Bitter Love

Chapter 26: Evaluating

Evie's POV

I sat at my desk, trying to focus on the report in front of me, but the words blurred together. My mind kept drifting back to the meeting. To him. His eyes on me.

Every time I’d looked up, there he was—leaning back in his chair, his gaze locked on me like I was the only thing in the room. I tried not to acknowledge it, tried to keep talking like I wasn’t aware of his scrutiny, but damn it, how could I not feel it? His eyes—those damn blue eyes—felt like they were burning into my skin, following every word, every movement I made.

I shifted in my seat, trying to readjust, but the heat in my chest wouldn’t go away. He’d been watching me the entire time, and when I caught him... when our eyes met, for that brief, heart-stopping second... it was like the whole room had disappeared.

His stare was intense, like he was studying me—like I was something to be figured out. And every time our eyes locked, my pulse had surged, like I was on the edge of something, something I didn’t quite understand.

I could feel my fingers twitching with the need to do something—anything—so I grabbed my pen, twisting it in my hand. My mind tried to pull me back, to focus on the work, on what I was supposed to be doing, but it was like I couldn’t stop thinking about that moment.

How his jaw tightened when he looked at me. How his throat worked as if he was swallowing something down. His eyes—blue and sharp—lingered on me longer than they should have. I could still see the faint trace of the tension in his expression when I’d glanced at him, a flicker in his gaze—like he didn’t want to look away.

But that wasn’t possible, right? He was my boss. He was just evaluating me.

Still, my heart kept racing. I couldn't stop replaying it over and over again, like a broken record. The way his gaze had drifted lower... to my lips. The heat that had shot through me, sharp and sudden, like I was being pulled in against my will.

I pressed my fingers to my forehead, trying to calm myself down, but the heat in my cheeks wouldn’t fade. I could still feel his stare burning me, like he was right there in the room, his eyes on me, watching me.

I bit my lip, trying to shake off the feeling, but it wouldn’t go away. He hadn’t said much, but the way he’d looked at me… It was like he’d seen something I wasn’t ready for. Something I didn’t want him to see.

My breath caught in my throat, and I quickly forced myself to focus again. But my hands were trembling, my mind too scattered. I couldn’t stop the sensation of his eyes on me. It felt like they were still there, even though I was sitting alone in my office.

The ache in my chest wouldn’t subside. I could still feel it—his presence, his stare, like it was still wrapped around me.

I slammed my pen down, breathing a little too fast. This is ridiculous. Get it together, Evie.

But it was no use. I couldn’t shake it off. I couldn’t shake him off.

I closed my eyes, trying to find some kind of calm, but the heat on my skin still lingered. Every time I thought of his gaze, the intensity of it, my body responded. My heart would race again, my breath coming quicker, like I was still standing there in front of him.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the racing thoughts in my head. It means nothing, I told myself. He’s just your boss. He was probably evaluating your work, nothing more.

I repeated it in my mind like a mantra, hoping it would stick. It didn’t.

I opened the report again, forcing my eyes to the words on the page, trying to block out the memory of his gaze. But my hands wouldn’t stop shaking, the pen slipping a little in my grip as I tried to read.

I could almost feel his eyes on me again, like they were still burning into the back of my neck. I gritted my teeth and slammed the pen down on the desk, taking another breath. Focus.

But the room felt different now, charged in a way that it hadn’t been before. Like the walls were closing in a little, like I could still feel his presence, his stare, weighing down on me even though he wasn’t there.

It’s nothing. Just focus on the work, Evie. Focus.

I forced myself to look at the next task on my list. But every word I read just felt like noise. All I could hear was the faint echo of his voice in my mind, all I could see was the flash of those blue eyes, intense and steady. It didn’t matter how many times I told myself it meant nothing. It wasn’t working.

I rubbed my temples, fighting the tension that had started to creep back in. I had to snap out of it, had to put it behind me.

Get it together.

The words barely made it past my lips before I groaned inwardly. I couldn’t concentrate. My thoughts kept drifting right back to him.

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