✧･Chapter 33 Youre Ridiculous #2
Close enough that I can feel her breath. Close enough that my brain completely short-circuits.
"I bet you've been staring at those flowers for a while," she murmurs softly.
"I have not-"
She doesn't let me finish before her lips press against mine, and that's all it takes. My hand tightens slightly against the arm of the chair, my breath catching as she pulls back just enough to look at me.
My thoughts are gone.
"You were saying?" she asks quietly.
I stare at her. "I-" I start, then stop, because I genuinely have no idea what I was about to argue.
Mae's mouth curves just slightly, like she knows exactly what she just did. "Come on, Claire," she says, softer now. "Let me take you out."
I exhale slowly, shaking my head like I can somehow recover from that.
"You can't just," I gesture vaguely between us. "do that and expect me to just leave."
"Seems like it worked."
"It didn't work."
"It did."
"It didn't," I repeat, weaker this time.
She just waits, doesn't push, but she doesn't move away either. She just stands there, close enough that I can still feel it.
The kiss, and the way it completely unraveled whatever argument I had.
I glance at the roses, then back at her and that's my mistake. Because she's looking at me like she already knows.
I let out a quiet breath, reaching for my bag.
"One hour," I say, standing.
Her smile is immediate and bright. "We'll see."
I point at her. "No. Not 'we'll see.' One hour."
"Okay," she agrees easily.
I step around her, trying to regain some sense of control.
"You're a problem."
"And you're still coming with me."
I pause for half a second, then shake my head, a small, helpless smile slipping through. "Unbelievable."
Mae just reaches for my hand like it's the most natural thing in the world. "Come on, Claire."
Mae doesn't let go of my hand.
Not when we step out of my office. Not when we walk down the hallway toward the elevators. Not even when I glance over at her like I'm expecting her to suddenly realize what she's doing and pull away.
She doesn't.
She just walks beside me, fingers laced with mine like it's the most natural thing in the world.
We round the corner toward Amy's desk, and I immediately notice the way her eyes flick down to our hands before slowly moving back up to my face. She doesn't even try to hide the amused smile that spreads across her lips.
"Amy," I say, trying to sound annoyed instead of completely caught off guard, "I thought I told you to tell everyone I was unavailable."
Amy leans back in her chair, glancing between me and Mae.
"She's not everyone, though, is she?"
I stare at her for a moment, completely unimpressed.
"Amy."
"What?" She says innocently. "I'm just saying."
Mae's hand squeezes mine slightly, and when I look over at her, she's trying very hard not to laugh.
Traitor.
"I'm leaving," I say, pointing at Amy as I start walking away. "And I expect you to forget everything you just saw."
Amy grins. "That's not happening."
I roll my eyes, but there's no real irritation behind it as Mae and I continue toward the elevators.
The doors open, and we step inside, the quiet hum of the elevator filling the space between us. I look down at our hands again, unable to stop myself.
She's still holding mine.
I don't know why that surprises me so much. Mae isn't acting like she's afraid.
She isn't looking around to see who might notice. She isn't hesitating. She's just holding my hand.
And somehow, that means more than she'll probably ever understand.
"You're very confident today," I say quietly, looking up at her.
Mae glances over with a small smile as the elevator doors open, and we step into the lobby, still holding hands as we walk outside. The evening air hits us, cooler than I expected, but Mae doesn't release me as we head toward her car.
She doesn't let go when we cross the sidewalk.
She doesn't let go when she unlocks the car. She doesn't let go until she has to, and even then, it's only because she needs her other hand to open the passenger door for me.
I watch her for a second longer than I probably should.
"You know," I say, leaning against the open door, "you realize you've been holding my hand this entire time."
Mae looks at me, completely serious. "Yes."
I raise an eyebrow. "That's it?"
A small smile appears on her face. "What else am I supposed to say?"
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, because the truth is, I don't know. I don't know what I expected her to say.
Maybe I expected her to joke. Maybe I expected her to make it feel like no big deal. But she doesn't, she just looks at me like holding my hand is exactly where she wants to be.
And that does something to me, something I'm still learning how to accept.
"You're ridiculous," I finally say.
Mae smiles. "You like me."
"Unfortunately."
She laughs, and I hate how much I love that sound.
I get into the passenger seat, still watching her as she walks around the front of the car, and as I close the door, I look down at my hand.
The same hand she held all the way from my office.
It's such a small thing, really.
Something most people probably wouldn't even notice. But to me?
It's everything.
Because Mae isn't hiding anymore.