“I know. She’s—”
“My boss,” Eslin finishes sharply, her gaze finally snapping to mine.
I swallow hard. “Painfully aware,” I murmur.
Her arms fold across her chest, her posture all steel and self-control. “And I would never betray my ethics for someflingwith a guy I met once in Vegas.”
The word hits like a punch. Fling.
Ouch.
Because it was never that to me. Not for a second.
I nod slowly, forcing the words out. “I understand. I would never ask you to betray your values or ethics for me, Eslin. I respect you too much.”
She exhales, shoulders sagging slightly. “You’ve been avoiding me, huh?”
A humorless laugh escapes me. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“And that was you...on the sidewalk that day?” she asks softly.
I nod again, no point in pretending. “Yes. You were outside of HollyDates. Wearing a burnt orange suit.”
Her lips twitch, something fragile flickering across her face. “Good memory.”
“Impossible to forget.”
She hesitates, fingers fidgeting—tangling and untangling like she’s trying to hold something in or delicately unfold it.
“Do you…do you live in my building, too? Or were you visiting one of yourfriends?”
I meet her gaze head-on, steady. “I live in the building. It’s just me.”
And even though it’s pointless to say it—dangerous, even—I need her to know.
“There is no one else.”
No one but her.
Her fingers clench again, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
“I... I need to say something.” Her voice cracks.
“Okay.” I step closer, pulse pounding. “Say it.”
She smiles—small, sad—and I catch the faint shimmer of a tear in her eye before she blinks it back.
“That night in Vegas...” her voice wavers but she pushes through, “it was everything I imagined it would be. The way we walked and talked for hours, sharing truths without fear of being judged or rejected. It was magical. And it broke my heart when I couldn’t have more. Couldn’t carry it home with me.”
She draws in a shaky breath. “But now that I’ve met Marlow, I get it. I understand why keeping your word to her is so important.”
“Eslin—”
But she holds up a hand, cutting me off. “So I need you to stay hidden, Grant. Keep avoiding me.Please.”
She’s begging. And fuck—it’s breaking her heart just as much as it’s breaking mine. Again.
I swallow hard, forcing down the knot lodged in my throat. “Okay.”