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I turn. Caleb’s grinning like he’s just watched my entire operating system crash and is enjoying the blue screen of death.
“Well, well, well,” he says. “If it isn't the universe throwing you a curveball.”
“Shut up.”
“Not a chance. This is the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all week.” He leans in, eyes gleaming. “You know, for a man who eviscerates billion-dollar boards without blinking, you’re pulling serious teenage cafeteria crush energy right now.”
“I'm leaving.”
“No, you're not.”
I should be. I want to be. Every logical cell in my body saysgo.
But I don’t move.
I stay rooted to the spot like this goddamn chair grew teeth and bit me into submission.
“Fine,” I mutter, dragging my gaze away from her. “One more drink. Then I’m gone.”
“Of course.”
The server returns. I don’t acknowledge her. Caleb does the talking. I shift in my seat just enough to stay in her orbit—half-shadowed, half in denial.
She hasn’t seen me.
Not yet.
She’s seated near the edge of the rooftop, laughing with her friends. Same ones from the festival. Perfect view of the city. Better view of her.
She’s smiling. Animated. Tossing her hair over her shoulder with a laugh that’s almost too bright to be real.
And just like the first time I laid eyes on her, it wrecks me.
One small, instinctive gesture, and I’m back where I started. Wanting things I shouldn't. Remembering how easy it felt. Before the boardroom. Before the silence.
Was it all an act? That smile? The bold approach?
The number?
Or was the look on her face when she saw me at Carmichael… real? That flicker of shock? Like I’d stolen something from her without even knowing?
“She hasn’t clocked you yet,” Caleb says, voice lower now. “You gonna go over? Clear the air?”
“There’s nothing to clear.”
“Right. That’s why you slouched three inches when she looked this way.”
“I did not.”
He raises his whiskey, unconvinced. “Sure.”
I adjust my posture, just to prove a point.
“Look,” he says, tone softer. “She’s gorgeous. You had a moment. Then real life crashed in. You ghosted. She turned out to be the daughter of your latest acquisition. It’s weird for anyone.”
I breathe out through my nose. Slow. Controlled. “She gave me the wrong number.”
His eyebrows lift. “Wait—what?”