Chapter 6
AIDEN
It was her
The moment my eyes fell on her, I knew it was her, the one woman 1 had been obsessing over for years. It was like everything else had blurred. Everyone else seemed very less significant by the second.
That face, those forest green eyes–pare fucking innocence radiating from them. Not something I could ever forget in a lifetime. I felt a tightening in my chest, a mixture of desire and frustration swirling inside me. The rest of the roum ceased to exist. The party, the people, the noise–nothing held my i
Pinterest.
She was here, right in front of me, and I wanted nothing more than to jump off the stage and get to her. The speech I had been delivering to the crowd! Inelevant. I didn’t matter anymore.
I had rashed through the rest of the speech, barely keeping up the pretense of composure, something I had never done before just because my entire focus was on her. By the time I’d finished, I didn’t bother sticking around for applause or handshakes. I needed to be near her, I needed to confirm that it really was her. Six years, Six fucking years, and now, here she was
I followed her to the bar.
“Scotch, on the rocks.”
As soon as she heard my voice, she squeezed her eyes shut, her lips pressed into a thin line. A second passed before she opened her eyes but kept them strictly trained on the drink in her hand, deliberately avoiding looking anywhere else. Expecially not in my direction I leaned back against the bar, watching her with a mix of amusement and annoyance, Did she really think ignoring me would make me go away?
“Ignoring me wouldn’t make me go away, Love,” I murmured, low enough for her cars only.
Her face remained composed, calm even, as if my presence didn’t faze her at all. But I noticed her fingers tighten around the glass, the knuckles whitening under the strain. Any tighter and she would shatter the damn thing That small tell gave her away, and I couldn’t help but grin She might’ve been trying to act indifferent, but her body was betraying her
“Then what would?” Her voice came out even. It would’ve hurt a finle but I detected a slight tremor beneath it. It was subtle, almost imperceptible. but it was there. Her chin jutted out defiantly, a small gesture that would have seemed ridiculous on anyone else, but on her, it was fucking adorable. She was trying so hard not to show that she was intimidated by me.
Fucking cute!
I let my lips stretch into a grin, enjoying the hurle game she was playing. A second passed before she finally glanced my way. The blush that crawled up her neck was instant, spreading across her skin in that beautiful shade of crimson that told me she wasn’t completely unaffected by me. Good Because the alternative? The thought that she might not even remember ine after all these years? That would’ve bruised my ego beyond repair.
“Feels familiar, doesn’t it? You sirting at the bar with a drink, all alone, I remarked as the bartender slid my drink toward me. I didn’t take my eyes off her, watching her closely for any reaction. It was ecstatic.
“I’m not alone,” she snapped, a little too quickly, her words spilling out in a defensive rush. I could almost hear the panic lacing her voice. I raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this was going. She glanced behind me, a brief flicker of her eyes landing on something–or someone before she quickly looked away.
I had a bad feeling about this. And that feeling was confirmed when man, probably in his early thirties, came up and stood beside her, all too casual in his approach. His presence was already grating on my nerves, and he hadn’t even spoken yet..
hope I’m not interrupting,” the guy said with a polite smile, his gaze shifting between the two of us
Thope
Yes, you are. In fact, you’re ruining everything.
“No, of course not she replied sweetly, her tone suddenly warm and welcoming as she smiled up at him. That smile? It made me want to grab the guy by the collar and toss him out of the nearest window. She hadn’t smiled at me like that. Not even close. Who the fuck was this guy!
“As I was saying, I’m here with my boyfriend,” she added, her voice light but her body language giving her away. She leaned into him just slightly, almost as if to prove a point. And I hated it. Hated the way she seemed so at case with this guy. Hated the way he seemed to think he belonged beside her
Boyfriend. She had a fucking boyfriend! Of course, she did. Six years had passed; she wasn’t I going to just sit around waiting for me. Still, it pissed
me off.
“Noah Rivera,” he introduced himself, holding out a hand for me to shake. “I’m so honored to be working at Archite Associate.
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Chapter 6
He worked for me. That’s interesting.
I glanced at his extended hand, not bothering to hide the lack of enthusiasm on my face. If I shook his hand, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from braking. After a few awkward seconds, he pulled it back, looking slightly embarrassed
“Which department?” I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. His face lit up, as if I’d just offered him a promotion or something
“The replied eagerly.
- IT. 1 fought the urge to roll my eyes. I could have this guy transferred to Germany, no problem, Get him as far away from her as possible. I doubted she’d follow him there. That thought alone brought a small sense of satisfaction. But it also made me realize how line I knew about her. Did she work? What did she do! Jesus, I had so much to learn about her. I hadn’t even asked her name yet.
“Are you previously acquainted?” Noah asked, looking between the two of us, clearly sensing some tension
“No.” she answered quickly, almost too quickly.
That rushed “no hung in the air, awkward and tense. I smirked, finding her panic amusing. She was so determined to distance herself from me, I wasn’t going to let her off the book that easily.
“Mr. Knight here had me confused with someone else,” she added, shooting me a pointed look, silently begging me to go along with her lie.
“Right,” I said slowly, dragging the word out. “She looks very familar to someone I had been looking for, for the last six years”
but
Her eyes widened slightly at that, a flicker of surprise passing over her face. The idea that I had been searching for her for six years seemed to catch her off guard, like the thought had never crossed her mind.
“Oh!” Noah muttered, buying the story without hesitation.
Fucking idiot
I turned my
attention back to her, ignoring Noah completely. “I didn’t quite catch your name.” I said, my voice soft but insistent
She hesitated, taking a sharp breath. Clearly, she didn’t want me knowing her name. Why? Did she really think that I was some sort of threat? Did she think that I’d chase her down if I knew her full identity? Maybe I would
“Freya,” she finally said after what felt like an eternity. Just her first name. As if that was enough to keep me at arm’s length. But it wasn’t. Not even close. I could find out everything I needed to know about her with just that little bit of information
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Freya.” I said, savoring the way her name rolled off my tongue. It felt good. Right Like I’d finally uncovered a piece of the puzzle that had been missing for so long
I nodded at both of them before turning on my heel and walking away.
Turns out I didn’t hate parties anymore.
田
SIND GIFT
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