I waited until mid-afternoon. Confirmed Elio was alone in his security office.
Then I walked in without knocking.
Elio looked up from his computer. Surprise flickered across his face before control slammed back into place.
"Julian. You should've scheduled—"
"We need to talk."
"I'm busy—"
"Make time." I closed the door behind me. Didn't lock it but made my position clear. I wasn't leaving until we addressed this.
Elio stood. Moved around his desk like putting furniture between us would help. "If this is about security protocols—"
"It's not. It's about the kiss. About why you've been avoiding me for three days."
"There's nothing to discuss. It was a mistake."
"It didn't feel like a mistake."
"Feelings are irrelevant." His voice was cold. Professional. The tone he probably used on actual security threats. "What matters is maintaining appropriate boundaries. Which I failed to do. It won't happen again."
I stepped closer. Closed half the distance between us.
"Are you attracted to me?"
"That's not appropriate to discuss."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Julian—"
"Because I'm attracted to you. Have been since you first brought me food at 2 AM and sat there watching me eat like you couldn't figure out if I was a threat or something that needed protecting." I took another step. "So if we're both attracted to each other, why are we pretending nothing happened?"
"Because you're twenty-one and under my protection and what happened was completely inappropriate."
"You already said that. I'm asking if you're attracted to me. If you want this. If what you felt when you kissed me was real or if I imagined it."
Elio looked at me for a long moment. His jaw was tight. His hands were clenched at his sides. Every line of his body screamed tension barely contained.
"What I want doesn't matter. What's right matters."
"And what if what's right is letting people make their own choices?"
"You don't know what you want."
"I know I want you."
"You're too young to know that."
The words hit like a slap. Not because they hurt. Because they were the same words I'd heard my entire life from people trying to control me.
I felt anger flare hot in my chest.
"Everyone's always told me that." My voice came out harder than I'd intended. Sharper. "My father told me I was too young to understand why the arranged marriage was necessary. Dante told me I was too naive to know what I really wanted. My family told me I was too sheltered to make my own decisions about my life."
I moved closer. Close enough to see Elio's pupils dilate. Close enough to watch his breathing speed up despite his controlled expression.
