8. Racing against time

229 6 0
                                    

The late morning sun streamed through the windows of the cabin, casting a warm, golden glow over the wooden floors. Asi and Alaz sat on opposite ends of the small dining table, their laptops open, but the tension in the room had nothing to do with deadlines or project work. It was as if the air between them crackled, charged with the aftermath of what had happened that morning.

Asi could still feel the ghost of Alaz's lips on hers, the way he'd kissed her with a deliberate intensity, like he was challenging her to deny how much she wanted it. But now, in the cold light of day, she couldn't let herself get distracted. They had a project to finish, and she wasn't going to let him throw her off course.

"I'm serious, Alaz," she said, her eyes fixed on the screen in front of her. "We're late. We're supposed to have the draft ready for the presentation by tomorrow, and we haven't even finished the data analysis."

Alaz leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming lazily against the edge of the table. "We've got time," he said, his tone light, almost dismissive. "Besides, I work better under pressure."

Asi shot him a sharp look, her frustration mounting. "Well, I don't. So can we just focus for once?" She was trying to keep her voice steady, but she could hear the edge creeping in, the exasperation that seemed to bubble up every time she talked to him.

Alaz raised an eyebrow, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "You really think you can just pretend this morning didn't happen?" he asked, his voice low and teasing. "Because I'm pretty sure we both know it did."

Asi's jaw clenched, and she forced herself to look back at her laptop, even though she could feel his gaze on her, hot and relentless. "I'm not pretending anything," she said, her tone clipped. "I'm just trying to get this done, because unlike you, I actually care about passing this project."

"Oh, I care," Alaz said, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that made Asi's heart skip a beat. "I just don't see the point in stressing out when we've got all day to finish it."

"All day?" Asi scoffed, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she pulled up the schedule. "Have you even looked at the timeline? We're supposed to be presenting our findings in less than 24 hours, and we haven't even-"

"Chill, Rebellious Girl," he said, cutting her off with a lazy smile. "We've got this. You just need to loosen up a little."

Asi's eyes flashed with irritation, and she felt a sharp surge of anger, not just at him but at herself, for letting him get under her skin so easily. "Don't tell me to loosen up," she snapped, her voice rising. "I'm not the one who's been slacking off the entire weekend."

Alaz's smirk faded, and his eyes darkened, the playful edge in his gaze replaced by something more serious. "Oh, really?" he said, his tone cool. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you've been doing everything you can to avoid actually dealing with what's right in front of you."

Asi's heart pounded, and she could feel her temper flare, but she forced herself to take a deep breath, to try and stay calm. "I'm dealing with it," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to get this done so we don't fail, and all you're doing is... distracting me."

"Maybe that's because I'm the only thing that's been keeping you from driving yourself insane," he shot back, and there was an edge to his voice that made Asi's pulse quicken. "Or have you not noticed how tightly wound you are?"

She glared at him, her hands curling into fists. "You're impossible," she said, her voice shaking with frustration. "Why do you always have to make everything so difficult?"

Alaz's lips curved into a slow, smug smile, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he met her gaze head-on. "Because it's fun," he said, his voice soft but taunting. "And because, no matter how much you pretend otherwise, you like it."

Asi's breath hitched, and she felt a wave of heat rush through her, a mix of anger and something else she couldn't quite name. "You're wrong," she said, but the words sounded weak, even to her own ears. "I don't... I don't like any of this."

"Liar," Alaz murmured, his smile widening. "But that's okay. You don't have to admit it, not yet."

She wanted to argue, to tell him to shut up and leave her alone, but the truth was, she didn't have time to get sucked into another argument. They were already late, and if they didn't start working now, they were going to miss the deadline entirely.

"Fine," she said, forcing herself to focus on the screen. "You want to play games, go ahead. But I'm going to finish this project, with or without your help."

Alaz watched her for a moment, his eyes narrowing, as if he was trying to figure out what to say next. Then, without warning, he stood up, pushing his chair back with a sharp scrape against the floor. "Fine," he said, his voice suddenly serious. "Let's get it done, then."

Asi blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in his tone. "Wait... what?"

"You heard me," he said, walking over to the counter to grab his laptop. "If you're so desperate to finish this, then let's finish it. But don't expect me to sit here and pretend like last night didn't happen, because it did, and it's not going away."

Asi stared at him, caught off guard by the intensity in his voice. "I... I'm not asking you to pretend," she said, her voice softer now, unsure. "I'm just asking you to... focus."

Alaz's eyes softened, just for a moment, and he nodded. "Fine," he said again, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips, as if he was enjoying the fact that she was finally meeting him halfway. "But if we're doing this, we're doing it my way."

Asi frowned, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he said, setting his laptop down on the table and opening it, "that we're going to finish this project, but we're not going to pretend like nothing happened. You don't want to talk about it? Fine. But don't act like it didn't change anything."

She wanted to argue, to tell him that he was being ridiculous, but the truth was, she didn't have the energy. And maybe, just maybe, he was right. Maybe it was better to just... let things be, to finish what they'd started and deal with the rest later.

"Fine," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Let's just get this done."

They spent the next few hours in a tense, focused silence, working side by side as they pulled together the data, compiled their findings, and pieced together the presentation. But even as they worked, Asi could feel the buzz between them, a constant undercurrent that made it impossible to fully concentrate. Every time she glanced at Alaz, she found him watching her, his eyes dark and unreadable, and it made her heart skip a beat.

It was maddening, but it also gave her a strange sense of determination, as if she was fighting not just to finish the project, but to prove something to herself, to him. She wasn't going to let him throw her off balance, not when they were so close to the finish line.

By the time they finally saved the last slide, the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the room. Asi let out a relieved sigh, leaning back in her chair and stretching her arms over her head. "Done," she said, a small, triumphant smile on her lips. "We actually did it."

Alaz glanced over at her, and for once, there was no teasing in his eyes, no playful smirk. "Yeah," he said softly. "We did."

For a moment, they just sat there, the silence between them heavy but not uncomfortable, and Asi realized, with a strange sense of clarity, that this wasn't over. Whatever was happening between them, whatever they were fighting or avoiding, it was still there, simmering just below the surface.

And she had no idea what to do about it.

AsLaz- The Mysterious CabinWhere stories live. Discover now