The Line Between Us - Alejandro Balde Love Story

Chapter 12: Midnight Tensions

The clock on the wall ticked past midnight, and the studio was nearly empty. Most of the crew had gone home, leaving only a few of us behind to finish the day's final touches. I should've been exhausted, but the adrenaline of the shoot and the tension between Alejandro and me had me wide awake.

Alejandro sat across from me at the large worktable, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. The soft glow of the computer illuminated his face, casting shadows over his sharp jawline. He was quiet, which was unsettling in itself. I'd grown used to his teasing remarks, the way he always seemed to know exactly how to push my buttons. But tonight, there was a strange intensity in the air, something heavier than the banter we usually shared.

I tried to focus on my own work, but every now and then, I caught myself glancing at him, my eyes lingering a little too long on the way his hands moved over the keyboard, the way his brows furrowed in concentration. The silence between us was thick, charged with an unspoken tension that had been building for days.

"This campaign is really pushing us," Alejandro muttered after a while, breaking the silence. His voice was low, almost a whisper in the quiet room.

I nodded, not trusting myself to say much. I could feel his gaze on me now, the weight of it sending shivers down my spine. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, suddenly all too aware of how close we were.

"You seem... distracted," he said, his voice taking on that familiar teasing edge.

"I'm not," I lied, keeping my eyes glued to my screen. But I wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Alejandro.

He stood up and walked over to me, his presence looming just a little too close. I could feel the heat radiating off his body as he leaned over the table, his arm brushing against mine ever so slightly as he reached for a folder. It was a small touch, but it sent a jolt of electricity through me, making my breath catch in my throat.

"You're definitely distracted," he murmured, his voice dangerously close to my ear now.

I clenched my jaw, determined not to let him get under my skin again. "I'm trying to work."

"Really?" His tone was laced with amusement. "Because you've been staring at the same document for the past ten minutes."

I finally looked up, ready to snap back at him, but the words died on my lips when our eyes met. He was so close, his dark gaze locked on mine with an intensity that sent my heart racing. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened, the way my body seemed to respond to him without my permission.

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" I asked, my voice coming out more breathless than I intended.

Alejandro's lips quirked into a small, knowing smile. "I'm serious right now."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny the tension crackling between us. It felt like we were on the edge of something—something I wasn't sure I was ready for.

"Back off," I warned, but even to my own ears, my voice sounded weak.

He didn't move, didn't step away like I'd expected. Instead, he leaned in closer, his face just inches from mine. I could feel his breath on my skin, could smell the faint scent of his cologne. My heart pounded in my chest as his eyes flicked down to my lips for the briefest moment before meeting mine again.

"Tell me to stop, and I will," he whispered, his voice low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine.

I opened my mouth to say something—to tell him to back off, to remind him that this was just work—but no words came out. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and frustration, and the truth was, I didn't want him to stop.

The air between us seemed to grow heavier with each passing second. My eyes darted from his eyes to his lips, my pulse quickening as I realized how close we were. His hand moved, almost instinctively, to my waist, resting there with a lightness that made my skin tingle.

"Alejandro..." I whispered, not sure if it was meant as a warning or something else entirely. But he didn't move. Instead, his hand tightened ever so slightly on my waist, pulling me closer.

"I've tried to stay away from you, Isa," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "But it's impossible."

His words sent my mind spinning, and for a moment, all I could think about was how easy it would be to close the gap between us. How easy it would be to let go, to give in to the undeniable chemistry that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long.

But just as the space between us seemed to shrink, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, jolting us back to reality.

I pulled away abruptly, my heart racing, my cheeks flushed with both frustration and something else—something I wasn't ready to admit. Alejandro stepped back too, though the look in his eyes was still intense, his breathing just as uneven as mine.

"Saved by the footsteps," he muttered, a trace of a smirk returning to his lips.

I glared at him, trying to regain my composure. "This isn't a game, Alejandro."

"Who said it was?" His voice was serious now, the teasing gone, and that only made the moment even more confusing.

I didn't know how to respond, so I turned back to my computer, pretending to focus on my work. But the reality was, there was no shaking the heat between us. The lines between professionalism and whatever this was had blurred, and I didn't know how to fix it.

Alejandro lingered for a moment longer before stepping away, returning to his own space at the table. The silence that followed was thick with unspoken words, the weight of what almost happened pressing down on me.

But as the night stretched on, one thing became clear: this was far from over. And I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep pretending I didn't want more.