• C H A P T E R F I F T E E N •

the one where
they almost

The sound of Chloe's heels was loud as she rushed outside the restaurant, Bilal close behind her, tipping the cloakroom attendant after taking her coat that she forgot in her haste. The elevator was open when she got into the hallway, and she raced inside. She was unable to look at him as he got in after her to stand on the opposite side of the wall to face her.

The door closed, and it felt like the lift was shrinking with every passing second. They were on the fifteenth floor and had a long way to go. She could hear her own breathing, loudly echoing against her ears, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She gulped, dipping her head to cover her red cheeks with her hair.

"How come you're here?"

This thought had clouded her mind the moment she saw him, but she had restrained herself from asking. Right now, her nerves were shaking, and her mind wasn't as sharp as it usually was.

"I usually come here, my friend works at the bar." The words slowly rolled out of his tongue, carefully choosing them.

She felt hotter with each second passing. It was getting too claustrophobic with him standing mere feet away.

"How long have you been here?" Her voice was shaking. She tried, again and again, to suppress her emotions, keep them safe inside until she was alone where she could burst.

"Not long." His voice was a mere whisper, or it was her focus blurring. She was counting down the numbers, needing to breathe. The idea she was now breathing the same air as him, tightened her insides.

The moment the elevator arrived, Chloe bolted outside and ran to feel the cold air as it blew right through her, biting her cheeks and easing the disruption in her body. She took a full minute to catch her breath, wanting nothing but to tear herself apart into shreds and whisk far away from here (1).

It took everything in her to turn and face Bilal again, but no matter how much she thought she pulled herself together, she couldn't ever be ready. He looked at her expectantly, so calm and quiet as he patiently waited for her, her coat neatly folded in his arms. She looked away, unable to hold his gaze as it pierced through hers.

"Thank you for covering the bill, you didn't have to. I'll pay you back." Her voice was breathless and strained. His brows itched together, chin lifting slightly as he processed her words. "I'll take a cab home. If we can never speak of this again, that would be great."

He blinked, unable to find the words, rendered speechless for the first time ever in his life. His eyes widened in bafflement as she spun around and stepped towards the curb, already waving at cabs.

Un-fucking-believable.

"Chloe." The urgency in his voice made her freeze. She turned, breathing ragged. In two brisk strides, he stood right in front of her, pinning her in place with his eyes, sharp and dark. "Let me take you home."

She fought against the raw feelings tormenting every bit of her. "You don't have to-"

"I want to."

Her lips were sealed shut, heart constricting as his eyes looked down at her, and she suddenly felt bare because of the plunging neckline of her dress. He dipped his head to adjust the coat in his arms and hold it in front of her. It took her a second to register what he was doing, eyes unable to leave him even when he met her gaze with a steady one. She stepped inside and relished in the warmth and the subtle touch on her shoulders as he adjusted the coat around her, the layer of clothing a thick barrier between them.

She turned to face him, and he gestured for her to follow him. She regrettably did; sitting in the confinement of his car, with his scent engulfing her entirely, was a horrible idea. She was humiliated, and his presence wasn't helping ease her nerves.

He opened the door for her, and the moment she climbed in, she started to curse herself, her body wired and her clammy palms clenched tightly on her lap.

The drive was silent, and her thoughts were racing. She struggled to distract herself with anything, but her focus would inevitably drift back to him. His fingers gripping the steering wheel, his rolled-up sleeves revealing the taut veins lining his forearm-

Her phone vibrated in her purse. Her heart leaped as she fished it out, Aiden's name flashing across the screen.

Bilal's head angled to look her way, eyes swiping back to the road when he saw his name, fire blazing in his chest as his grip clenched around the leather. Chloe declined, swiping her phone open to see he'd replied to her texts. Well, at least she knew for sure it wasn't the hospital calling from his phone. She switched it off and stuffed it back in her purse.

Silence settled. Bilal's jaw tightened. He shut his eyes briefly before he spoke.

"Chlo-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

She struggled to keep her voice from shaking, to fight against her thundering heart, the way her gut wrenched at the sound of her name rolling out of his tongue. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to kick and scream. But with him sitting this close to her, all she could think about was how embarrassed she felt when she saw him there, witnessing her in her most vulnerable moment.

His lips sealed shut, and after a second, he nodded.

They were almost there. Chloe kept reminding herself it was going to be over soon. Only a few minutes and she could collapse on her bed and release all the pent-up pressure clogging her throat.

The moment Bilal parked by the building, she leaped outside the car. He cursed under his breath and followed, rounding the engine, but she was already reaching for the door.

"Chloe!" He called out. She spun around, and he stopped dead in his track at the look she gave him, wounded and so fragile, making his gut wrench in sudden distress.

"I got the job."

Every thought he had at the tip of his tongue vanished. His eyes were wide as he gaped at her. "What?"

Chloe tightened her jaw when she felt her chin tremble, the admission releasing a massive weight off her chest. She had wanted to tell him the moment she stepped inside the hospital, the moment she decided to go. Before anyone else, she wanted Bilal to know first.

She approached him but stopped at a safe distance. Bilal's breath caught in his throat as he looked at her; her lips and cheeks were red, eyes watery, and teeth clenched.

"I got the job, and all I wanted was for tonight to be perfect. To-" She stopped herself when her voice broke, twisting around when a sob tore out of her throat and started to pick up a pace when she felt her body was betraying her, losing all sense of the composure she built.

Bilal fleetingly caught her wrist, pulling her back.

Her body was ready to combust the moment she swirled around and felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her so tightly she almost lost the ability to breathe. The heat of his body seeped deep into her skin, warming her insides, and she almost melted into his arms. She instinctively pressed her cheek against his chest, ear tickled at the feeling of his nose nuzzled at the nape of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed as she inhaled his cologne mixed with the faint whiff of cigarettes.

"I'm really happy for you."

His breath tickled her ear. Her heartbeat slowed for a brief moment before it dangerously skyrocketed, her lungs igniting, and she flushed, a sensation akin to relief spread inside her. She couldn't stop the rough exhale from escaping her throat, fingers clutching tight around his shirt, holding on to him like it might be the last time he would be this close to her.

It was probably the first time they ever intentionally touched each other.

She felt his cheek pressed on the top of her head, and she craned her neck to face him. He looked down at her, throat strained as his hands slid to hold her waist. She shivered, her eyes darting to his lips, plump and moist. She gulped, looking back up at him. His eyes flared, heart pounding, and he slightly tightened his grip on her skin. Chloe's breathing became erratic, and he took the bold move of dipping his head closer, the aching in his chest swelled at the growing need to close the gap.

He paused, a mere breath away from her, hesitating as his eyes darted to meet hers in a silent request. Chloe's eyes widened in alarm as her thoughts caught up to the situation. With a wrench, she wiggled herself free from his hold, and panic bubbled inside of her like he was an open flame about to swallow her whole.

What was she thinking?

The tendons of Bilal's jaw tightened to relieve the ache he felt in his chest. He softly nodded in understanding, his hand reaching for her, back of his fingers grazing her cheek. Chloe watched him, gut tight and heavy as every fiber in her throbbed in pain.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. She felt the loss of warmth when he dropped his hand and turned.

And without a word, he left.

Veronica's proposition hung between them as Allen mulled it over, eyes narrowed.

She started to think about the reasons behind his defensiveness. The option that he didn't want her to interact with Elena was beginning to dawn on her, despite his casual attitude the other day. He was hiding something; she knew that since the very beginning. He was probably hiding his intentions through Elena. He told her only the superficial side of the story, but she needed to know so much more.

If his intentions weren't because of some sappy romance (2), then what were they? Why was he involved? She thought about Caleb, and her reaction if he was ever in a situation like this. She'd talk to him. She wouldn't go behind his back and investigate. She wondered if Allen wanted, on some level, for Caleb to be a bad guy so their relationship could end - but then what? Was she overthinking this? Could he be this juvenile?

Or, he genuinely cared about Elena - as a friend - and wanted what's best for her - as a friend - and didn't want anything in return except for seeing her happy in a healthy relationship with someone else - as a friend.

She wanted to paint Allen as selfish. Because caring for a woman you've been in a relationship with for years didn't strike her as 100% platonic.

Veronica waited for his answer, hoping he wouldn't catch the utter crap underlying her excuse. She didn't need to ease her way back into Caleb's life. She was already in. She didn't need an exhibition as an excuse to see him. She could just show up at his doorstep, and nothing would be out of the ordinary.

All she wanted to do was see whatever Allen was hiding. And if he wasn't willing to cooperate, she was going to have to dig by herself.

Allen's chin tipped up slightly as his suspicion grew, and Veronica's features further relaxed, refusing to give in.

"I thought things were definitely not awkward between you two."

She bit the insides of her cheeks and dug one of her thumbnails inside the skin of her index finger, trying to be subtle. She shrugged. "It's still been a while since I last saw him, I can't just suddenly tell him to meet up and make it sound breezy."

"I have a hard time believing that." He lightly scratched his jaw, a scornful smile drawing on his lips. Veronica was momentarily distracted by his fingers before she snapped back to focus, eyes narrowing.

What's that supposed to mean?

She couldn't pull the 'I'm doing this shit for you, so you owe me' card. Because he no longer owed her after the job offer. She owed him.

She was at a disadvantage.

She arched an eyebrow. "Fine, if you have a problem with taking me, that's cool, I'll think of another way." She waved nonchalantly, turning to leave.

"Don't turn this on me." He sneered. A shiver ran through her at the sound of the taunt in his voice. "What are you trying to pull?" He crossed his arms, head tilting.

"Why don't you want to take me?" She countered.

"I don't see it necessary, that's all."

She tried to ignore the dick move, but it stung.

Her eyes narrowed, chin jerking up. She placed her hands on her waist. "Why, what are you hiding?"

"What are you?"

Okay, she thought to herself, this isn't going to work.

"All I'm asking is for you to take me so I can see if something's off with Caleb while he's with Elena. I'm not asking for anything else." She reasoned, giving him a small shrug. She was able to sense his slight defensiveness and she was wondering why.

Do you still love her-She was desperate to ask.

She took a step closer, sliding her hands in her back pockets and standing upright.

His eyes swiftly flickered down and back up, a surge of heat swarming between them as each was drawn to the other, their bodies pulling closer.

"What do you say?"

Allen's eyes briefly looked away. Her patience was wearing thin.

"Y'know..." she started carefully, "if anyone acting weird - it's you. There's obviously something you don't want me to know."

Allen's jaw tightened, hands clenching by his side to stop himself from reaching for her. She was right - but no. He wasn't going to let her see that.

He stayed silent, and Veronica's gut pulled as she lost him. She didn't like it when he grew quiet. Despite half a foot between them, she took a bold step forward, unable to restrain the sharp inhale when her outer skin throbbed from the heat his body exuded. She looked up at him, his eyes were glazed, and she inwardly shivered.

Allen swallowed, and it was loud and clear. "It's not like that."

"So, take me." A small smile curved her lips. "I promise I'll behave."

His breathing shortened, and hers picked up as well. He was seeing a completely different side of her, one he never expected to be on the receiving end of.

Her eyes moved to the flush along his neck, the bristly stubble on his jaw, her imagination running wild at the idea of how they'd feel like against her skin, tickling her, his lips plump and wet and scorching-

"Veronica." He warned like he had just read her thoughts, voice a little hoarse, and she snapped back up to look at him. His hands instinctively flew to hold her hips when she shifted closer, wanting to stop her, but inadvertently pressing her further against him. A wave of heat surged through her as her knees weakened, and her hands planted against his chest for support, a strangled, quiet gasp escaping her lips.

His entire body stiffened. She was fascinated by the way his eyes darkened, the blue in them nothing but a mere ring around a black hole. The thought she had an impact on him too, thrilled her. She wanted to test the waters, curious about how far she could go.

He gulped, throat becoming dry. "What are you doing?"

She didn't know.

"Just want to see what it's like," she mumbled, soft and low he almost didn't hear it through the raging beating of his heart.

The sound of the phone ringing made her jolt out of his grip, crisp air fanning her boiling skin at the loss of contact. Allen stood unmoving for a second longer, watching her; her chest was heaving, her cheeks flushed, and the heat in her gaze blazing. He shut his eyes and wiped his palm across his face, struggling to compose himself as the image of her like that tattooed itself in his brain.

Veronica's eyes skipped to his phone. Mom 1. His face angled, and he reached for it.

"I have to take this." He didn't, really. He just needed a getaway to think.

She swallowed, fresh air reaching her lungs and making her see clearer.

What the fuck was that?

"Will you take me?" She probed, almost punching herself right after it slipped out of her mouth. Why? Why was she so desperate to keep him talking?

Allen heaved a long, leisure sigh. His eyes cut back to her, and a layer of goosebumps coated her skin.

He swallowed again, thick and heavy. "Okay."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm holding you to it."

"Okay."

The phone kept buzzing.

"You're bound by a verbal contract."

"Okay."

She grinned at his irritation despite her condensed lungs, and he shot her a cold glare.

"Make it quick." She spun around and reached for the door. "Ethan and Dan are already there."

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(1) The Snap, Infinity War
(2) Dear God, she hoped he wasn't that kind of guy