“How did you know? How did you know it was him?”
Garros sits hunched over, fidgeting with his hands. If hedoesn’t like where this conversation is headed, he can go fuck himself.
“I’d recognise his work anywhere,” he mutters.
“But you didn’t want to tell the police,” I say, keeping my eyes fixed on him.
He hesitates before answering, his voice low. “No.”
I get up from my chair.
This subject pisses me off. I already have the answer I wanted. Garros knew the truth from the beginning.
“Wait,” he calls out, moving closer to the glass between us.
“I have nothing else to say, Julian.”
He shifts as if to stand, but a security guard steps in, holding him back. As I walk away, I can feel Garros’s eyes locked on me, watching me until the very last moment.
I no longer care. I make my way back to the car without looking back, and a smile tugs at my lips when I see Bastian waiting for me by the door. He swings the car keys with one hand as he watches me approach.
“Did it go well?” he asks, smiling like a kid.
My heart flutters, and I try my best to keep my composure. I can’t run to him and just plant a kiss on his parted lips, so plump, so inviting, so…
So, instead, I steal the keys from him and, grinning, I say: “Let’s go, we’ve got a move to do.”
Chapter 46
My office is packed with moving boxes, and I can’t help but wonder how I managed to cram so much into such a small space in just a few months. One box is crammed with jackets, but that’s André’s fault. He can be fussy about the AC. They’re in every colour, just to match whatever I’m wearing. Another box is filled with flat shoes. Sometimes, I just can’t deal with heels.
Bastian watches me pack with an amused smirk.
“Why are you bothering to pack everything?” he asks.
“I have to take some of it home,” I reply, eyeing theboxes stuffed with clothes. “If I leave them here, I’ll run out of space as soon as the seasons change again.”
He bursts out laughing, the sound hearty and full of amusement.
“Well,” he says, knocking lightly on the door, his voice soft, “I’ve moved my stuff. The office is all yours.”
I nod, caught in his gaze, aching to run to him and share everything I keep inside.
But I don’t. I can’t.
“Thanks.”
For a moment, we just stare at each other, the air thick between us. My pulse quickens, and I’m the first to break, glancing away.
“I still have to finish up,” I mumble, bending down to grab a folder from the floor, hoping it distracts me.
Bastian knocks on the door again, his voice lower this time. “Okay,” he murmurs, almost like he doesn’t want to leave.
Then, he walks over, his footsteps barely making a sound against the wooden floor. My heart races as he closes the distance between us, and his lips stop just inches away before clashing against mine.
I realise I want this. I had missed Bastian’s touch like a flower craves sunlight after a long winter, so I grab his collar and tug him closer, and this time the kiss doesn’t end right away. He melts into it, his hands finding my waist, the moment stretching warm and slow until I almost forget to breathe. He smiles against my mouth, and I kiss him again just to feel it. His fingers brush my cheek, just lightly enough to make my heart trip over itself. For a second, the whole world tilts, warm and dizzy and way too easy to fall into.
And that’s exactly why I break it.
