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I give a nonchalant shrug, hoping it will mask the pain and regret I feel on the inside. “Yeah, that was the deal, right? The moment we step out of this cabin, we are back to being just friends.”
“You know I could call the hotel and ask them not to bother coming,” he says, pointing at his face, a childish smile curling up his lips.
“It doesn’t work that way. We have to go back to the real world.”
“What if I don’t want to?” He comes and sits beside me on the couch, looking down at me, his eyes filled with yearning.
“If remaining here in this cabin is what it takes for us to be together, then I’m willing to do it.”
I let out a sigh, allowing myself to indulge a little as I brought up my hand to his face, gently caressing the stubble on his face.
“It’s time to head back to the real world. And there, you and I are worlds apart.”
“What can I do to bridge the two worlds?”
I give a slow shake of my head. “I don’t think it can be bridged.”
His response is a groan.
Before long, we hear the distant sound of engines approaching, and soon enough, a rescue team arrives at the cabin. And they got us back to the hotel in the car they had brought with them.
As we step back into the hotel lobby, I’m greeted with a wave of relief from the rest of the team. Vivian rushes forward, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Jessy!” she exclaims, her voice filled with genuine concern.
I return her hug, “I’m sorry I made you worry,” I say, but as I glance around, I catch Lysa’s eyes, and the deadly glares she sends my way don’t go unnoticed. There’s a certain intensity to her gaze that sends a shiver down my spine.
“I should go clean up,” I say.
“The rest of the team was about to have breakfast. You will come down and join us when you are done?” Vivian asks.
I offer her a weak smile. “Yeah, I’m famished.”
I take the key card to our room, but before I can walk much further, Lysa strides over to me, her expression a mix of anger and suspicion.
“How convenient is it that it was you and Ethan who got stranded in a cabin together?” she asks, her tone laced with accusation.
I’m caught off guard by her question, and for a moment, I struggle to find the right response. But then I sense Ethan’s presence as he steps forward.
“It was just an unfortunate coincidence,” he says firmly, his voice unwavering. “Jessica and I were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Lysa looks between the two of us, skepticism was written in her eyes. I can sense her lingering suspicion, and I instinctively reach up, brushing my hair with my fingers, wondering if there’s anything about my looks that gives away that Ethan and I had sex last night.
“Jessica, why don’t you freshen up and join the rest of the team for breakfast?” Her tone is polite, but there’s a subtle undertone of skepticism that doesn’t escape me.
I nod in response, doing my best to mask any hint of discomfort. “Sure, I’ll be down in a bit,” I reply, mustering a smile that feels forced.
“Good, because we wouldn’t want you getting stuck in your room again, would we?”
I swallow the retort that rises to my lips, reminding myself to stay composed. With a tight smile, I make my way towards the elevators.
The following week at work is tense, to say the least. It’s like stepping back into a battlefield, with Lysa resuming her role as the office bully.
I can’t shake off the feeling that her going back to being a bully has something to do with the fact that Ethan and I got stuck in that cabin.
Every interaction with her is laced with thinly veiled insults and snide remarks. It’s exhausting, to say the least, but I refuse to let her get to me. I hold my head high and focus on my tasks, determined not to let her toxic behavior affect me.
However, it’s not just Lysa who’s making things difficult. The sexual tension between Ethan and me is also palpable as we try to maintain a professional demeanor, but there’s an undeniable spark whenever we’re in the same room.
