Desired by All and He Threw Away 52

and just like that i see him.not the man with the tailored suit and the steady unreadable face. 

not the one who pushes contracts across the table like they’re tests im meant to fail.but a boy–barefoot on wet grass eyes bright his laughter spilling into the quiet of an old house., 

The picture settles deep inside me, soft and unexpected.something in my chest loosens 

by the time we pull up to the theater something between us has shifted.its not warm exactly but its no longer cold.the kind of quiet that lingers now feels uncertain almost human. 

outside the rain from earlier has dried leaving the pavement slick and shining beneath the streetlights.the air smells faintly of popcorn from inside the building sweet and a little burnt. 

he tuck the folder into his bag and exits the car i follow suit. 

the theater is half empty the light dim the world narrowing down to the silver flicker of the screen.i sink into the seat beside him letting the dark swallow everything sharp. 

For once, I don’t think about contracts or career or consequences. I just sit. 

the film begins washing the room in a soft glow.the sound of distant dialogue and orchestral music fills the air wrapping around us like something fragile and familiar.i let myself sink into it into the moment. 

our hands reach for the armrest at the same time.just a brush- barely a touch- but it sends a small sharp spark through me.his sleeve slides against mine a whisper of fabric that shouldnt mean anything yet somehow does. 

my pulse stumbles once then again as if trying to catch up. 

i keep my eyes on the screen pretending not to notice but his attention hangs in the air between us.i can feel it warm steady unspoken. 

when a joke lands i hear his quiet exhale then sense the subtle shift as he turns just enough to watch me. 

I glance over. He isn’t hiding behind that usual practiced calm. No calculation in his face this time.just a faint curve at the corner of his mouth and a look that feels real— disarming in its simplicity, like hes actually here with me in this moment instead of somewhere behind his own defenses. 

i catch myself smiling before i even realize it is small unguarded the kind that slips through when my guard forgets to hold the line. 

by the time the credits crawl across the screen the theater settles into a hush. not the heavy kind just a stillness that hums under the soft rustle of coats and the muted thud of footsteps heading toward the door. 

the glow from the screen flickers across his face painting it in shades of quiet light.the sharpness he usually wears- the certainty the composure- melts for a breath. 

he turns toward me his voice a low rumble that seems to belong to this calm. “See?” His mouth curves slightly.” You do smile sometimes.” 

i tilt my head pretending to weigh it. “dont get used to it.” 

1/2 

Chapter 52 

+25 Bonus 

that earns a laugh- real unguarded.it slips out of him before he can catch it roughened at the edges like its been waiting a long time to escape.the sound is warm and steady brushing against me in the dim air and for a secondi forget to breathe. 

it feels like i have just stumbled into something private something he doesnt show anyone else. 

and for one small impossible moment i let myself wonder what it would be like if everything between us wasnt written in ink or fake. 

If it was real. 

2/2