New love interest

The engine hummed softly beneath them, the warm yellow glow of the city lights weaving across the windshield as they glided down the near-empty road. The once-lively atmosphere of the restaurant had faded behind them, replaced by a thick silence that clung to the air like fog.

June sat in the passenger seat, staring quietly out of the window, her fingers playing with the hem of Xander’s jacket still wrapped around her shoulders. Her mind was spinning, replaying the night in fragments Larry’s smirk, Audrey’s glares, the pain she tried so hard to conceal, and then…

Xander.

That unexpected moment. That kiss. That lie she had willingly leaned into—desperate for dignity, for escape, for revenge.

He hadn’t said much since they got into the car. Neither had she. Both were wrapped in the tension of strangers pretending not to be strangers.

But June couldn’t take it anymore.

She cleared her throat gently and glanced sideways at him.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft but sincere. “For that… for what you did back there.”

Xander smiled slightly, eyes still on the road. “You’re welcome.”

“But…” She turned her body a little, facing him. “How did you even manage to do that? I mean… I don’t even know you. You just appeared and helped me like you’d been waiting to.”

There was a pause, then Xander laughed under his breath, a warm, deep sound.

“Well,” he said, glancing briefly at her before turning back to the road, “you don’t know me, but I know you, June.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I’ve seen you before,” he continued. “I work across from your firm. I’ve seen you come out of the building a few times. Always so focused. Confident. But tonight… when I saw you sitting there, cornered like that, something in me just told me I needed to step in. I wasn’t planning to. I was just having dinner at the bar section and… I don’t know, instinct kicked in.”

June blinked, trying to process that. “So, you’ve been… watching me?”

“Not in a creepy way,” Xander said quickly, holding up a hand in defense. “Just… noticing. Admiring, maybe.”

She looked down at her lap, cheeks warming. She hated how quickly he could fluster her with simple honesty. And the worst part was she liked it.

“I never knew you could act,” he added playfully, shooting her another sideways glance.

June rolled her eyes, but her lips curled into a smile. “I didn’t know I could either.”

They both laughed quietly, the tension beginning to loosen like a knot being slowly untied.

But then her smile faded as a memory of the kiss rushed back into her mind. The way his lips felt—firm, gentle, patient. Like he was kissing someone he actually cared for. She hadn’t felt that in so long. Not even with Larry. Not really.

Her cheeks flushed again, and she tried to turn away slightly, but Xander noticed.

“You’re blushing,” he teased lightly.

“No, I’m not,” she said, flustered.

“You are,” he said, chuckling. “I must’ve left quite the impression.”

June turned back toward him, crossing her arms. “So what? You think because we shared a kiss I’m that easy to get, huh, Mr. Xander?”

Her voice was sharp, a defensive blade laced with pride. She hadn’t meant to sound so angry, but she had to protect herself. She couldn’t afford to let another man charm his way into her life with a smile and a clever lie.

Xander’s smile faded. His face grew serious, his tone dropping into something sincere.

“I’m sorry, June. I didn’t mean it that way at all.”

She looked at him, searching for any sign of mockery or hidden motive but found none.

“I don’t see you as weak. Or easy. Or anything like that,” he continued gently. “I just… I saw someone trying so hard to stay strong in a moment that would’ve broken anyone. And I admired that. Genuinely.”

He paused, then added, “I meant every word I said during dinner. It might’ve been an act, sure, but the words were real. I would’ve said them in any setting. Because you deserve to be seen, June. Not just… pitied or tolerated. Seen.”

June sat back, heart unexpectedly stirred.

No one had said that to her in years.

Not Larry. Not even herself.

She turned back toward the window, hiding the shimmer building in her eyes.

“I’m sorry too,” she said quietly after a moment. “I just… I’m not used to kindness. Not from men. Not lately.”

Xander glanced at her again, the softness in his expression unwavering. “Then maybe it’s time you get used to it.”

The silence that followed was no longer uncomfortable. It was thoughtful. Healing. The city lights stretched out ahead of them, painting the road in gold and silver.

And in that quiet drive, something unfamiliar began to form between them not quite love, not yet. But the fragile beginning of possibility.