Not Mine to Chase
The flight home was cold and quiet.
Kelvin and Lillian spoke only when necessary-short, clipped exchanges wrapped in professionalism. No tension on the surface. No warmth either. Sharon noticed, of course, but she kept her head down. She always did.
When they landed, Kelvin dismissed them with a single sentence.
“Rest,” he said. “We resume Monday.”
Monday came.
Sharon returned to the office to the familiar hum of work-screens lighting up, fingers tapping keys, the comfort of routine. She told herself everything was normal.
Kelvin didn’t come in.
Not on Monday. Not on Tuesday. Not the week after.
Two months passed.
She never saw him.
At first, she brushed it off. He was the CEO. He traveled. He disappeared for stretches all the time.
But eventually, the truth settled quietly in her chest.
Whatever she was beginning to feel for him was one sided.
And for Kelvin. He had noticed the shift, the subtle closeness, and stepped back before it became something else.
That was what leaders did.
But Lillian’s words followed him-uninvited, persistent.
You notice her. You treat her differently.
He hadn’t argued because he was offended. He’d argued because the thought unsettled him.
Now, alone in his office weeks later, he replayed moments he had dismissed at the time.
The way he lingered when Sharon spoke. How he listened-really listened-without checking his phone. How easily conversation flowed with her, unguarded, uncalculated. How she asked questions no one else dared to-not to impress him, not to flatter him, but because she was genuinely curious.
She wasn’t chasing his attention. She wasn’t trying to be seen.
And somehow, that was exactly why he saw her.
He leaned back in his chair, jaw tightening.
Too close, Kelvin. Much too close.
He hadn’t touched her. Hadn’t crossed a clear line. But boundaries weren’t only physical. They were emotional. Subtle. Dangerous when ignored.
Avoiding her had seemed like the safest option.
Instead, it had made her presence louder in his absence.
She was special, there was no doubt about that.
***
Sharon swallowed, her fingers tightening in her lap. She was in Esther’s office retelling what took place in the summit.
“He was… surprised,” she began carefully. “Not angry. Just… taken aback. Like no one had ever spoken to him that way before.”
Esther’s eyes narrowed slightly-not in suspicion, but in thought.
“He asked why I would think that,” Sharon continued. “And I told him the truth. That people talk. That I didn’t understand him. I wasn’t trying to accuse him of anything, I just wanted clarity.”
“Did he shut you down?” Esther asked.
Sharon shook her head. “No. That’s what made it worse. He didn’t dismiss me. He asked what I thought. Not what I heard. What I thought.”
Esther leaned back slowly.
“And what did you say?”
Sharon hesitated. “That I didn’t think he was gay.”
“Why?”
She frowned, as if the answer embarrassed her. “I don’t know. It was just… a feeling. He doesn’t behave like someone who avoids women. He behaves like someone who’s careful.”
Esther was quiet now.
“And after that?”
“He laughed,” Sharon said softly. “Not mockingly. Like he was genuinely amused. Then he said he liked women. Very much. And that was it.”
“That was it?” Esther repeated.
“Yes.” Sharon nodded. “Nothing else happened. What did you expect to happen? You think he would hit on me or what. He didn’t even spend that much time with me.”
Esther’s gaze sharpened-not on the story, but on Sharon herself.
“And yet,” she said slowly, “you came back like this.”
Sharon looked up, startled. “Like what?”
“Confused,” Esther replied. “Unsettled. Watching the door every time it opens.”
Sharon opened her mouth, then closed it.
“I don’t think he meant anything by it,” she said finally. “I think he was just being nice. I’m the one who doesn’t understand these things.”
Esther stood and walked to the window, folding her arms.
“No,” she said quietly. “A man is never just nice, they’re always after something.”
“I thought you said he was gay awhile back, so what are you insinuating now? That he likes me or what, you suddenly think he likes women now?”
She turned back.
“You’re inexperienced. That’s different. And dangerous-when the other person is someone used to control.”
Sharon’s chest tightened. “Are you saying he led me on?”
“No,” Esther said immediately. “I’m saying something subtler happened. You encountered someone who didn’t use your attention. And that made you notice him.”
She paused, then added, “And you don’t know what to do with that yet.”
Sharon stared at her. “So what do I do?”
Esther softened. “Nothing.”
“What?”
“You do nothing,” Esther repeated. “You work. You breathe. You let this settle. Because whatever this is-it isn’t yours to chase.”
Sharon nodded slowly, even though disappointment flickered across her face.
“And him?” she asked quietly.
Esther held her gaze. “Men like Kelvin don’t disappear forever. They retreat when they realize they’ve crossed a line they didn’t mean to.”
A beat.
“And when they come back,” Esther continued, “it’s usually because they’ve decided whether to walk away… or step forward properly.”
Sharon swallowed. “You think he feels something?”
Esther gave a small, knowing smile. “I’m sure of it.”
She said, leaving her even more confused than before.
Sharon looked down. She wasn’t sure she was ready for change at all.
Three months had passed since the summit.
Life had slowly, almost mercifully, returned to normal for Sharon. The tension had eased. The whispers had died down. Kelvin’s name no longer occupied her thoughts the way it once did-or at least that was what she told herself. She focused on work, on home, on responsibility. On surviving.
That evening, at close of work, she walked out of the building with Esther, their conversation light and unimportant.
Then a sleek car rolled into the compound.
Her heart reacted before her mind could.
No…
She recognized the car instantly.
Her steps slowed. Her chest tightened.
Should I turn away? she wondered, panic rising. Should I pretend I didn’t see him?
Before she could decide, the car door opened.
Kelvin stepped out.
Her breath caught.
God… he’s so handsome, the thought slipped in uninvited. Taller than she remembered. Sharper. Commanding without trying.
And then she saw her.
The same lady she had once walked in on in his office stepped out of the passenger seat.
Just like that, whatever fragile warmth had stirred inside Sharon was doused.
I’m so stupid, she scolded herself. I forgot he has a girlfriend for a moment.
Her shoulders slumped slightly.
Kelvin’s eyes had already locked onto her. He walked straight toward her like nothing else existed. Sharon stopped walking completely, frozen.
Esther noticed everything. She said nothing, just watched quietly.
“Let’s go,” Sharon whispered to Esther, tugging her arm gently, trying to escape.
Too late.
“Good evening,” Kelvin said, his voice calm, controlled-but his eyes lingered on Sharon.
“Good evening, sir,” Esther replied politely.
Sharon forced herself to speak. “Good evening, sir.”
The lady beside him smiled tightly. “Good evening.”
“Good evening, ma,” Sharon added quickly, lowering her gaze.
Kelvin cleared his throat. “This is-” he paused briefly, then continued, “-my girlfriend, Stella.”
“Nice to meet you,” Esther said warmly.
“Yes, nice to meet you,” Sharon echoed, her voice soft, almost too quiet.
Stella looked Sharon over slowly, her smile polite but assessing. “You are the lady that barged in some months ago.”
Sharon looked up, surprised that she recognized her. “Yes, ma.”
Kelvin’s jaw tightened slightly.
“You also went on this trip with them,” Stella continued lightly. “You work in analytics, right?”
“Yes,” Sharon replied. “Yes, I do.”
There was an awkward silence.
Esther shifted. “We were just heading home.”
Kelvin nodded. “Of course. Have a good evening.”
“You too,” Esther said.
Sharon hesitated for half a second, then added, “Good night.”
As she turned to leave, she felt it-the sharp, unexpected sting in her chest.
Jealousy.
The realization angered her instantly.
Why am I jealous? she thought bitterly. There was a time I didn’t care, she thought
She wished to go back to that time. Where she wasn’t acting like a smitten idiot.
She walked away beside Esther, her face calm, her heart anything but.
Behind her, Kelvin watched her retreating figure longer than necessary, his expression unreadable-while Stella noticed everything.
They walked toward his office in silence, the tension thick between them. The door closed behind them with a soft click.
Stella turned to face him immediately. “You like her, don’t you?”
Kelvin laughed, a short, dismissive sound. “What? No way. Why would you come to that conclusion in less than five minutes with her.”
“That laugh,” Stella said quietly. “You only laugh like that when you’re deflecting.”
He sighed and loosened his tie. “Lillian told you nonsense, didn’t she? About the summit.”
Her eyes sharpened. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t pretend. I know you. It’s not necessary.”
“She told me about Sharon,” Stella replied. “How you were following her around like a fly. How you even took her shopping personally”
“That’s not-”
“You’ve even refused to touch me for months now,” she cut in, her voice steady but hurt. “In fact, since after that summit, you’ve changed. You’re more detached. Like I’m bothering you just by being around.”
Kelvin turned away, walking toward his desk. “Listen Stella, I’m actually not in for this headless and baseless discussion. If you’ve got nothing useful to say, you can respectively just go home. I don’t think I’m ready to fight at this moment. I’m too tired”
“You’re tired?” she fired back , following him. “Every time I try to talk to you or bring up marriage, you get angry. Defensive. We’ve been together for five years, Kelvin. Is that not enough or you need an extra five years to know we’ve been in the dating phase long enough?”
He leaned against the desk, rubbing his forehead. “Marriage isn’t something I take lightly Babe, and you always find excuse to bring it up, we’ll get married in due time, i promise”
“You always say that,” she snapped-then her tone softened. “I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow. I’m asking for a timeline.”
Kelvin stayed silent.
“I’m not getting any younger, Kelvin,” Stella continued, her voice steadier now, more deliberate. “I’ve dedicated a good part of my life to you already. I want stability. I want children. My biological clock is ticking, and every time I mention it, you look… trapped.”
The word landed heavily.
Silence stretched between them.
Then she sighed and stepped closer, lowering her voice. “She’s quiet,” Stella said slowly. “She doesn’t chase your attention. She doesn’t try to impress you. And somehow that bothers you more than the women who throw themselves at you right?”
Kelvin frowned. “What are you even talking about?”
“That girl,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Sharon. Or whatever her name is.”
His head snapped up. “How did we move from what we were talking about to Sharon?”
“Because my instincts are screaming,” she replied. “And I know you too well, Kelvin. You’re hiding something.”
He scoffed. “Very good. Then spend the whole day searching for it.”
She studied him carefully. “Can you swear to me that you don’t have feelings for that girl?”
“Stella,” he said sharply, “I don’t have feelings for anyone. Stop trying to gaslight me.”
“Then look me in the eye,” she said, stepping closer. “And tell me you don’t feel anything for her.”
He met her gaze without flinching. “I don’t,” he said firmly.
She searched his face for a long moment. “Do you believe that?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, he said, “She’s an employee. Whatever you’ve been told or think you’re seeing-it’s not real.”
Stella nodded slowly, though doubt lingered in her eyes. “Then don’t make me feel like I’m competing with her.”
“You’re not competing with anyone,” he said.
“I hope so,” she replied quietly. “Because I’m tired of feeling alone in this relationship.”
She turned away, took two steps, then stopped. When she came back to him, her tone had changed-less confrontational, more intimate.
“Kelvin,” she said softly, placing her hand on his chest. “We’ve been arguing for weeks. Talking hasn’t fixed anything. Maybe we just need to… reconnect.”
She leaned in, pressing herself closer, her intentions unmistakable.
He stiffened instantly.
She reached for him again, more insistently this time. “Let’s stop overthinking,” she murmured. “Just tonight.”
That was when something in him snapped-not anger, but exhaustion.
He gently but firmly took her hands and stepped back. “No.”
She stared at him, stunned. “No?”
“I’m tired,” he said honestly. “And this isn’t going to fix anything.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So you can’t touch me now?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be intimate with you,” he replied calmly. “I just don’t want to pretend intimacy is a solution.”
She laughed bitterly. “So if not me, then who? Don’t tell me you’ve been celibate, Kelvin.”
The thought crossed his mind uninvited-sharp, dangerous, and unwelcome.
He had never really dwelled on his celibacy.
Not because the urge wasn’t there-it was-but because the urge never surfaced when it came to her.
That realization unsettled him. Everyone kept accusing him of having feelings for Sharon, and until recently, he would have dismissed it outright.
It wasn’t that the thought of Sharon had never crossed that line in his mind-it had.
He just hadn’t planned to act on it.
And that, more than anything else, terrified him.
“I’m done for tonight,” he said, turning away.
She watched him for a moment, then scoffed. “Fine,” she said coldly. “But don’t act surprised when I stop being patient.”
She walked out.
Kelvin shut the door behind her and leaned against it, exhaling sharply as he dragged a hand through his hair.
What the hell is going on with you? He questioned himself
Not because of Stella. But because of a quiet girl who never asked for his attention… and somehow had it anyway.