Ray's POV
Dinner was a disaster. A beautiful, heart-thudding, soul-shattering disaster.
I couldn't eat. Couldn't look at him. Couldn't think.
He was right there. Sitting next to me. Breathing. Existing. Wearing that bandaid I put on his hand with the little Hello Kitty print like it was a badge of honour.
Sebastian Blake, the man who made grown criminals shake, was still wearing that.
And every time our hands almost touched, I died just a little.
I slipped away the moment I could. Excused myself with some dumb excuse about needing air or water or gravity or—whatever. I just needed to breathe.
The hallway was quiet. Empty. Dimly lit with golden chandeliers that flickered like candlelight.
I leaned against the wall, finally able to let the air rush into my lungs.
What is wrong with me?
My face was still burning. My chest was still doing that jumpy thing it had no business doing. And worst of all, my lips hurt—from smiling too much every time he even shifted beside me.
And then—
"Ray."
I froze.
His voice. Low. Smooth. The kind that echoed down your spine and stayed there.
I turned.
Sebastian stood a few feet away, in the same hallway, the dim light casting shadows along his sharp jaw. His tie was a little loose now. Hair slightly messy. He looked like a walking contradiction—perfect and terrifying.
"I—uh—I was just—air," I mumbled. "I needed air. Totally normal. Humans need it. I think. I mean—obviously. You know that."
He blinked. The corner of his mouth twitched. Almost a smile.
And then, he took a step closer.
I swear my knees gave out a little.
"You didn't eat much," he said quietly.
"I was... distracted," I confessed, fiddling with my fingers. "The soup was nice. I was just... focused on... soup-related things."
"Ray."
That one word. My name. It sounded so gentle in his voice. Like a promise. Like he knew I was about to unravel right there in front of him.
"Thank you," I whispered suddenly.
He looked surprised. "For what?"
"For... not taking that bandaid off." I looked up at him then. "I know it's silly. But you wore it. In your scary billion-dollar meetings and everything."
He said nothing. Just held my gaze. And somehow, that silence said everything.
I stepped past him, too overwhelmed to say more, but as I brushed by, I felt it—his fingers lightly grazing my wrist. Just a second. A flicker. But enough to send my entire heartbeat spiraling into chaos.
I didn't turn back.
But I smiled the whole way to my room.