Yup! Exactly what I needed to hear. That was a wake up call.
Athena, you’re his sister.
“Yeah, I’m sure he won’t.” She nodded her head.
“You guys should talk it out when he comes” I stared at her with a smile.
“We will don’t worry. Hope Kiara didn’t miss me too much” I joked trying to get the conversation off me.
“Of course she did. You’ll come around soon, right?”
“Yea I would” we both walked into my office catching out on the day before that I wasn’t present.
We walked together toward my office, catching up on the work I’d missed the day before. Leah filled me in on customer calls, parts orders, and the general chaos of running a busy garage.
—
maybe because I was technically her boss, or maybe
I was grateful she didn’t ask why I’d been absent because she could see I wasn’t ready to talk about it.
What would I have said anyway? Sorry I missed work because I’d nearly overdosed.
I threw myself into paperwork, using the familiar routine as a shield against my racing thoughts. Invoice reviews, schedule adjustments, inventory reports, anything to keep my mind occupied and away from memories of soft lips and frozen shock.
The morning crawled by at a snail’s pace. Every footstep in the hallway made me look up, expecting to see Tristan’s tall frame filling my doorway – demanding why I left without a single word.
By noon, I’d almost convinced myself he wasn’t going to show up at all. Maybe he was avoiding coming here, to give us both space to pretend last night never happened.
Then I heard a soft knock on my office door.
I looked up from my computer screen, expecting to see Leah with lunch plans or work questions. Instead, Tristan stood in the doorway, one hand gripping the frame, his eyes fixed directly on me.
My heart skipped several beats and then started racing to make up for lost time.
1/2
20:38 Sat, Jan 3
Chapter 67
He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. His dark hair was slightly messy, like he’d been running his fingers through it. His work clothes were clean but rumpled, suggesting he’d been busy all morning.
I raised my eyebrows when the silence stretched past comfortable and into something awkward.
“Would you like to go to lunch together?” he asked finally.
The question caught me completely off guard. This wasn’t the first time Tristan had ever asked me out to lunch but it felt somehow, intimate.
My first instinct was to panic. Lunch meant sitting across from each other at a restaurant, making conversation, pretending everything was normal when we both knew it wasn’t. Lunch meant being alone together, which felt dangerous after what had happened last night.
Say yes, Claire whispered urgently in my mind.
“I… I’d love to,” I started, and I
it was my imagination.
d see something’s that’s looked like hope flicker in his eyes, but I knew
That’s my girl, Claire whispered with satisfaction.
“But…” I continued, and I felt her immediately tense with frustration.
Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare say no to him.
“There’s a lot of work to catch up on. I’m sorry, maybe tomorrow?” I finished with what I hoped was an apologetic look.
I watched his face fall slightly, the hope dimming like someone had turned down a light switch. The sight made my heart twist painfully in my chest.
Why did you say no to him? You want to go on a date with him. That’s what we’ve always wanted since we were kids, so why are you refusing now?
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
