Natal

chapter 03:The Flame Ignites

"Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find light when all grows dark"

-Pierce Brown, Golden Son

let'scontinue:

...
Toto finds himself growing more and more intrigued by Lydia as they continue to work closely together. But as feelings start to blossom, they find themselves grappling with the blurred lines between professional and personal. As their attraction deepens, tensions rise, and sparks fly.

Also Lydia found herself falling deeper and deeper into the complex web of emotions she felt around Toto. She tried to concentrate on her work, but her thoughts constantly drifted back to the small moments they shared a smile, a lingering glance, a brush of their hands.

Toto, too, was struggling to maintain his usual detached demeanor. He found himself making excuses to spend more time with her, to prolong their conversations and find subtle way: to make her smile.

As the day drew to a close, Toto found himself lingering after everyone else had left for the day. He wanted a moment alone with Lydia, to express the emotions that had been building up inside him.

He found her sorting through some paperwork at her desk, her head bent over the forms. He hovered in the doorway, watching her for a moment before speaking up.
"Lydia.." he said softly, breaking the silence.

She looked up, startled for a moment before a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Toto.." she replied, straightening up in her chair. "What are you still doing here? It's late."

Toto took a step closer, his expression serious. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Lydia's heart skipped a beat, a flutter of nerves and anticipation settling in her stomach. She set the papers aside, her full attention on him now. "What is it?"

Toto took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he was about to say. "I... I can't stop thinking about you," he confessed, his voice low and rough. "I've tried to ignore it, to keep things professional, but I can't deny it anymore."

Lydia's eyes widened, her heart racing. She had suspected his feelings, had seen the glances and the subtle touches that hinted at more than just a professional relationship, but hearing him say it out loud was different. Exciting, but also a little terrifying.

"Toto.." she began, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"Let me finish" he insisted, his gaze intense. "I know this is unconventional. We're coworkers, we have a working relationship. But I can't keep pretending that what's between us is nothing more than that."

Lydia's mind was spinning, her thoughts a chaotic jumble of emotions. She had always been attracted to Toto, had felt the pull between them, but she had never allowed herself to imagine it could be something more.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way" Toto continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "If this is too much, if you want me to forget everything I just said, then I will. We can go back to just being colleagues and nothing more. But I had to tell you the truth."

Lydia could see the vulnerability in his eyes, the fear of rejection lurking behind his confident facade. And in that moment, she knew that she couldn't pretend anymore either.

She stepped closer to him, her heart pounding in her chest. "I... I feel it too" she admitted, her voice trembling. "This... this thing between us. I've been trying to deny it, but it's there."

Toto's eyes flared with hope and relief. He reached out and carefully took her hand in his, his touch gentle and reverent. "So what now?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Lydia hesitated for a moment, torn between the logical part of her brain that was screaming at her to be careful, and the reckless, emotional part that wanted to throw caution to the wind.

Finally, she took a deep breath and met his gaze, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "I don't know!! " she confessed. "I know we're walking into dangerous territory here. We could lose everything we've worked for. Our jobs, our reputation."

Toto nodded, his thumb tracing slow, circular patterns on the back of her hand. "I know..." he said, his voice quieter. "But I can't ignore this any longer. I can't pretend that you're just someone I work with. You... you've become more than that. You're all I think about, day and night."

Lydia felt her heart swell with a mixture of hope and trepidation. She knew that this could end badly, that their actions would have consequences if they weren't careful. But at the same time, she couldn't deny the feelings that had been building between them, the fire that had been smoldering and now threatened to consume them both.

"I'm scared" she whispered, her eyes searching his. "I'm scared of what could happen if we take this further. But I'm more scared of walking away and never knowing what could have been."

Lydia's breath hitched in her throat. She had never heard him sound so vulnerable, so open and sincere. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, the intensity in his gaze, and it took everything she had to stay grounded in the moment instead of getting lost in the fire of the feelings that burned between them.

Toto took a step closer, closing the already small gap between them. He cupped her chin with his free hand, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "Tell me you want more too" he murmured, his thumb tracing along her jawline. "Tell me I'm not alone in this."

Lydia swallowed hard, her body thrumming with a mixture of emotions. She could feel the heat of his touch, the tenderness in his expression, and she knew that she was lost. She was powerless to resist him, and she didn't want to.

"You're not alone" she whispered, her voice shaking. "I want more too. I want... you."

...
(the end of the chapter)

love.
xoxo🫦

(lily gonna melt here hehe!)