He ushers me toward a quiet alcove near the supply closet. I don’t want to go, but I also don’t want a performance in front of the entire floor.
So I follow.
He closes the door.
Not a great sign.
He turns to me, eyes full of something between confusion and hurt.
“Ruby… what are you doing?”
I blink. “What?”
“Cole,” he says. “Why him? Why… this?”
Heat crawls up my neck.
“This is not your business.”
He shakes his head. “It IS if you’re in danger.”
I almost laugh. “Danger? Evan, please..."
“I’m serious.” He steps closer. “He’s powerful. He’s your boss. He could destroy your career. He could hurt you without even meaning to.”
My chest tightens, not because he’s wrong about the power imbalance, but because he thinks Jaxon would hurt me.
“He isn’t like that,” I whisper.
“You don’t KNOW him,” Evan insists. “You think you do, but you don’t. People like him always take what they want. They always leave damage behind.”
I swallow hard.
“Evan… you don’t get to decide what he’s like.”
He takes a shaky breath.
“I just… don’t want to lose you.”
Oh god.
My heart drops.
“Lose me?” I whisper.
He nods.
“I care about you. I always have. And watching you, watching him..."
His voice breaks.
“I hate it.”
I step back.
“Evan… I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“Because you never looked,” he says softly. “You never looked at me the way you look at him.”
