His eyes lift fully to mine then, and whatever he sees on my face changes his expression too. The careful distance slips for half a second. Long enough for hurt to show underneath it.
Oh.
Oh, no.
The room suddenly feels too small.
“Owen—”
A loud crash echoes somewhere down the hallway outside the office, followed by Tristan yelling, “THAT WASN’T MY FAULT!”
Neither of us moves.
Neither of us looks away.
And for one terrifying second, I want him to kiss me again more than I want my next professional accomplishment.
“Owen—”
My voice catches halfway through his name. Not because I don’t know what I want to say. Because suddenly I know exactly what I want to say, and every version of it feels dangerous.
The office feels too warm now. Too small. He’s standing only a few feet away from me, but somehow it feels closer than that. Like the air between us shrank while I wasn’t paying attention.
His eyes flick down to my mouth for one tiny second before he looks away again.
That shouldn’t hurt.
It absolutely does.
“Owen,” I say again, more carefully this time, “you’ve barely looked at me all day.”
His jaw flexes once. “You said it was a mistake.”
Straight to the emotional jugular. Cool. Great.
“I know what I said.”
“Then I’m trying to respect it.”
The quiet honesty in his voice knocks the breath out of me a little.
I push away from the desk too quickly, nearly tangling myself in the office chair wheels before I stand. “You don’t get to act like I’m the only one who ran.”
Something flashes across his face at that. Fast enough that I almost miss it.
“I woke up alone, Remy.”
Every defensive thought in my head immediately dissolves into ash. The room goes silent except for the faint hum of the arena ventilation system somewhere overhead.
“I didn’t know what you wanted me to think after that.” There’s strain underneath the calm in his tone.
I cross my arms tightly over my chest. Mostly because I suddenly feel emotionally naked. “I panicked.”
“I noticed.”
I cross my arms tighter over my chest. “Because if I’d stayed, then all of it would’ve followed us into real life. Daylight. Practice. The team. And suddenly, it wouldn’t have been something I could push aside anymore.”
His gaze finds mine. “I get it, Remy. Every time I looked at you today, I remembered your legs around my head and nearly lost my mind during practice.”
