I tell myself these things like they’re anchors.
They don’t hold.
Because the feeling isn’t temporary.
That’s the part I didn’t account for. The variable no one flagged. The risk I didn’t hedge against.
I’m in love with her.
Not the version people clap for. Not the headline. Her. The woman who showed up to my world even when it overwhelmed her. Who kissed my cheek without thinking. Who looked at me like I was steady instead of dangerous.
And I’m already bracing for this to end.
I rub a hand over my face and stare at the floor, the truth settling heavy and unavoidable.
I lock it down. Compartmentalize it. Treat it like a liability I can manage if I don’t touch it too often.
I tell myself this is discipline.
But I've been here before.
It’s always right before I lose the thing I was trying to protect.
Chapter twenty-five
Lila
Avoice comes through the speakers before the video even finishes connecting.
Bright. Efficient. The kind of cheerful that makes me feel like a problem she’s already solved.
ERS's PR manager—Marissa is the one talking.
I sit at one end of the sofa with my legs tucked under me, hands folded tightly in my lap. Cam sits at the other end. Not far. Not close.
The space between us feels intentional.
My nerves buzz under my skin anyway.
Because of the kisses. Because of the stadium. Because he’s been quiet since the game, quieter than before, like his words cost him something now and he’s trying not to spend them.
The coffee table is staged. Sasha set it up. Bottled water. Notepads. The whole “this is normal” illusion.
It doesn’t work on me.
The laptop sits open on the table, faces appearing one by one in little boxes.
Evelyn Sterling first. Perfect lighting. Calm eyes.
George, their Data Scientist, is next, already smiling like he can’t wait to share something fun.
And Marissa, the PR lead, leaning forward with a headset and a grin that makes my stomach tighten before she even speaks.
“Hi, everyone,” Evelyn says. “Thank you for making time.”
Cam nods. “Of course.”
I nod too. I’m very good at nodding.
