EMMA POV
The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Slow. Steady. Heavy enough to make my breath pause.
I stood by the window, my fingers cold against the glass. Hazel, Ethan favourite pet as I was told had been quiet since morning, but the jingle of her collar now came faster, sharper, mixed with those approaching steps.
I turned before I could think.
The dog came running through the corner, golden fur flashing, tail high. She was too fast. I stepped back, startled. My heel slipped against the carpet.
A sharp gasp left my throat.
The room tilted.
Then a hand caught my arm. Strong. Warm. Steady.
Ethan.
His touch stopped the fall before it happened. The air between us grew still. Hazel barked once, then sat by the door as if nothing had happened.
I looked up. His eyes were close, darker than I remembered. He didn't move, didn't let go. His hand was still on my arm, the heat of it spreading through my skin.
"Careful," he said quietly. "You almost fell."
I tried to pull back, but his grip tightened, not hard, but firm enough to make me still.
"I didn't see her coming," I said. My voice shook a little.
He looked down at me, then at Hazel. "She shouldn't have been running."
The dog tilted her head. I could almost swear she was smiling.
I took a slow breath. "It's fine."
"It's not," he said. His tone softened. "You could have hurt yourself."
The silence that followed was thick. I could hear the faint tick of the clock and the quiet sound of our breaths mixing. He still hadn't let go.
"Ethan," I said. "You can release me now."
He did. Slowly. Like he didn't want to.
But his hand lingered near mine, close enough that our fingers brushed. The touch sent a tremor through me, light but real. I looked down, pretending not to notice.
He cleared his throat. "You're shaking."
"I'm fine," I said again, even though my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
His gaze searched my face. "You don't look fine."
The words hung there, low, almost tender.
I stepped back, trying to find space, but the window behind me left no room. He was still in front of me. Close enough that I could smell the faint trace of his cologne and the warmth of his skin.
"I said I'm fine," I repeated.
His lips curved slightly, not quite a smile. "You always say that when you're not."
My chest tightened. "You don't know me well enough to say that."
"Hmmmm," he said.
I turned my face away, but he reached out again. His fingers brushed the side of my neck, feather-light, as if he wasn't sure if he had the right.
The touch froze me in place.
"Don't," I whispered.
He stopped, but his eyes didn't leave mine. "I wasn't going to hurt you."
"I know," I said softly. "That's not the point."
His hand fell to his side. The air cooled between us again.
Hazel gave a soft whine, breaking the moment.
Ethan glanced at her, then back at me. "She likes you," he said.
I smiled, small, almost invisible. "She doesn't know better."
He looked at me for a long time before he turned toward the door. "Maybe she does."
And then he walked away, his footsteps fading down the hall, leaving the scent of his cologne in the air and the memory of his hand still on my skin.
ETHAN POV
I was heading to the study. The sound of Hazel running was the first thing I noticed. Her paws against the marble floor. The jingle of her collar. Then the sound that made me stop.
A soft gasp.
I turned the corner.
Emma was falling.
My body moved before thought. I reached her, caught her arm, felt the weight of her body shift against mine. For a moment, everything went still.
Hazel barked once, tail wagging. She had no idea what she had started.
Emma's breath came fast. Her hand pressed against my chest. Her eyes lifted to meet mine, wide and startled.
"Careful," I said. My voice came out lower than I meant. "You almost fell."
She tried to step back, but I didn't move. My hand was still on her arm. I could feel the tremor beneath her skin.
"I didn't see her coming," she said.
"She shouldn't be running indoors," I said. The words sounded flat, but I couldn't think of anything else.
She looked away. "It's fine."
"It's not fine."
Her head turned sharply. The light from the window touched her cheek. I wanted to say something else, something simple that wouldn't sound like an order, but I couldn't find it.
She asked me to let go.
I did. Slowly.
Her hand brushed mine as she stepped back. The contact was brief, but it stayed with me.
"You're shaking," I said.
"I'm fine."
She wasn't. I could see the way her shoulders rose with every breath. The same way they did when she tried to hide what she felt.
"You don't look fine," I said.
Her lips tightened. "You don't know me well enough to say that."
"Hmmmm," I said.
Her eyes met mine for a second. Then she looked away again. I could tell she wanted to move, but the window behind her trapped her there.
I stepped closer without meaning to. My hand lifted to touch her cheek, then stopped at her neck. My fingers barely grazed her skin.
"Don't," she whispered.
The sound of it hit harder than I expected.
"I wasn't going to hurt you," I said.
"I know," she answered. "That's not the point."
She was right. It never was.
Hazel whined near the door. The sound broke the silence. I dropped my hand.
I looked at the dog, then back at her. "She likes you."
Emma's mouth lifted a little. "She doesn't know better."
"She might," I said.
She didn't reply. Her eyes followed me when I stepped back, but she didn't move closer.
I left before I said something I'd regret.
In the hallway, my hand still felt warm from where I had touched her. I pressed it into my pocket, trying to lose the feeling.
Hazel padded out after me, tail still wagging. I stopped and looked back. Emma was still standing near the window, her face turned toward the light.
Part of me wanted to go back. Say something simple. Apologize. Stay.
But the words never came.