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Nonetheless, she needed to hear it from him. She needed to understand so the tiny flicker of wishful thinking that was bursting to life inside of her could be quelled, once and for all.
With legs that weren’t quite steady, she moved towards his office, knocking once. This time, she waited. It didn’t feel right to barge in.
A few moments later, she heard his sigh. “I’ve told you, Alex, if you need to see me, just –,” he wrenched the door inwards and stopped talking. “You’re not Alex.”
She could only stare at him. He was exactly the same, but different too. His eyes were guarded, his expression tight. He looked at her with an emotion she couldn’t place. Mistrust? Uncertainty? Her heart slammed into her ribs.
“Bronte. You’re back?”
She wished she’d brought some papers with her, anything she could hold, that could give her the pretext for having come to his office. She hadn’t, and if this was going to work, they needed to establish a new footing, anyway.
“Come in.”
She shook her head, staying right where she was. “I saw an email. You’re – staying here?”
“In London? Yes.”
Her lips parted. She felt dizzy and far too warm. “But, why?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed visibly as he swallowed. “During the takeover, it makes sense,” he said, confirming what Alex had told her. “We’re expecting some difficulties as we wrangle their corporate structure in line with ours. Given that they’re a UK registered enterprise, and their executive board is based here, it just makes sense for me to be so as well.”
She dug her fingernails into her palms, surprised by the strong urge to burst into tears.
“Will that be a problem?”
Her eyes lifted to his, her features a mask of uncertainty. “I – don’t know.”
His lips tightened into a grim line. “I see.”
She fidgeted her fingers at her side and his eyes dropped to the gesture. “Why don’t you come in, Bronte? This is a conversation I’d prefer to have in private.”
But all Bronte could think about was what had happened the last time she was in his office. Her eyes shifted to the armchair and, as if reading her thoughts, he looked over his shoulder. When he turned back to face her, she saw a glimpse of something else in his features.
Sadness.
Her heart cracked.
What had started out as a good deed had turned into this – two people hurting. But why? Why was he looking as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders?
“This won’t take long.”
She bit down on her lip and nodded. If they were going to be working together then they had to find a way to make that happen.
“Fine.” She waited for him to take a step back, only then did she cross the threshold of his office.
She focussed on his desk; that felt safe.
“Would you like a drink?”
She shook her head. This was like ripping off the worst Band-Aid of her life. She just wanted it dealt with. “This will be fine, Luca. If you’re worried about how I’ll cope working with you, it won’t be an issue. What we were doing – it was just – a fling. And it’s over now.”
God, she was a terrible liar. But he nodded slowly, apparently not doubting the sincerity of her words. “I know.”
Of course he knew! It had never even been a thing for him.
“You haven’t applied for any of the positions HR put your name down for.”
She shook her head. “Did you do that because you don’t want to work with me?”
