A fate for love

Chapter 27: Campfire

Elina's eyes flew open, and she found herself staring up into Kevin's face. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, as though he had sprinted to catch her. His arms were firm around her, steadying her from the fall.

"Elina!!"

"Are you okay?!" Kevin's voice was urgent, his brow creased in concern as he searched her face for any sign of injury.

For a moment, Elina was too shocked to speak. Her mind raced, caught between the present moment and the flood of emotions she had been holding back all day. She blinked, processing what had just happened. The world around them seemed to slow, and for a brief moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the clearing.

But soon they both became aware of the eyes on them while the employees nearby had frozen in place, jaws hanging open at the sight of their usually no-nonsense CEO holding Elina like the lead in some movie.

One employee even whispered, "Is this the beginning of a workplace romance novel?" 

Flustered, Elina quickly straightened up, pulling herself away from Kevin's hold. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red—not from the fall but from the audience they had unintentionally attracted. "Thanks for... catching me, Mr. Kevin," she said, her voice too formal, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Kevin cleared his throat, switching back to professional mode instantly. "It's good you didn't get hurt, Ms. Elina." he replied, his voice lower and more composed now. He lingered for a second longer, as if he wanted to say more, but then he turned and walked away without another word, leaving behind murmurs and whispers from the stunned crowd.

While Elina sighed, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes before speed-walking to her tent.

Once inside, she was met by Clara and Aria, lounging comfortably on their sleeping bags. The instant they saw her, their faces lit up like they'd just witnessed the most entertaining scene of the year.

"Well, well, well..." Clara began, her voice dripping with playful curiosity. "Ms. Elina, care to explain how you managed to become the star of our very own office romance drama?"

Elina shot her a withering look, but Clara was unfazed. "Oh, come on," Clara continued, grinning ear to ear, "Mr. Kevin looked like his life was on risk or something. The way he sprinted to save you? I mean, swoon-worthy stuff."

Aria joined in, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "And did he really call you Elina? No 'Ms.' in front of it? Suspicious!"

Elina groaned and waved a hand dismissively. "You guys are ridiculous. I just slipped, and he helped. That's all." Her tone was firm, but Clara and Aria weren't having it.

Aria sat up dramatically. "Oh, right, just slipped. Totally normal for the CEO to perform a slow-motion dive to catch an employee in his arms. Happens every day right?"

Clara nodded, feigning seriousness. "Yeah, next thing we know, there'll be an office memo about how 'No one is allowed to slip in front of Mr. Kevin except Ms. Elina.'"

Elina narrowed her eyes, she wasn't in the mood for jokes, especially not about Kevin. "Listen, can you two please not ship me with the CEO? It's really not funny, and I don't like it as a joke."

"He would've done the same for anyone. I just happened to be the one who slipped." Her tone left no room for further teasing.

Clara and Aria exchanged quick, skeptical glances, sensing there was more to the story but also recognizing the seriousness in Elina's voice. They had expected her to blush or laugh it off, but instead, she remained calm and detached, as if the whole incident had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.