Chapter 8 #2
Charlie's hands stutter slightly in their stirring. "It's a good narrative," she says after a moment, her marketing director voice slipping into place. "The reformed workaholic who finally found balance through love. People eat that up, especially around the holidays."
"It's not just narrative." The words escape before I can reconsider them, hanging in the air between us.
She looks up at me, her expression cautious. "Bash...”
"I checked the booking numbers today," I say quickly, retreating to safer ground. "Ninety-two percent occupancy next week, fully booked for Christmas itself."
Relief and something like disappointment cross her features. "That's amazing. The campaign worked even better than we projected."
"Thanks to you." I lean against the counter, watching her. "Your creative concept, your execution. The investors are thrilled."
"Our execution," she corrects, ever generous with credit. "You're the one who had to legally commit to a stranger."
There it is again, that word, stranger. "You're not a stranger, Charlie."
She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Not anymore, I suppose."
I want to tell her how inadequate that description is, how she's become essential to me in ways I never anticipated. Instead, I say, "I called Sea I manage marketing accounts. We maintain a professional relationship for appearances."
"And if I don't want that?" The question emerges more vulnerable than I intended, raw with honesty.
Her eyes widen, a mixture of hope and fear filtering through her carefully composed expression. "What do you want, Bash?"
Everything, I think. I want everything with you.
"I want to tear up the contract," I tell her, stepping closer. "I want to throw out the timeline, the exit clauses, all of it."
"Why?" The word is barely a whisper, as if she's afraid to give it voice.
"Because I'm in love with you."
The confession hangs in the air between us, terrifying in its simplicity. No careful phrasing, no strategic qualifiers. Just the unvarnished truth I've been avoiding for weeks.
Charlie stares at me, shock evident in her expression. "You, what?"