I stared after him. Had I imagined it? Had he really spoken to me? Or had it just been a stray thought he said out loud?
They left the room—some reporters following.I began to clean up like always, collecting glasses, stacking the leftover papers, and making sure every chair was back in place. Outwardly calm. Inside? My mind was racing.I needed to shut off, I told myself.
By the time I was finally done—more than two hours later—the vacuum had been stored, the room sparkled, and I stepped outside, closing the door behind me. A glance at the clock told me it was already past midnight. My shift had ended more than an hour ago.
When I reached the front desk to grab my things, I looked at the night-shift colleague.
"The spa area is free for staff, right?" I asked while pulling my clothes from the locker.
"You think I could still head down there? I know it's late, but after today… I really need to breathe."
"Of course," he said with a grin.
"Nobody's there now. You'll have peace. And honestly, with how tired you look, you could use it."
"Thanks for that," I replied dryly. "Have a calm shift."
I turned toward the elevators.
The spa was located on the lower level.I hit the button, lost in thought.When the doors opened, I could already feel the moisture in the air.It was calm.Peaceful.Only the soft sound of water broke the silence.
The entrance was lined with soft wood, the curved spa reception desk sitting empty at this hour. Pan flute music mixed with the sound of running water.A bowl of warm, fragrant towels and bathrobes waited beside the changing rooms.I grabbed one of each and stored my things in a locker.
The bathrobe was thick and warm—like being wrapped in silence.I stepped into the lounge.
Padded loungers were set to my left, flanked by tall, leafy plants.Tempting.But I kept walking.
Small tables held glasses of cucumber water and a variety of herbal teas.A narrow corridor lined with dark wood led deeper into the spa.
The scent changed—eucalyptus and birch now floating in the thickening air.To the right, the sauna area: Finnish sauna, steam room, infrared cabin.
The sauna was light, while the steam room shimmered with moss green tiles that reflected the warm, diffuse light like they were alive.
At the heart of it all was a circular pool.Its surface sparkled blue under a ceiling of tiny lights—like stars above a quiet ocean.Lounge chairs surrounded it, each one draped in golden cushions.
There were no clocks here.No reminders of the outside world.Just silence.Just warmth.Just water.
I headed to the Finnish sauna.Its glass door was fogged and warm to the touch.I pulled it open.
Inside, it was simple. Elegant.Benches of pale pinewood.In the center, stones glowed beneath a metal grate.The heat was dry and alive, wrapping itself around my skin, pushing out the chill that had settled in my bones for days.My body began to relax.For once, my thoughts stilled.
But even here, in this sanctuary of stillness…He came back.Again and again.
Eventually the heat became too much.I forced myself to stay two minutes longer, then stood and stepped out.
The cooler air made me shiver.I walked toward the steam room.
Its door hissed as I opened it.The inside was smaller.The emerald tiles glowed softly under the muted light.The air was thick, heavy with steam and peppermint oil and tea tree.
I hung my robe on a hook outside, stepped in, laid down my towel, and sat.The fog blurred the room into a dream, made every corner feel like the edge of something forgotten.Like the world had melted.
Then—A sound. A soft hiss.
Another visitor.
Cool air licked across my skin, and I wrapped the towel tighter. A shadow moved through the steam. Distorted.
My heart stopped.
No one was supposed to be here.
But as the silhouette came closer…I froze.
It was him. Jhio.
Wearing only a towel loosely tied around his waist. His skin shimmered. Broad shoulders catching the steam. His chest—perfect. Carved. His face was half-lost in shadow.
But those eyes. God. Those eyes.
"I hope I'm not interrupting,"he said, voice smooth like glass.
Like danger wrapped in velvet.
"What… what are you doing here?" There was a tremble in my voice I couldn't hide.
He didn't answer. Just stepped closer.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe .He looked at me—really looked at me.
And I couldn't read him.
"A coincidence, I'd say," he finally murmured.
But something in his tone…Raised every hair on my body.
I didn't believe in coincidences. Not ones like this.
He sat across from me. Slow. Predator slow.
His eyes never left mine. Even relaxed, his body spoke of control. Power.
"You've been watching me,"he said suddenly—so direct I flinched.
My eyes widened.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about."
Lies. Everything about me screamed it.
The sweat on my brow had nothing to do with the steam. My fingers clutched the towel like it could shield me. He leaned forward, elbows on knees.
His eyes… they swallowed me. Storms at sea.
"You know exactly what I mean,"he said, voice soft."You're always nearby. But you ever think—"his voice lowered, darker now"—that maybe I don't mind? This little game you're playing— Maybe it takes two."
"What do you want from me?"The words came out like a confession.
He smiled. But it wasn't kind. It was the kind of smile that hides knives behind teeth.
"That's the wrong question," he said."The right one is: What do you want from me?"
The steam coiled around us like silk.The world disappeared.
He stood. Came closer.
Each step—I forgot how to breathe.
"You're good,"he whispered, so close I could smell the mint on his skin.
One hand rested against the tiles behind me. The other cupped my face, lifted it.
I couldn't move. Couldn't blink.
His thumb brushed my chin.
"But not good enough."
My thoughts shattered. Part of me wanted to run. Most of me didn't.
His hand slid down my neck—Paused.
He could feel my pulse. He knew.
"We'll see each other again,"he said, flat, emotionless.
And then he was gone. His hand left my skin. He turned, walked to the door—then stopped.
Looked back.
Something unsaid in his eyes.
But he left it there. Left me behind. In the steam.
As if he'd never been there at all.
And for the first time,I wondered:
Who was really in control here?
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But if this was a game, I had no idea who was moving first—or who'd already won. Thanks for reading. <3 See you all tomorrow.