"Thank you," I said quietly.
"For what?"
"For this. For sitting here talking about nothing important. For making me laugh." I paused. "For being here at all."
She looked down at our joined hands and mumbled, "I'm glad I'm here too."
I stood and walked around the table to where she sat with her head tilted up to look up at me.
When I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers, she responded immediately, her free hand coming up to rest against my chest.
It was risky because we were at work, but it felt like the perfect way to end that moment.
Her eyes stayed closed for a moment after I pulled away.
Then I cupped her face in my hand and traced the line of her lips.
"Are you really alright?" I asked. "With everything that's happened. With the press and the gossip and all of it."
"I'm managing." Ember's eyes averted. She was avoiding the topic, likely because she wasn't really managing well at all. It made my heart sink as I remembered my promise to her.
"I never managed to get you out of the Hearthkeeper role. I promised I'd find a way, and I failed. Now everything has blown up around us, and you're stuck dealing with it."
"I'm not stuck." She placed her hand over mine where it rested against her cheek. "I'm choosing to do this now, Nate. I told you. I know it's an honor. It's okay."
"Is it?"
"Yes." She smiled, but her eyes were sad. "I could've quit weeks ago if I really couldn't handle it, but I'm here."
"Why?" I wondered if she was here because of me or because of the role she was playing.
Either way, it appeared it didn't sit well with her, but she wouldn't admit that to me.
She probably thought she was protecting me from those negative thoughts.
After all, I was surrounded with the public's negativity all the time.
She hesitated, and I saw the internal debate play out across her features.
Whatever she wanted to say remained unspoken. She squeezed my hand and let the moment linger, and then she stood and brushed a kiss to my cheek. "Enjoy your weekend, Nate."
"You too." I released her hand reluctantly as she gathered the folders from the table and walked to the door, pausing on the threshold to look back at me. "See you Monday."
"Monday," I echoed.
Ember left, and I stood alone in my office listening to the sound of her footsteps fading down the hallway.
There was more going on in her mind than she was willing to share and it bothered me.
She was holding back and shielding herself from the pain of vulnerability, and I didn't like it.
It made me feel like I was doing something that made her feel unsafe. I never wanted to do that.
I wanted to know those pieces she was hiding and understand them and make a space for them so she could trust me.
The chemistry between us had always been undeniable. But chemistry faded.
Passion cooled.
