🖤
Cassy didn't slip, not once, she stayed composed, focused, professional. No hesitation, no lingering looks, no unnecessary conversations like nothing had ever happened and that droves Caleb insane.
"Miss Williams, the report—"
"Already sent."
"Your schedule—"
"Updated."
"Meeting notes—"
"On your desk." Perfect, efficient, untouchable and completely out of his reach.
Caleb watched her from his office, again and again and again waiting for something, a pause, a reaction and a crack but she gave him nothing.
"Sir," Adrian said quietly, "you're staring again."
Caleb didn't look away. "I know."
"That's not subtle."
"I'm not trying to be."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "…So what are you trying to do?"
Silence.
Because for once, Caleb didn't have a strategy, only instinct and instinct told him one thing. Don't let her go.
"Cassy."
Her name echoed again then she looked up, calm and controlled. "Yes, Mr. Garcia?"
That again, he didn't answer immediately, just held her gaze. "Come with me."
Cassy hesitated, just slightly. "…Is it work-related?"
"No." That answer changed everything.
Silence fell across the office, Adrian looked away because even he knew this wasn't normal.
Cassy stood slowly. "…Okay."
They didn't go far just inside his office, door closed and the moment it did everything shifted.
"You're avoiding me," Caleb said, no introduction, no buildup.
Cassy didn't react. "I'm doing my job."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
She met his gaze. "…Then ask something else." That answer, that tone it wasn't defensive, it wasn't emotional, it was controlled and that made it worse.
Caleb stepped closer. "I told you the truth," he said.
Cassy nodded. "You told me a truth."
That landed hard. Caleb's jaw tightened. "What does that mean?"
Cassy held his gaze. "It means you tell things when they're convenient."
Silence. That accusation wasn't loud but it was sharp.
"I didn't lie," he said.
"No," she agreed softly. A pause. Then, "You just didn't say enough."
That hurts more because it was true. Caleb exhaled slowly. "I told you when it mattered."
Cassy shook her head. "It mattered before you decided it did."
Silence. For the first time he didn't have a response ready because this wasn't something he could control.
Cassy stepped back slightly creating space again. "You asked me to stay," she said quietly.
Caleb nodded. "I did."
"And I said I would," she continued.
Another nod. "But not like before."
Silence. That line again, that condition. Caleb stepped forward again. "Then tell me how," he said.
Cassy blinked slightly because that wasn't control, that was effort, real effort. "You don't get to just say things and expect them to fix everything," she said softly.
"I'm not," he replied.
"Then what are you doing?"
A pause. Then, "I'm trying."
Silence. That word, that simple word changed everything because Caleb Garcia didn't try he decided, he controlled, he finished but he didn't try until now.
Cassy's expression softened, just slightly. "…That's new," she said quietly.
"I know." A pause. Then, "I don't like it." That almost made her smile, almost. "But I'm not stopping," he added.
Silence. Because now this wasn't about pulling her back, it was about meeting her where she stood and for the first time he was willing to do it.
Cassy looked at him for a long moment, then said softly— "…Then don't stop."
And just like that the distance didn't disappear but it shifted into something that could be crossed.
Together.