Some kisses change everything.
The night had cracked something open between them-quiet and dangerous. But morning came with new eyes watching, old names reappearing, and unspoken lines being redrawn.
And Maya? She was about to find out that sometimes, the past doesn’t knock.
It just… pulls up a chair.
“Mr. Miller, your briefing is in an hour,” Trina said, voice ever-professional as she stepped forward. “Please feel free to enjoy breakfast with us while you wait.”
Ethan smiled, eyes still on Maya.
“Would love to.”
But when he moved to sit near her, Damien spoke.
“There’s space at the end,” he said, tone mild but final.
Ethan paused, just slightly.
Then nodded and moved down the table.
Maya didn’t look at Damien.
But she felt him-close and consuming.
And though no one said it aloud….
Everyone felt it.
The air was no longer just humid.
It was charged.
Maya’s breath hitched. She could feel Damien’s silent claim, like a tether pulling her closer even when she wanted to pull away.
And then there was Ethan-his eyes held something more than nostalgia; a quiet obsession
that hadn’t dimmed with time.
No matter how much time had passed, some things-some feelings-never really faded.
Damien didn’t touch his food again.
1/3
–
71 Garden of Despis |
Clam
Didn’t need to. The heat under his collar was already simmering with every casual word Ethan Miller directed at Maya.
The man was all smooth polish-perfect smile, tailored charm, a gleam in his eye like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine. The kind of man who thrived on being noticed. The kind who always assumed he had a shot.
Damien kept his gaze down, but his ears were tuned like a blade.
“…you were always sketching in the back row. That café near campus-the one with the cheap lattes-you practically lived there, remember?”
Maya’s voice answered softly, “Yeah, I guess I did.”
The words were light, almost careless, but Damien caught the flicker of hesitation in her
eyes.
And then-she laughed.
Soft. Too soft.
It wasn’t her real laugh. Not the kind she gave Ashcroft, or the one she’d given Damien that morning, that full-bodied, unguarded laugh that bloomed from somewhere honest.
This one was different. Tight around the edges. Like she didn’t quite know where to place herself.
Damien didn’t like it.
He didn’t like the way Ethan leaned in across the table-elbows propped, body angled, eyes fixed on her like he still had a place in her life. Like she was some unfinished story he meant
to rewrite.
And the others noticed. Their glances were subtle, but curious. Watching. Reading between lines that didn’t belong to them.
Damien took a slow sip of water, not for thirst-but for control. Something to do with his hands. Something to stop him from reaching across the table and snapping the tension in
two.
Focus.
Maya’s posture wasn’t as relaxed as it seemed. Not to him.
He saw it-the slight stiffness in her neck, the way her fingers curled once under the table before smoothing over her lap. Her smile stayed in place, but her replies were clipped, her
Our 21 Garden of Dochts-1
eyes darting just a beat too quickly between faces.
Clapt
Ethan kept talking anyway. As if the years hadn’t passed. As if her discomfort didn’t matter.
And then-Maya’s fingers brushed his under the table.
A quiet, searching touch. No flourish. No show.
Just a hand finding his.
Damien froze.
It wasn’t a performance. Wasn’t for the team, or for Ethan, or for the conversation unraveling around them.
It was for him.
A pulse of warmth, silent and certain. Her way of anchoring him. Of saying I know.
He turned his palm slowly beneath hers and laced their fingers together, pulling their joined hands toward him-not far, just enough. A small shift. A private declaration.
Maya didn’t pull away.
She didn’t look at him either. But her thumb began to stroke gently over his, like she could feel the storm behind his silence. Like she wanted to be the one to calm it.
Comments
LUCK DRAW >
533
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.