When I talked to him, I made a whole show of looking anywhere but at his lips or eyes, for that matter. I looked at his forehead, which was sometimes covered with his hair. I adjusted my black gown and picked up the documents that would be needed for the meeting.
It’s mostly just teams presenting their ideas, especially the areas they have been asked to improve on. The last meeting was full of bad ideas, if it was to be put nicely, and even then, Christian still managed to keep his cool. I hoped that it would keep going that way in today’s meeting.
Once it was one minute to the time, I knocked once on the door and pushed it open. “It’s time for your meeting, sir.”
Christian nodded, and I stepped forward to pick up the documents he would need for the meeting. He watched me as I moved around his space, taking the tablet, but he said nothing.
I didn’t want him to say anything, but now, I was forced to consider the possibility that he knew that I was avoiding him, and he was just letting me get away with it.
“We can go now,” I said to him, heading towards the door, and hoping he was following closely behind me so we could get this meeting out of the way and then the rest of the day. It was awkward now, but in a couple more weeks, it would be so normal that we would wonder if there was a time we spoke as friends.
I couldn’t wait for that time, that is, if the awkwardness doesn’t kill me first. Allison has been trying to get me to tell her what was happening, but I insisted that everything was fine. I have no idea if Christian has said anything to her about the kiss, but I keep it in mind to tell her when I’ve figured things out.
“Wait!”
I froze in the spot, not turning around because I was scared of what his next words would be and was in no way ready to have the conversation. Any conversation at that.
“Or no. Nevermind. Let’s go, we’re going to be late for the meeting.”
Relief flooded my body as I walked out of the door, aware of Christian following me out of the office, and to the meeting we were already late for. I just needed to keep my head together for the remainder of the day.
As I walked alongside Christian to the boardroom, I kept a safe distance. It was a subtle gesture, but one that spoke volumes about the tension between us. One that he could tell, given this new development only happened after the kiss.
As we entered the boardroom, Christian’s demeanor transformed. He stood tall, his shoulders squared, and the staff scrambled around to get things ready. He took his seat and I sat next to him, taking notes of each presentation.
I still could not get the kiss out of my head. I was gradually losing my mind. Christian was a natural-born leader, and it was clear that his team respected and admired him. He spoke with authority, yet his words were laced with kindness and empathy. He was the kind of leader who inspired loyalty and dedication, and I was drawn to him even more.
As the meeting progressed, I couldn’t help but steal glances at Christian. His eyes sparkled with passion, and his smile could light up a room. I felt a flutter in my chest and knew I was in trouble. I had tried to keep my distance, but it seemed my heart had other plans.
Christian turned to me with a warm smile when the meeting finally adjourned. “Thanks for joining me, Fiona. I appreciate your support.”
I nodded, trying to play it cool, but my heart raced. Has his voice always been this husky? Or was this a recent development?
“Of course, Christian,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “You’re an excellent leader.”
I was scared that he must have suspected I was avoiding him, but he didn’t seem to notice too much. Maybe it was just a kiss to him, and I’ve been beating myself up about nothing. I was disappointed.
Before I could step out of the boardroom, he had me cornered. I felt grateful that all of the staff had rushed out as soon as the meeting was over.
“Fiona, what’s going on?” he asked. “You’ve been avoiding me for days. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine.”
“Fiona, tell me the truth. What’s going on? Did I do something wrong? Did I overstep? Make you uncomfortable? You need to tell -”
“I like you,” I said.
Both of our eyes widened, and I couldn’t tell who felt more shocked by the revelation. Me or him. But since the words were already out, I figured there was no way else to go but forward. He worried about me ignoring him, so that meant something.
Chapter Sixteen
Christian
Istood unmoving, Fiona’s words ringing in my head, but not quite making sense. Of all the things I thought she would say, that was something that didn’t even make the list. I thought she was avoiding me because I had done something wrong, not because she liked me.
Fiona liked me.
My heart thumped in my chest, and I tried to understand what she said. I brought myself back into the moment. Fiona was no longer staring at me; she was looking past me, and a smile threatened to break on my face.
When she looked back at me, the smile passed and Fiona’s face fell immediately. She pulled her arm out of my hand and backed away. I took another step toward her, but she put an arm out, keeping me at the distance.
She let out a laugh, but there was no humor to it.
“I made a mistake,” she said, shaking her head. “Forget I said anything.”
Like that was possible. Those are the words I’ve spent nights wondering if I’d ever hear them from her lips, and she just offered them to me. There was no way I was going to let her walk out of the boardroom without confirming that she meant what she said.
I took another step towards her, “Fiona, listen.”
“Never mind. Don’t mind me. This never happened.”
She turned to walk out, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me. I was definitely not going to let her go that easily.
“Christian, please,” she said, her voice breaking. “I get it already; you don’t feel the same way. Let me go.”
I scoffed at her. “Why would you think that?”
Fiona pulled her hand out of mine and walked further into the boardroom, maintaining distance between us.
