Catherine's POV,
Her eyes widened, like she wasn't expecting me to ever say it. And the way she looked at me—God—it felt like too much. Too raw. Too real.
So I panicked.
I ran.
I made up some excuse about Alorra and left before she could say a single thing.
I didn't know what I was thinking. What the hell, Cathy?
Now here I am, the next morning, walking around like a criminal. Checking every corner, making sure she's not there. My chest is pounding like I'm being chased.
"You're avoiding her," Alorra said, catching me red-handed.
"I am not." I glared, ducking into an empty room.
"Yes, you are." She smirked. "You told her. Finally. And now you're acting like she's some kind of disease."
I rolled my eyes, pressing my hand against my chest. "I shouldn't have said it. It just—came out."
"Catherine Luis Lavander," she shook her head, grinning. "You're so fucked."
I groaned, covering my face.
Maybe she's right. Maybe I am.
Because instead of seeing her… instead of facing what I said…
I'd rather run.
Like always.
Alorra dragged me down to the café. I told her I wasn't hungry, but she didn't care.
"Coffee will fix your mood," she said, pulling me along like I was a child.
Fine. Whatever. As long as it gets her off my back.
The smell of espresso hit me first. Then I saw her.
Elai.
Sitting by the window, sipping her coffee like she owned the place. Hair down, calm, like the world wasn't burning around me.
My whole body froze. My feet stopped working.
"Catherine?" Alorra tugged at my arm. "Don't tell me you're about to bolt again."
I forced myself to move, straight to a table far from hers. My pulse wouldn't calm down, and my hands wouldn't stay still.
Of course, Alorra noticed. "Oh my god, you're hopeless."
I wanted to throw my coffee at her face.
I didn't look at Elai. Not once. Not even when I felt her eyes on me.
I just kept my head down, pretending to scroll through my phone, praying she wouldn't come over.
God, why can't she just disappear?
Alorra was already smirking across the table, enjoying my misery. "She saw you," she whispered.
"I don't care," I muttered, eyes glued to my phone. My hands were shaking.
And then I heard it.
Her footsteps.
No, no, no. Please, no.
"Doctor," Elai's voice was calm. Too calm.
I looked up for half a second, then immediately back down at my phone. "I'm busy."
Alorra kicked me under the table. Hard.
I glared at her, but she was grinning like the devil. "Sit with us, Engineer," she said sweetly.
Elai didn't wait for an answer. She pulled out the chair across from me and sat down like she belonged there.
I could feel my pulse in my throat. My whole body stiffened.
"Good morning," she said, her gaze fixed on me.
I didn't answer. I couldn't. My chest was burning, my mind screaming, my mouth useless.
Alorra broke the silence with her fake-casual tone. "So… Catherine was just telling me how she—"
"Alorra," I snapped.
Too loud. Too obvious.
Elai's smile grew, slow and knowing.
God help me.
Alorra's annoying grin and Elai's smirk are killing me! I wanted to leave them both first, but I couldn't since I was sitting right beside the window.
I stayed quiet the whole time we've been there. Minutes felt like hours. I hate how they both laugh and grin while talking about me like, Hello? I'm right in front of you.
You morons!
The site was crowded, everyone was busy, papers in hand, engineers pointing at beams and soil as if it were life or death. I hated it here already.
I was walking too fast, heels clicking against the uneven ground, when it happened—
My foot slipped.
I gasped, ready to crash into the dirt, but strong hands caught me before I hit the ground.
Her.
Elai.
Her arm was around me, steady, firm, like she was built for this exact moment. Our faces way too close, her stupid eyes staring straight into mine.
"Careful, Doctor," she said softly.
My chest pounded so hard it hurt.
"I—I'm fine," I stammered, shoving away from her hold. My cheeks were burning. I fixed my blouse like it was the blouse's fault. "I don't need your help."
But she was still smiling. That knowing, irritating smile.
"Maybe not. But I'll still be here to catch you."
My throat tightened. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run.
Instead, I just walked off, faster this time, pretending I didn't hear her.
Goddamn her.
I was walking away from her, I heard some of her collegues teasing her. What made my blood boil was her telling them I have a huge crush on her.
Really, Andres? The hospital and the site you'd spread rumors.
"What the hell was that?" My voice cracked sharper than I wanted. After the incident earlier, I saw Andres walking alone and couldn't stop myself from confronting her.
Elai raised a brow, calm as ever. "What was what?"
"Don't—don't give me that look," I snapped, crossing my arms to stop them from shaking. "You could've let me fall. Instead you—you—you just—" I couldn't even finish.
"Caught you?" she finished for me, a smile tugging at her lips.
My chest tightened. "Exactly! You—you made it worse! Now they think—"
"They think what?" she cut me off, stepping closer.
I froze. Too close. Too damn close.
"They think we're… something," I muttered, hating how my voice softened at the end.
Elai tilted her head slightly, eyes never leaving mine. "And you hate that?"
I opened my mouth, ready to snap, to deny, to shut her down—But nothing came out.
She smiled again, softer this time, and took a step back like she knew I couldn't breathe properly around her.
"Relax, Doc," she said. "Let them think whatever they want. Unless you're affected?"
"I'm not!" I said in defense.
Do I sound so defensive? She's looking at me with that grin again. I hate it.
"Engineer! Doctor! It's time for a storage check!" One of her collegues shouted making us walk backwards from each other. I didn't dare say a single word. I looked at her and walk away.
We were inspecting one of the storage rooms near the scaffolding. It wasn't even part of the schedule, but Elai insisted on checking the equipment logs before we left.
The hallway was noisy.
Elai pushed the door open with her shoulder, stepping inside first. I followed, notebook in hand, already annoyed.
"Why are we even here?" I asked, brushing dust off my blazer.
"To make sure nothing's missing," she answered, crouching down to check a stack of sealed boxes.
The room was dim, lit only by a flickering bulb overhead. It smelled of concrete and oil. I stood near the door, keeping my distance, tapping my pen against the clipboard like I wanted this over with.
Then, somewhere outside, I heard it—the faint sound of footsteps. A voice shouting something.
Before I could react, the heavy steel door swung shut.
Clang.
The lock clicked automatically.
I froze, hand still on my pen. Slowly, I tried the handle. Rattled it. Nothing.
"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered.
Elai straightened up. "What happened?"
"We're locked," I said flatly.
She walked over, tried it herself. Pulled. Shoved. Same result.
From the other side, the sounds of the workers faded. Like they had moved further down the hall, unaware we were in here.
I let out a sharp breath, hitting the door once with my palm. "Unbelievable."
Elai just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, like she was amused. "Guess we're stuck together for a while, Doc."
My stomach dropped.
Of course. Of all people.
"Hello!" I've been shouting for almost an hour now, and no one seems to hear us.
What luck.
"What?! No help here?!" I said, raising my eyebrows at her.
"They will eventually come; they'll need supplies." She said not giving a damn about my tantrums.
I paced the room, tapping my fingers against the clipboard, pretending I wasn't panicking.
Elai was too calm. Too collected. Leaning against the wall like this wasn't a problem at all. Like being trapped with me was… fine.
"So," she said casually, breaking the silence. "You always this grumpy when doors lock?"
I shot her a glare. "Do you ever shut up?"
"Nope." She smirked, shifting her weight, arms still crossed. "It's part of my charm."
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to her, pretending to examine the shelves. Boxes stacked too high, old tools scattered on a workbench. Nothing interesting.
"Relax, Doc," she continued. "Someone will notice we're gone soon."
"I don't need your reassurance," I muttered.
She chuckled softly. "Didn't think you needed anything from me."
My chest tightened. I gripped the clipboard harder. Damn her and her stupid, casual tone.
The silence that followed stretched too long, too heavy.
Then her voice again, softer this time. "You always work this much? Or just when you're trying to avoid me?"
I froze.
Did she seriously just—
"Don't flatter yourself," I said, forcing my voice steady. "I have more important things to do than think about you."
Lie. Such a lie.
But she didn't call me out. She just hummed, like she knew anyway.
The silence was heavy. Too heavy. The faint hum of the generator outside, the occasional creak of the walls, even my own breathing—it was all too loud.
Elai leaned against the wall, arms crossed like she was perfectly fine being stuck here. Calm. Relaxed. Like she wasn't the reason my chest was tight, my hands clammy.
"Long day, huh?" she said casually.
I didn't answer. Just sat there on the metal chair, tapping my foot like I could tap away the suffocating air between us.
"You should eat something later. You look pale."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I'm fine."
She tilted her head, studying me. "You always say that when you're not fine."
My blood boiled. "You think you know me that well?"
Her lips curved, almost a smile. "I don't think. I know."
That did it.
I shot up from my chair, heart pounding. "Stop it, Elai! Stop acting like you understand me, like you get to… to say these things. You don't know what's going on in my head, you don't know how much I—" I froze, words catching in my throat.
Her eyes were steady on me, waiting. Not pushing. Just… waiting.
And that made me even angrier.
I turned my back to her, pressing my hands to my face. "Damn it."
"Catherine…" Her voice was low, gentle. I felt her move closer, every step making my chest tighter.
"Don't," I whispered, not even knowing what I was asking her not to do.
But she didn't listen.
Her hand brushed mine, carefully prying my fingers away from my face. I froze, staring at her. She was too close. Way too close.
"You don't have to keep fighting me," she said softly. Her eyes searched mine, steady, unshaken. "You don't have to fight yourself either."
My heart was pounding so hard I swore she could hear it. "You don't understand—"
And before I could finish, she kissed me.
Soft. Careful. Like she was afraid I'd shatter if she pressed too hard.
My body tensed, every muscle screaming at me to push her away—But I didn't.
I couldn't.
Instead, I kissed her back.
For one reckless, terrifying moment… I let myself drown.
To Be Continued...