Disloyalty

- So Strange -

It's strange how everything can change in just a week. A month ago, my life felt like it was stuck in slow motion—dull, directionless, and weighed down by the same routine. 

But now? It's like stepping into an entirely different reality.

I boarded the same plane that had taken us to the Alps, but this time, the air felt different. One thing was clear: Henry wasn't with us. 

The thought of him tugged at me unexpectedly. I hadn't spared him much thought over the past few days, too caught up in life. 

Too caught up in Andrew.

The unresolved tension between Andrew and Henry gnawed at the back of my mind. Andrew's explanations had been vague at best, and I was too scared to press for more.

And then there was Andrew.

The thought of him kissing me sent a rush of warmth through me, and I couldn't help but smile. Butterflies stirred in my stomach, the memory still fresh enough to make my cheeks flush.

Andrew slid into the seat beside me, tossing his bag onto the one in front of him. His presence was magnetic, pulling me from my thoughts as he glanced over.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, his voice low and teasing.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, though my lips betrayed me with an even bigger smile.

He raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Smiling about this?"he leaned in, his hand finding the back of my neck as he pulled me toward him. His lips met mine in a kiss that was soft, deliberate, and utterly disarming.

I melted into him, forgetting everything until the sound of footsteps snapped me back to reality. Charlotte and my mum were boarding the plane. I panicked, and I pushed Andrew back into his seat.

He chuckled at my flustered reaction, leaning back with a grin that sent my heart racing.

Charlotte glanced over at us, her expression softening as she caught sight of Andrew's smile. It struck me how rare it must be for her to see him like this.

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I turned my head slightly, my gaze landing on Andrew beside me. His laptop glowed softly in the dim cabin, the light casting sharp lines and shadows across his face.

Just me and him were awake Charlotte and my mum had fallen asleep.

 His brow furrowed slightly in concentration, and his fingers moved deftly across the keyboard, as though he was solving a problem only he could see.

For a moment, I just watched him.

The angle of his jaw, the way his lips pressed together in thought, the soft rise and fall of his chest as he worked—it all felt impossibly intimate, like I was seeing a version of him he rarely showed the world.

A pang of something unfamiliar stirred in me, a mix of gratitude and disbelief. How did I end up here, next to him? What were the odds that after everything, it would be Andrew—the boy who once drove me mad, the man I couldn't seem to stop thinking about—who made my heart race?

The glow from his screen flickered as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He caught me staring, and a slow, knowing smile curved his lips.

"what" he said, he could probably feel me starring.

"What are we going to do about work?" I finally asked, breaking the silence between us.

"Nothing," he replied simply, his tone calm.

"What if people find out?" I pressed. "You know, about me dating the boss? It won't look good."

Andrew's hand left the steering wheel and landed on my leg, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through me. I stiffened, caught off guard by the intimacy of it, but the butterflies in my stomach betrayed me.

"It's fine," he said, his voice steady and sure.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from his hand, the veins in his wrist mesmerizing. My thoughts spiraled.

 I barely knew this version of Andrew—the confident, commanding man sitting next to me wasn't the boy I remembered. He was someone entirely new, yet achingly familiar, it feels like im 

I feel like I need to know him more.

"Why did you kiss me?" The question tumbled out before I could stop it, and I immediately regretted it.

Andrew smirked "Why did you kiss me back?"

Oh. Right.

I scrambled for a follow-up. "Was it random, or... have you been wanting to do that for a while?" My voice faltered, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded.

He glanced at me, a small smile curving his lips. "You really didn't see it, did you? I thought I made it obvious."

"See what?"

"When we were younger, I liked you. A lot. I thought it was just a stupid crush, something I'd grow out of. But as I got older, you were all I could think about. Most of the time, anyway."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks as his words sank in.

"I wasn't exactly the most popular kid," he continued. "And I definitely wasn't the easiest person to like. But you didn't care. You always talked to me, treated me like I mattered."

"That day we fought and you walked away..." His voice softened, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of the boy he used to be. "I called your name. I was going to tell you how I felt, but you didn't turn around. After that, I thought maybe it was for the best...But even after that, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And then, out of nowhere, you came back into my life. It was like everything I'd tried to bury just came running back."

"How could I resist you, Mia? I've been trying to stay in control, but the moment I kissed you... I lost it. And I don't think I'll ever get it back."

All this time, Andrew had been holding onto feelings I never even noticed.

And now, I realised that maybe they were there for me too, but I always ignored them. because when I kissed him it felt like finding something that had been lost for years.