Chapter 7 - Personal Space #2
"You're right."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"You're right."
"Could you repeat that?"
"No."
"I don't think I heard you."
"You heard me."
"I'd like it in writing."
"Don't push it."
I grinned.
"I knew this day would come."
A voice behind us said-
"Coming through."
I turned.
One of the model-shop guys was carrying a large presentation model through the already-too-small room.
There wasn't enough space.
I stepped backward.
So did Adrian.
Except there was nowhere for me to go.
His hand landed at my waist.
And moved me with him.
One second.
Maybe two.
Suddenly my back was almost against his chest.
His palm was warm through my blouse.
Large.
That was the completely unnecessary detail my brain chose to register.
His hand was fucking huge.
His palm covered most of the side of my waist, long fingers curving around me as he pulled me back with him.
Cedar surrounded me.
Heat.
Everywhere.
The presentation model passed.
But Adrian didn't move.
Not immediately.
Neither did I.
His hand was still at my waist.
Warm.
Heavy.
Entirely too noticeable.
I could feel his breathing behind me.
Then his fingers shifted.
Barely.
Like he'd suddenly realized exactly where his hand was.
He let go.
Fast.
I stepped forward at the same moment he stepped back.
Silence.
I turned.
Adrian wasn't looking at the board anymore.
He was looking at me.
And there was something strange about his face.
Not anger.
Not exactly.
Just-
Tension.
His jaw was tight.
His shoulders had gone rigid.
For once, Adrian Vale looked like he'd forgotten what he was about to say too.
My heart did something deeply unhelpful.
His eyes dropped away first.
He cleared his throat.
"The-"
He stopped.
Silence.
Adrian looked down at the board.
"Give me a second."
I blinked.
Give me a second?
Adrian Vale had never needed a second in his life.
Or at least not in front of me.
He put one hand on the edge of the table.
I became extremely interested in a piece of limestone.
Neither of us spoke.
This was worse.
Somehow this was much worse.
Because apparently whatever the hell had just happened hadn't happened exclusively inside my own nervous system.
Finally, Adrian straightened.
"The glazing specification."
His voice was controlled again.
Mostly.
"Right."
I looked down.
Glazing.
Buildings.
Architecture.
Things I understood.
Usually.
"This needs the updated performance value."
"Yes."
I wrote it down.
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Great."
I picked up my notebook.
My pen slipped.
I caught it.
Smooth.
Very smooth.
Adrian said nothing.
Thank God.
I walked out of the project room.
I made it approximately twenty feet.
Then stopped.
What the hell was that?
I looked down at myself.
Nothing had happened.
Someone needed to pass.
Adrian moved me.
That was it.
Perfectly normal.
Completely practical.
There was absolutely no reason my skin should still feel warm.
Or why I could still feel the weight of his palm.
Or remember exactly how far his fingers had curved around my waist.
I started walking again.
This was ridiculous.
Ethan had practically been hanging over my chair that morning.
I'd put my hand on his face.
He'd held my wrist.
I'd shoved him twice.
Nothing.
Not one thought.
Adrian touched my waist for two seconds because someone was carrying a model past us and suddenly my nervous system had filed an emergency report.
There was clearly something medically wrong with me.
I needed vitamins.
Maybe iron.
And whatever had happened to Adrian in there didn't mean anything either.
Maybe I'd startled him.
Maybe he hated accidentally touching people.
Maybe he'd realized he'd touched me specifically and was considering removing the hand entirely.
That seemed plausible.
Much more plausible.
Good.
Solved.
At 4:06, I heard footsteps approaching.
I looked up.
Daniel.
"Oh. Hey."
He stopped.
"That's enthusiastic."
"What?"
"You looked disappointed."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
"I thought you were someone else."
"Who?"
"No one."
Daniel stared at me.
"Okay."
"Do you need something?"
"Not anymore. You've hurt me."
"Recover privately."
He put a hand over his heart and walked away.
I looked back at my screen.
Why had I looked up that fast?
I didn't know.
More importantly, I didn't care.
Weird.
Anyway.
At 5:41, Maya packed her bag.
"You leaving?"
"Yes. Because some of us respect ourselves."
"Rude."
"You staying?"
"Maybe another hour."
Ben appeared with his backpack.
"Vale punishment?"
"Solara."
"Same thing."
"Basically."
Maya pointed at me.
"Don't stay until nine."
"I won't."
"You said that last week."
"And I was lying."
"I know."
She hugged me from behind.
"Goodnight, workaholic."
"Goodnight."
Ben saluted.
"Try not to accidentally stalk anyone online tonight."
I threw a paper clip at him.
He ducked.
"Still worth it."
They left.
At 6:32, I was alone enough that the office had changed.
Not empty.
There were still a few people scattered around.
But quiet.
I worked.
At 6:48, someone walked past.
I looked up.
Not Adrian.
I immediately looked back down.
No.
Absolutely not.
I had not just done that twice in one day.
I focused very aggressively on my screen.
At 7:11, Ethan appeared beside my desk wearing his jacket.
"You're still here."
"So are you."
"I'm leaving."
"Congratulations."
"You coming?"
"No."
"How much longer?"
"Maybe thirty minutes."
He looked at my screen.
"You said that three hours ago."
"I've made progress."
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
He looked at the empty space around me.
"What?"
"I ate lunch."
"That was six hours ago."
"Time is a social construct."
"Food isn't."
"Go home, Ethan."
He sighed.
"Friday."
"I remember."
"Do you?"
"No."
He laughed.
"I'll text you."
"Fine."
He squeezed my shoulder once.
"Don't stay too late, Angel."
"I won't."
"Liar."
"Goodnight."
"Night."
He left.
I went back to work.
At 7:39, I smelled cedar.
I stopped typing.
No.
I kept looking at my screen.
Footsteps approached.
Then-
"Ms. Stone."
Of course.
I looked up.
Adrian stood beside my desk.
Tie gone.
Sleeves rolled.
Hair slightly less controlled.
Late-night Adrian.
Apparently he had arrived for his weekly shift of confusing me.
"What are you still doing here?"
I stared at him.
"We've had this conversation."
"And yet you're still here."
"You keep giving me work."
"You keep blaming me for your inability to leave."
"You are literally my boss."
"I'm aware."
"Good. I was worried we'd lost track."
His eyes moved to my screen.
"How much is left?"
"Not much."
"That isn't a measurement."
"Thirty minutes."
His eyes came back to mine.
"You said that to Ethan."
I paused.
"You were here?"
"I was walking past."
"I didn't see you."
"No."
Something about the way he said it made me look at him.
He was already looking at the screen.
Nothing.
I turned back.
"Thirty minutes."
"Finish it tomorrow."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Go home."
"Are you firing me?"
"No."
"Are you dying?"
His eyes moved slowly toward me.
"Why would those be the options?"
"Because you just told me to stop working."
"It's almost eight."
"Seven forty."
"Close enough."
I stared at him.
He looked tired.
Not dramatically.
Just enough that I noticed.
The slight heaviness around his eyes.
The loosened hair.
The rolled sleeves.
That stupid crooked little house visible on his forearm.
And his hands.
Oh God.
No.
Absolutely not.
We were not looking at his hands now.
I looked at his face.
Which was unfortunately not much safer.
"Have you eaten?"
Why did I ask that?
His expression changed by approximately nothing.
"Yes."
I narrowed my eyes.
"When?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought."
"Go home, Ms. Stone."
"You first."
"This is my building."
"You've mentioned."
"My name is on it."
"Also mentioned."
"I can stay as long as I want."
"So can I."
"No."
I stared.
"No?"
"No."
"You don't own me."
His expression hardened.
"I didn't say I did."
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
Something in the air shifted.
I looked at him.
He looked back.
For a second neither of us spoke.
Then Adrian stepped away from my desk.
"Finish what you're doing. Then leave."
"That sounds suspiciously like permission."
"It isn't."
"Good. I wasn't asking."
His jaw tightened.
There he was.
Adrian Vale.
Asshole.
Normal.
He turned away.
"Goodnight, Ms. Stone."
"Goodnight."
He walked toward his office.
I watched him go.
Only for a second.
Maybe two.
Then I looked back at my screen.
At 8:04, I finished.
I packed my bag, shut down my computer, and headed toward the elevators.
Adrian's office light was still on.
I didn't look inside.
I absolutely did not.
I pressed the elevator button.
The doors opened.
I stepped inside.
As they began to close, I looked down the quiet office one last time.
His light was still there.
The doors shut.
And for some reason, once they did, everything felt quieter.
Which made no sense.
The office had already been quiet.
Nothing had changed.
I frowned at my reflection in the elevator doors.
This was stupid.
I put my headphones in.
Problem solved.
Mostly.