Chapter 93: Ninety Three

I told myself I wasn’t going. I’d already said no when my colleagues had asked earlier in the week, and I’d meant it. A Friday night office party wasn’t exactly high on my list of priorities, not when Noah would be home waiting, and Jacob would expect dinner. And even I just wanted to wind down with a nice meal, a glass of wine, and a good book. I had had one on my nightstand for a whole month now.

But then Declan had said he was going. He’d said it so casually, leaning against the corner of my desk as if it meant nothing. Maybe it did to him. Maybe he wasn’t even thinking about me when he mentioned it. Still, the words had lodged themselves somewhere in the back of my mind and stayed there.

I had felt this surge of emotions inside me that would not allow me to not go. I wanted to be around him. So much happened at work parties. Maybe he would meet someone. I would want to know if he did.

And now here I was, standing in front of the mirror, applying a shade of lipstick I hadn’t touched in months.

I told myself it was for me. I told myself it was because I deserved to look good, to feel good. But as I brushed my hair over my shoulder and smoothed the hem of my dress, I knew I was lying.

Jacob barely looked up when I stepped out of the bedroom.

“You’re sure you’re going?” he asked, his eyes still fixed on the TV.

“Yes.” I tried to sound casual.

He nodded once, uninterested. “Don’t be too late. Let me know if you need a ride back.”

That was all. No comment on how I looked. No curiosity about where the party was or who’d be there. I don’t know why I expected anything different.

The venue was a rooftop bar in the city, one of those places with fairy lights strung overhead and music just loud enough to make conversation a little challenging. I could see the glow of the party before I even stepped out of the elevator, the shadows of people moving against the twinkle of lights, loud laughter that you could hear outside.

The moment I walked in, the warmth of the space wrapped around me. The air smelled faintly of citrus and coffee, I guess. This place doubled as a cafe in the day. I had been here in the day once.

“Willow!” Ashely waved from across the terrace, her smile wide. She was holding a glass of white wine and looking like she’d already been there long enough to feel the buzz. “I didn’t think you were coming!”

“Changed my mind,” I said, hugging her.

Her eyes did a quick sweep over me, and she grinned knowingly. “You look… really hot.”

“Thanks.” I tried not to think too hard about the pause before the compliment.

I let her pull me toward a group of colleagues, laughing politely at small talk and trying to relax into the rhythm of the evening. But it didn’t take long before I noticed him.

Declan was across the bar, deep in conversation with one of the guys from the tech team. He was wearing a dark button-down, sleeves rolled up, the collar open just enough to make my chest feel tight. He hadn’t seen me yet,

but I saw the way his mouth curved in that slow, deliberate way when he was amused.

When he did look up, it was like he knew exactly where to find me. Our eyes met across the crowd, and something in my stomach twisted. He didn’t smile at me, but there was a flicker there, an acknowledgement.

I told myself not to read into it.

I stayed where I was for a while, sipping my drink, answering questions about Noah, nodding along to conversations I wasn’t fully present for. But every so often, I’d glance over and catch him watching me.

Eventually, he made his way over.

“You decided to show up,” he said, his tone easy but his eyes sharper than his words.

“I did.” I took another sip of my drink, trying to keep my voice light. “Didn’t want to miss the free alcohol.”

“Of course.” He leaned one arm against the table, his presence far too close without actually touching me. “Looks good on you.”

“What does?”

“The dress.”

I didn’t have a response for that, so I looked away, scanning the crowd like I was searching for someone. But he stayed there, and I could feel his gaze even when I wasn’t looking at him.

We talked about work, mostly, about the ridiculous expense reports our department had been dealing with. But the conversation kept skirting the edge of something else, like we were both aware there was another layer we weren’t touching.

It was easier when Ashley returned, dragging another coworker into our little circle and shifting the focus. Declan slipped away at some point, and I told myself I wouldn’t watch where he went. But then I caught sight of him again, this time talking to a woman I didn’t recognize. She was laughing at something he’d said, leaning in close, her hand brushing his arm.

I hated the way my chest tightened.

It was stupid. He was allowed to talk to whoever he wanted. And yet, I found myself turning away, diving into a conversation with the guy from social media whose name I could never remember. He was harmless, friendly, and utterly unthreatening. Younger than me, awkward. Still, I could feel Declan’s eyes on us from across the room, even before I glanced up to check.

When our eyes met again, there was something different in his expression. Not quite a glare, but not nothing either.

The music shifted then, a faster beat pulsing through the speakers. People started moving toward the makeshift dance floor, and Ashley grabbed my hand. “Come on, you’re not hiding in the corner all night!”

I laughed, letting her pull me in, grateful for the distraction. The lights overhead were soft, gold against the deepening night, and for a moment I let myself forget everything else - Jacob, the woman with Declan, the fact that I’d come here for reasons I didn’t want to admit.

But then I felt someone stepping up behind me, close enough that I could catch the faint trace of his cologne. Declan.

He didn’t say anything, just moved so he was dancing nearby, not quite with me but not far enough away to be a coincidence. Every time I turned, he was there, the curve of his mouth unreadable.

The rest of the night stretched ahead, and I had the uneasy feeling that it was only going to get more complicated.