Undercover Desires | G.Tomioka x Reader |

Chapter 25

The days that followed felt heavier, as if the air in the office had thickened with unspoken tension. Y/N sat at her desk, her fingers gliding over the keyboard as she worked on the latest reports, but her heart wasn't in it. Everything felt... different. Since she had started going out with Haruto, her world had shifted, but not in the way she had expected.

There was no denying that Haruto was kind, attentive, and considerate. He always knew how to make her laugh and was quick to offer a reassuring smile whenever she seemed troubled. She had thought that spending more time with him, allowing herself to try something new, would ease the unease she had felt in her heart after that night with Giyuu. After all, she had seen Giyuu with that beautiful woman—someone who clearly belonged in his world more than Y/N ever could. The image of the woman sitting on his lap still haunted her, and the hurt she had felt was something she wasn't quite ready to admit to herself.

It wasn't fair, Y/N thought bitterly. Giyuu was her boss. Whatever feelings she had developed for him were irrelevant. He had every right to his own life, his own relationships. She had no reason to feel betrayed.

But despite that reasoning, a hollow ache remained.

She glanced up at Giyuu's office door, her heart giving a small, involuntary twist. Since that day, she had been keeping her distance from him. It was easier that way, or at least that's what she told herself. It was safer to retreat behind a wall of professionalism, to treat him like the boss he was and nothing more. Personal feelings had no place in their relationship.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of facing him, but the harder part was how noticeable the shift between them had become. The once easy, albeit complicated, connection they had shared had now turned cold. Their interactions were brief, limited to necessary conversations, and Y/N kept her tone strictly professional.

And Giyuu... he hadn't reached out. He hadn't tried to fix the growing distance. He hadn't said a word about what had happened between them—or rather, what hadn't happened.

Y/N closed her eyes briefly, willing herself to focus on the work in front of her. She didn't want to think about him, but she couldn't help it. Even as she sat across the table from Haruto at a cosy restaurant the night before, her thoughts had drifted back to Giyuu, to the moments they had shared, the way his eyes had softened when he looked at her. But those moments were fleeting now, out of reach.

Haruto had been great company. He was charming, and attentive, and tried his best to make her feel comfortable. They had talked about light things—work, movies, casual conversations that didn't carry any emotional weight. But there was an undercurrent of something missing. The chemistry between them was pleasant, but it didn't spark like she had hoped.

Haruto noticed her distraction, of course. He had leaned forward, taking her hand in his with a gentle smile. "Hey, are you okay?" he had asked, his thumb tracing small circles over her knuckles.

She had forced a smile, not wanting to hurt him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

But deep down, Y/N knew it wasn't just exhaustion. It was something more—something she didn't want to admit. She wasn't sure if she could ever feel for Haruto what she had unintentionally begun to feel for Giyuu.

The sound of Giyuu's office door opening brought her back to the present. She looked up to see him stepping out, his expression as unreadable as ever. He glanced around the office before his eyes briefly landed on her. The moment stretched, a heartbeat too long, and Y/N quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in her work. Her pulse quickened, her body betraying her attempts to remain indifferent.

Giyuu stood still for a moment, as if contemplating whether to approach her. There was something in his eyes—something unreadable, conflicted, almost hesitant—but he quickly masked it. Without a word, he walked past her, heading toward the lifts.

The familiar ache in her chest returned. She had thought distancing herself from him would make things easier, but it only seemed to make the weight in her heart heavier.

---

Later that evening, Y/N found herself sitting across from Haruto once again, this time at a small café near the office. The warmth of the coffee in her hands should have been comforting, but all she felt was an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. She was trying to focus on the conversation, trying to enjoy her time with him, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Giyuu.

Haruto was talking about something from work, his eyes bright with enthusiasm, but Y/N barely registered his words. Her mind kept replaying the image of Giyuu's expression earlier that day—the brief glance they had shared before he had walked away. She hated how much it affected her, how much her emotions seemed to be tied to him despite everything.

"You're quiet today," Haruto observed, his voice breaking through her thoughts.

Y/N blinked, looking up at him. She offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm just a bit distracted."

"Is it work? Or... something else?" His tone was gentle, but there was a trace of concern in his eyes.

She hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Haruto had been nothing but kind to her. He deserved her attention, her effort. But it was getting harder to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her mind that kept pulling her in a different direction.

"It's just... everything, I guess," she said vaguely. "Work's been stressful, and I think I'm still processing everything that happened."

Haruto reached across the table, taking her hand. "You've been through a lot. It's completely understandable if you need more time. I'm here for you, Y/N. You don't have to go through this alone."

Y/N smiled softly, appreciating his support. He was offering her everything she should want—kindness, patience, understanding. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. The connection she had with Haruto was comfortable, but it didn't set her heart racing the way Giyuu did. It wasn't the kind of overwhelming, all-consuming feeling she had come to realise she had for Giyuu.

The weight of that realisation hit her hard.

She was falling for Giyuu, despite everything. Despite the danger, despite the walls he had built around himself, despite the fact that he likely didn't feel the same way. It wasn't fair to Haruto, and it wasn't fair to herself.

As they finished their coffee and prepared to leave the café, Y/N couldn't help but feel the weight of her own emotions dragging her down. She had made a choice—to distance herself from Giyuu, to pursue something safer, something less complicated with Haruto. But the more she tried to move forward, the more she felt trapped by her own feelings.

---

The next day at the office, Y/N continued to maintain her distance from Giyuu. Their interactions had become so formal, so devoid of the underlying tension that had once been there. She could tell he had noticed the shift, but he didn't push. He simply let her keep her space, though there was a certain coldness in his demeanour now that hadn't been there before.

Every time they spoke, she kept it strictly professional—discussing work-related matters only, never allowing the conversation to drift into anything personal. It was as if a wall had been built between them, and Y/N wasn't sure if it could ever be taken down.

As the days passed, Y/N found herself questioning her decision more and more. She had wanted to protect herself, to avoid getting hurt. But in doing so, she had created a distance between herself and the person she couldn't stop thinking about.

And it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the fact that she wasn't happy.

Not with Haruto. Not with the choices she had made.

Not with the growing distance between her and Giyuu.

She glanced over at Giyuu's office once again, her heart heavy with uncertainty. She had thought that by keeping her distance, she could move on. But now, she wasn't so sure.

And as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, her heart kept pulling her back toward him.