Do not cross the line

Chapter 31

Gabble of people talking surrounded you, the happy talk and laugh here and there were all just an echo in your ears when you were sitting in the table, wine glass front of you, your finger making circles on the edge of it.

Melanie was sitting opposite you, she was talking to you about something but you couldn't hear anything.

You were deep in your own thoughts. Your own thoughts which were in Sam.

It was right to send him away, right?

Of course it was right, it was just a stupid fuck you two had. Nothing serious. Just the moment of giving into lust.

At least that's how you tried to convince yourself.

Somehow you could hear in somewhere between the noises, you heard your own name, which snapped your head up to look at Melanie, who looked at you worried expression on her face.

"What is it?" - she asked with the soft tone, as you shook your head when trying to gather your thoughts.

"Nothing."

"Don't try to bullshit with me." - Melanie said frustrated, which surprised you, she was normally so calm and sweet girl.

"You have been quiet the whole time, in some other planet, not listening to a word I've been saying."

Frown appearing to your face, you swallowed before taking a sip from your wine as trying to figure what to say to her.

You couldn't tell her about Sam. That you fucked your boss and how he hurt you by fucking someone else.

"There is this... One man..." - you started, maybe not saying names will keep your secret safe?

"Something happened between us but..." - your brows knitted together when your chest cringed from the pain. - "But then he fucked another girl."

You licked your lips to moisten them, when they felt suddenly dry as a desert, as the pain in your chest only grew.

"Oh, okay." - was all that Melanie said, as she sipped her own drink.

"You seem to like him very much then huh?" - she continued after putting her glass down, you finally answering her gaze, looking her into her eyes, as you nodded as an answer.

She sighed and took another sip while thinking of what she should say.

"And... Do you think he likes you back?"

The memory of all the things Sam had said to you, how he needed you, cared you and wanted you crawled to your mind, made you hard to breathe when something got stuck on your throat, and you tried to ease the feeling by rubbing it gently.

"At least he told me so."

"And the... Another woman?" - Melanie asked: - "Did she meant something to him?"

You shook your head; - "He said is just a girl he fucked once in a while."

Melanie moved in her chair to get a better position, as she sighed with a puff, clearly thinking.

"Who is he?"

You closed your eyes, this was why you didn't want to talk about this. Because you couldn't tell who he is. Melanie wouldn't understand.

Shaking your head you looked back at Melanie while the quiet sound left you; - "I can't tell you that."

Melanie looked around, then she leaned little over the table to get closer you; - "Is he someone from the office?"

Your expression revealed you, as you saw how Melanie's eyes widened from the shock, before she leaned away again, starting to spun her wine in her glass.

You closed your eyes with a frown, feeling how your heart beat rapidly in your chest.

If you had forgiven Sam, the risks of you two getting caught were big, and that would have costed your career, what you had been building for so many years.

But somehow you had a feeling that this felt so much worse than ending of your career.

"I... I think you should forgive him." - you snapped your eyes open when you heard Melanie finally opening her mouth again, the blood in your veins running faster.

*I mean..." - Melanie sighed; - "If the other woman didn't mean anything to him, you should try and see if you two could work out."

There was a little bit of sadness in her tone when she spoke, not having any eye contact with you when she talked.

"I don't know anything about how deep your feelings are, but I can see that this bothers you a lot. So I think you should forgive him and try." - she finally raised her eyes from her glass to met yours.

You took a sip of your wine, putting the glass back on the table while thinking her words. Could she be right?

When you arrived home you threw your bag to the couch sat down to it, selecting your favorite tv-show from Netflix, hoping it would keep your mind away from Sam and the pain for a while.

Of course, it didn't work.

You found yourself staring blankly the screen, not paying attention to what was happening on it

You tried to pound your options between of hanging in the studio for another week before you could go back to your regular job, not to see Sam anymore, and the risks, if you forgave Sam and you two started dating.

Nobody didn't need to know about you two if you acted as a boss and a worker for your last week at the studio, nobody wouldn't realize if you see each other outside of the work.

You two could hold your hands off from each other while being in the office.

Right?

Expect you couldn't when you were stuck in that lift.

But it was a dead end, stuck with him in a small space when the building was empty.

It would be a different situation when the building was full of people, no any privacy anywhere, a huge risk to get caught.

You leaned the back of your head to the couch, staring at the ceiling.

It will be just a week before you leave the studio.

Maybe it would be better to wait until that is over, and you can return to your old life.