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I felt a lump form in my throat. “I can’t see you tonight,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
There was a long pause before he spoke again. “Oh.”
I could hear the disappointment in his voice and it made me ache. I wanted to make it up to him, to show him that I did care about him, but I couldn’t risk my career for a fling.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice breaking. “I just have so much work to catch up on.”
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice soothing. “I understand.”
There was another pause before he spoke again. “I miss you,” he said, his voice low.
My heart skipped a beat at his words, but I didn’t respond. I didn’t know how to.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked, his voice hopeful.
“I don’t know,” I said, hesitating. “I have so much work to do.”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” he said, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper.
I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t risk it. “I’ll have to think about it,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Okay,” he said, his voice resigned. “Just let me know.”
I hung up the phone, feeling guilty and conflicted. I knew that I couldn’t keep leading Zorak on, but I couldn’t deny the attraction between us.
I knew that I needed to focus on my career, but my mind kept drifting back to him. I needed to figure out what I wanted before I made any decisions.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. When I opened them again, I saw that my phone was still in my hand. I hesitated for a moment before putting it back in my pocket. I needed to focus on this new case, even if it meant putting my personal life on hold for a while.
As I began to dig into the case, my mind gradually cleared. This was what I was good at, what I knew. It was what I was supposed to be doing.
I stayed late that night, both because I needed to and because I was trying to drown my guilt with legal jargon. Even worse, I didn’t hear from Zorak again after our phone call. I shouldn’t have expected anything from him, but it seemed that I had grown used to having him around.
I wasn’t sure what to do with that, so I buried my head in my work and chose to ignore it. But I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep doing that.
Chapter 19
Zorak
As the twilight hues of T’rra’s sky faded into the inky embrace of night, I found myself wandering the city’s twisting streets, each step echoing the turmoil within me. The distant hum of traffic was drowned out by the cacophony of emotions reverberating through our soulmate bond. Vanessa’s internal struggle, a tempest of doubt and frustration, clawed at the walls I had built around my own feelings. I had vowed to give her space, to let her decide the course of our relationship, but the empathic connection between us refused to grant me respite.
Compelled by an overwhelming urge, I made my way to stand before Vanessa’s apartment building. The soft glow of her living room light spilled onto the sidewalk, a beacon in the night that pulled at my heart. I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest, before ascending the stairs to her floor. As I approached her door, I sensed the palpable tension seeping through the cracks.
“Zorak, what are you doing here?” she asked as she answered my knock, looking both relieved and confused as to my sudden appearance. “I thought you told me we needed to take some time.”
“I felt you calling out to me,” I answered, putting my hand over my heart space. “Despite what my head was telling me to do, my heart brought me here. It’s our soulmate bond – it’ll never steer us wrong.”
She silently opened the door so I could enter and gestured toward the couch. The room, once a sanctuary where we shared laughter and dreams, now felt laden with the weight of unspoken words.
“Vanessa,” I said softly, my voice carrying the echo of my internal turmoil. “I felt your distress. I couldn’t stay away.”
She looked up, her eyes meeting mine with a mix of surprise and vulnerability. “Zorak,” she whispered, her voice fragile like delicate glass. “I don’t know what to do. Everything’s falling apart.”
I moved closer, unable to ignore the gravitational pull drawing us together. “Tell me,” I said gently, my hand reaching out to touch hers. “Let me share the burden with you.”
Vanessa sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her troubles. She spoke, her words woven with frustration and fear, painting a picture of a career teetering on the edge of collapse. As she poured out her concerns, I listened, my heart aching for her. The bond between us thrummed with a shared ache, a resonance that tethered us together in that moment of vulnerability.
“I’m terrified,” she confessed, her voice raw with emotion. “I can’t bear the thought of losing everything. I’ve already lost the case. I can’t lose you, too.”
