Island Sound providing a peaceful backdrop. For a brief, disoriented moment he smiled at the luxury of the room. The king sized bed, the elegant furnishings and the magnificent view. He closed his eyes for a moment taking it all in. 

Then reality struck.

He reached for his watch and checked the time. 7:45am. The car was supposed to leave at 8. He quickly freshened up, dressed, packed his small bag and headed down the lobby. Knowing Ethan, he should be waiting already.

He got to the lobby and was surprised to not find Ethan anywhere, which was weird. He thought of going back up to his room to check on him but decided to call instead.

He reached for his phone and there was a message, one from Ethan.

He opened it.

Ethan: Early conference call with Tokyo. Taking the first car back. See you at the office. 

It was sent at 6:20am.

He read it again, dropped his phone back in his pocket and walked to the front desk clerk.

She gave him a polite smile. “Good morning Mr Hayes. The car is ready whenever you’re ready.”

Julian hummed his thanks, keeping his expression neutral.

He felt the sting immediately, a quiet, sharp pang of being left behind. Ethan had made up a flimsy excuse and slipped away without a word. After the charged conversation last night, the almost-moment in the room , the wine-fueled honesty… he had chosen to run. 

“Of course he’d chosen to run, he’s a coward”. He declared to himself. What the hell was he expecting from a man like Ethan, the thought of him being with a man is just as embarrassing and disgusting to him. The almost confession last night had felt like a big step but I guess they’re back to square one. 

“Jesus Christ, what have you been doing Julian?” He thought  to himself as he  stepped outside to wait for the car, the cool morning air brushing against his skin.

A ping from his phone disturbed his thoughts. He pulled it out and saw a new message from Richard Harrington.

Richard: Good morning, Julian. Hope you slept well. I’m heading back to the city shortly and have space in my car if you’d like a ride.

Julian stared at the message for a long moment. Richard’s charm from dinner lingered in his mind how easy the laugh and conversation was and how Richard’s interest seemed genuine. There was no   weight of an empire on his shoulders. For a second, Julian let himself imagine accepting. They’d have a normal conversation.. leading to lunch or that dinner he mentioned last night. He could see it. He sighed.

He typed a polite reply.

Julian: Thank you for the kind offer, Richard. I appreciate it, but I already have transportation arranged. Let’s keep in touch though, I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the manuscript when things settle.

He hit send and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The refusal felt right, but it also carried a quiet ache. Part of him still  wondered what it would be like to pursue something uncomplicated. Someone who could flirt openly without calculating every risk. Someone who didn’t leave him behind with a text about a fake conference call.

The car arrived, and Julian climbed in, the driver polite and silent. As they pulled away from the hotel, Julian watched the hotel disappear in the rearview mirror. The golden light of yesterday’s meeting felt far away now. Today, the sky was overcast, matching the subtle heaviness in his chest.

The drive back to New York gave him too much time to think. 

Julian leaned his head against the window, watching the highway blur past. He felt a quiet sting of rejection, even though he knew Ethan was fighting his own battle. The man was ruthless with himself. Determined to forget their night together. Determined to pretend the tension didn’t exist.  He wanted to be that way, but every session, every glance, every charged word proved how difficult it was for him to pretend.

He arrived at the Cross Media tower just after 10 a.m. The office buzzed with its usual energy, but the whispers had quieted. Sarah waved at him from the break room.

“Morning! How was the trip?”

“Productive,” Julian replied with a small smile. “The distributors are on board. Mr. Cross left early, so I took my time coming back.”

He spent the rest of the morning at his desk, refining the new pages. The work felt good — a way to process the swirl of emotions without letting them consume him, so he emailed the revisions to Ethan with a brief, professional note.

No reply came. 

He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the city. The golden light of yesterday felt like a distant memory. Today, the sky was gray, and so was the feeling in his chest, a quiet mix of longing, frustration, and determination.

He was here to work. To survive. To prove he could handle whatever this contract threw at him and that was what he should do. Why is it so hard to do just that? Work and survive. He closed his eyes.. “Work and survive,” he repeated. 

But as he closed his laptop, a knock came from his door. Lena stepped in “Mr. Cross would like to see you for a short session. His office, if you’re free.”

When he entered Ethan’s office, the early afternoon light was dimmed. Ethan stood by the windows, hands clasped behind his back, looking out at the city. The little light caught on his dark hair and the sharp lines of his suit, making him look almost ethereal for a moment, powerful, distant, and heartbreakingly beautiful.

“Mr. Hayes,” Ethan said without turning around. “Come in. Close the door.”

Julian waited for a “glad you got here safe, sorry for leaving you in a city i was  supposed to take care of my  staff, instead I shamelessly left my staff alone and ran back to my safe haven”.

But it didn’t come so he cleared his throat and said “I sent you some revisions I worked on my way back”. 

“The revisions you sent were adequate, you can focus on tightening the surrender scene in the next draft. I expect it by the end of the day”. Ethan replied,turning around and  keeping his expression neutral. 

Julian nodded, expression composed. “Understood, Mr. Cross.” He turned and left the office. 

He walked back to his office and worked for a few hours, sent out a text to maya to meet up for dinner and packed his things to prepare to leave for the day. One thought lingered:

Ethan could run. He could build walls. He could pretend the night at Velvet never happened.

But Julian knew the truth. The pull between them was real. He could feel it whenever they were together, the feeling almost real to even taste. But if he wants to pretend then Julian could pretend as well.

He stepped out into the cool evening air, the city lights beginning to sparkle around him. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to feel a small, stubborn spark of hope mixed with the angst.

He wasn’t going to chase Ethan Cross.

But he wasn’t going to pretend the connection didn’t exist either.

The game had changed.

And Julian was ready to play it on his own terms.