Chapter 10 #2
Inside, James went to shrug off his coat, his movements stiff as he fought to keep his emotions in check. The words were burning in his throat, demanding to be let out, but he couldn’t let himself say them. Not yet. Not without a chance to cool off.
“That went well, don’t you think?” Her voice cut through the quiet—light and hopeful.
James froze for a moment, his back to her, before turning just enough to glance at her. He forced a tight smile.
“Sure,” he said, his tone clipped and bitter. “He’s… enthusiastic.”
Evie’s smile faltered, her brows drawing together as she caught the edge in his voice. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice soft but steady.
“Nothing,” James said shortly, moving toward the hallway that led to his room. He needed space before he said something he couldn’t take back.
“James.” Her voice stopped him in his tracks, firm and insistent. He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly before he turned to face her.
“Clearly, something is,” she pressed, her eyes searching his own.
James hesitated, his jaw tightening as he ran a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he said finally, his voice low. “You want to know what’s wrong? I don’t like him.”
Evie blinked, her confusion evident. “What? Antoine? What do you mean you don’t like him?”
“I mean, I don’t trust him,” James snapped, his frustration spilling over. “I don’t like the way he looks at you; the way he talks to you. I don’t want you to take this role.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief, her arms falling to her sides.
“What?” she said, her voice incredulous. “James, this is an incredible opportunity!”
“Yes, and I don’t want you to take it,” he repeated, his tone firm but laced with something more vulnerable beneath the surface. “You should. You will. But I don't want you to.”
“But why?” she called out in frustration.
“Because he is hitting on you!” he exclaimed before he could put a filter between his mind and his mouth.
Evie shook her head again, her confusion giving way to frustration.
“He was only being nice, James,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with exasperation. “That’s all it was. And he was being honest, which—” She stopped herself, her breath catching as James’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening.
“That’s exactly it,” James said, his voice breaking with a note of defeat. He ran a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumping slightly. “He was being honest. Which is more than I can be with you.”
Evie’s eyes widened, her heart pounding as his words hung in the air.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked, her voice quieter now, laced with uncertainty.
James let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he avoided her gaze.
“I mean that I hate it, Evie. I hate that I can’t be honest with you. That I can’t just say what I want to say or do what I want to do without all of this—this mess between us.” He gestured vaguely, his frustration spilling over.
“I hate it the most because I’m not him. Because I can’t be as simple as a nice compliment or a charming smile. With me, it’s always complicated. Always tangled up in things it shouldn’t be.”
Evie’s breath hitched, her chest tightening as she tried to make sense of his words. “James…” she started, but he cut her off.
“No,” he said, his voice softer now, almost resigned.
“That’s what I hate the most, Evie. That I can’t just tell you how much I want to be the one who lights you up, who makes you laugh like that.
That I want to be the one who looks at you like you’re the most incredible person in the room—because you are. ”
The raw vulnerability in his voice made her heart twist, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words. The tension between them was heavy, crackling like static in the air. She had never seen James like this, so unguarded, so exposed, and it left her reeling.
He let out a shaky breath, his gaze finally meeting hers, filled with a mix of frustration and longing.
“And the worst part is, no matter how much I want to say it, no matter how much I want you to know, I don’t think it would make a difference.” He shook his head again, his voice breaking. “Because I’m too complicated. I am a fake. I am a contract. A lie.”
The room fell silent again, the weight of his confession settling between them like a fragile thread, threatening to snap at any moment. Evie stared at him, her lips parted but no words coming out, her mind spinning with everything he’d just said. Everything he’d just admitted.
His breath was ragged. His chest felt heavy and light at the same time. His mind was clouded by confusion but also by the first rays of sanity. He was a complicated mess, and Evie was his only solution.
James let out a harsh breath, his shoulders slumping as he raked a hand through his hair.
“Forget it,” he said, his voice low and full of frustration. He turned abruptly, heading for the door, every step filled with the weight of his emotions.
“No,” Evie said firmly, her voice cutting through the tense silence. He froze mid-step but didn’t turn around. “You can’t say all this and just walk away.”
James exhaled sharply, his back still to her. He stood there for a moment, motionless, before slowly turning around. His jaw was tight, his eyes blazing with a mixture of anger, vulnerability, and something else—something raw and unguarded.
“Then what do you want me to do, Evie?” he demanded, his voice rough, almost desperate. “Tell me. What do you want from me?”
“Be honest,” she said simply, her voice steady but soft, her gaze steady on him.
James blinked, the words hitting him like a challenge.
For a moment, he looked torn, his jaw clenching as he stared at her.
It was as if he were fighting two equally powerful forces inside him—the part of him that wanted to stay guarded and the part that wanted to let everything out, consequences be damned.
Finally, he let out a defeated sigh, his eyes dropping to the floor before meeting hers again. “Fine,” he said, his voice quieter now, filled with a mixture of frustration and surrender. “You want honesty?”
He paused, his throat working as he swallowed hard. “I like you, Evie. Hell, I might even be falling in love with you,” he admitted, the words tumbling out like they had been trapped for too long. “And I have no damn idea what to do about it.”
The confession hung in the air, raw and unfiltered. His hands fell to his sides, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the truth had finally broken him. He looked at her like a man who had been defeated, his usual confidence stripped away, leaving only the vulnerable, unguarded truth.
Evie’s breath caught, her chest tightening as she stared at him. The air between them felt heavy, charged with emotions, she wasn’t sure how to process.
For the first time, he was showing her James—not the guarded, confident man she had known, but someone real, someone who was baring his soul to her in a way that left her completely unmoored.
And in that moment, he realized nothing between them would ever be the same.
James stood there, her words still hanging in the air like a challenge, his heart pounding in his chest. He blinked, trying to process what she had just said.
“Take me on a date,” Evie said, her voice calm but insistent.
His brow furrowed, his lips parting in disbelief. “What?”
“I said, take me on a date,” she repeated again, this time with more certainty.
She stepped closer, her gaze steady and unwavering.
“Make it special. See me for me. Let me see you for you. No pictures, no drama, no acting. Just us.” She paused, her tone softening but her resolve clear.
“Let’s see if there’s anything real here. ”
James’s throat tightened, his mind spinning as he tried to find the right words. “But…” he started, his voice faltering, his usual confidence replaced by uncertainty.
Evie held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “No buts,” she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. “I’ll be ready tomorrow at seven. Take me somewhere nice.”
Before he could respond, before he could argue or question her, she turned on her heel and walked toward her room. The faint click of the door shutting behind her echoed in the silence, leaving James standing alone in the middle of the hallway, his hands still hanging loosely at his sides.
*****
Evie stood in front of the mirror, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric of her dress.
The deep green complimented her skin, hugging her figure just enough to feel elegant but not overdone.
Her hair was styled in loose waves, framing her face, and she’d kept her makeup simple, just a touch of gloss on her lips and a hint of shimmer on her eyes.
She took a deep breath, her reflection staring back at her, the same mix of nerves and excitement swirling in her chest. Was this a good idea? She wasn’t sure.
The boundaries between her and James had already blurred so much, and now, with this date, it felt like they were crossing into uncharted territory. But at the same time, a giddy kind of anticipation bubbled in her stomach, making her feel like a teenager preparing for her first date.
Evie shook her head, brushing away the doubts as she grabbed her purse and slipped on her heels. Whatever happens, happens, she thought, determined to enjoy the night for what it was.
She stepped out into the hallway, her footsteps light as she made her way to the living room. James was already there, standing near the couch with his hands in his pockets. He looked up as she entered, and for a moment, he froze.
He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark slacks that fit him perfectly, casual but still polished. His hair was slightly tousled, and he looked… devastatingly handsome.
Evie’s breath caught, her nerves intensifying as his gaze swept over her.
“You look…” He paused, his voice quieter now, his usual composure slipping. “Incredible.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, her cheeks flushing. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”