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Her words catch me off guard, a warmth spreading through me at her unexpected admission. “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” I reply, unable to hide the amusement in my voice. “I suppose I’m not as intimidating as I thought.”
She laughs softly; the sound fills the small space between us with a sense of ease. “No, you’re not,” she agrees, her eyes meeting mine with a warmth that sends a flutter through my chest.
I furrow my brow in concern, a hint of worry flickering across my features. “Do the rest of the employees see me the same way?” I inquire.
Jessy hesitates for a moment before responding, her expression thoughtful. “Well, to be honest, some of them think even worse,” she admits, her tone laced with a bit of regret.
“Worse?” I echo, unable to hide the note of concern in my voice.
“Yeah,” she confirms, she shifts against me, her gaze meeting mine with empathy. “There’s this perception that you’re...distant, unapproachable. That you’re only interested in the bottom line, not the people working to achieve it.”
“As long as I’m not treating them unfairly and the job gets done, I suppose I’m not too bothered by their perceptions,” I admit.
“It’s important to strike a balance,” she remarks thoughtfully. “Between being an effective leader and fostering a positive work environment.”
“I guess I will have to take that into consideration.”
“Will you, though? Something tells me all that I just said fell on deaf ears.”
“I will try,” I say with a chuckle.
“Hmm…” she sighs softly, “It will be nice for you to try.” Her voice sounds drowsy.
When I hear her light snoring sounds, I close my eyes to get some sleep too. By tomorrow, we will be out of here, but we have tonight, so I am embracing the tranquility of the moment of now as I drift off into a peaceful slumber with her in my arms.
24
Jessica
Istir awake to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the window of the cabin, casting a gentle warmth over the room.
The blanket Ethan and I found last night is draped over me, offering comfort against the cool air of the early day. Stretching my limbs slowly, I hear the faint sound of Ethan’s voice nearby.
Turning my head slightly, I see him on the phone, his expression focused as he speaks in hushed tones. I take it that the signal is back, and he must be updating the rest of the team, letting them know that we’re safe and sound.
I take a moment to admire him, the way his features are illuminated by the morning light, the slight furrow of his brow as he concentrates on the call. There’s a certain strength in his demeanor, a confidence that seems to radiate from within him.
But then, I quickly remind myself of the events of last night, the boundaries we crossed that shouldn’t have been breached.
As much as I’m drawn to him, I know that what happened between us was just a game, and now that it’s dawn, the game is over. We agreed to be just friends, and I intend to stick to that agreement.
Pushing aside any lingering thoughts of attraction, I sit up and run a hand through my tousled hair, steeling myself for the day ahead. We need to find a way back to the hotel, back to reality.
A part of me feels sad because even though I was scared at first of getting trapped here in the middle of nowhere, I later got to like the idea of just the two of us being here, away from the world.
In here, he was just Ethan and not my boss, and there was no fear of things getting complicated. Well, it was just a bubble, and it’s been deflated. Time to head back to the real world.
“Ethan, are we okay?” I ask tentatively, breaking the silence as he finishes his call.
He turns to me with a reassuring smile. “Hey, good morning, sleeping beauty.”
“Good morning,” I respond, trying my best not to blush. “I take it that the reception is back?”
“Yeah, reception’s back. I called the hotel, and they’re sending someone to come get us. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Relief floods through me at his words, grateful that we’ll soon be back at the hotel safe and sound. I nod, offering him a small smile in return.
“So, I take it that we are back to being just friends again?” Ethan says, breaking the silence that seemed to be stretching for too long.
