Chapter 17 Not When You're With Me
Tasha’s POV
“STOP LOOKING at him like that.”
I didn’t even turn my head. I didn’t have to because I knew that voice now.
Knew the way it settled low and controlled, like every word was chosen carefully but meant something sharper underneath. Knew the way it could cut through noise without rising, without trying.
Carlos.
And the worst part?
He was right behind me. Close enough that I could feel it before I even saw him. That shift in the air. That quiet tension that didn’t belong to anyone else.
“I’m not looking at anyone,” I said, keeping my voice steady as I tightened my grip on the wrench in my hand and leaned further into the engine bay in front of me. “Maybe you should focus on your own work.”
A pause.
Then his footsteps moved. Not away. Closer.
“You’re watching him,” he said, quieter this time. Not louder. Not angry. Just certain.
I exhaled slowly, straightening just enough to glance at him over my shoulder. “And you’re imagining things,” I replied.
Carlos didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at me. Like he was trying to read something under the surface instead of just listening to what I said.
It made something in my chest tighten before I could stop it.
“Positions,” the instructor called from across the training bay. “We’re running full simulation in five. If your engine fails, that’s on you.”
The noise of the bay picked up again. Tools clanking. Conversations overlapping. Engines being prepped.
But none of it felt louder than the silence between us. I turned back to the engine, forcing myself to focus.
“Your alignment is off,” I said after a second, pointing toward the calibration panel without looking at him. “If you push it like that, it’s going to stall mid-run.”
“I know,” Carlos replied.
“You didn’t fix it.”
“I was about to.”
I glanced at him again. “You were watching me.”
His jaw tightened slightly. “That doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of what I was doing.”
“Sure,” I said lightly. “That’s why it’s still wrong.”
Silence again. Then a quiet exhale.
“You always this annoying,” he muttered, stepping closer to the console.
“Only when I’m right,” I shot back.
Before he could respond, a voice cut in from the side.
“Well… this is entertaining.”
I rolled my eyes ceilingwards.
Bianca Laurent.
I straightened slowly, turning just enough to see her leaning casually against one of the nearby workstations, arms crossed, expression perfectly composed.
Her friends stood just behind her, watching everything like it was a show they had already paid for.
Bianca’s gaze moved from Carlos… to me.
“Scholar girls really aim high these days,” she said lightly, her tone almost amused, like she wasn’t trying to be heard.
But she was. Everyone nearby heard it. The laughter that followed from her circle wasn’t loud. Still, it spread anyway.
I felt it in the way conversations dipped slightly around us. In the way people glanced over without pretending not to.
Before I could say anything, Lila stepped closer to my side. “Ignore her,” she said under her breath, her voice low but firm. “She thrives on attention.”
I glanced at her briefly. She looked calm, but I could see it in her eyes. She wasn’t just brushing it off. She was angry.
“Thanks,” I murmured quietly.
“Anytime,” she replied, then lifted her chin slightly, just enough for Bianca to notice.
Bianca’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“Let’s see if ambition translates into actual skill,” Bianca added casually, turning her attention back toward the floor as if she hadn’t just said anything at all.
The instructor clapped once, sharp and loud. “Positions. Now.”
The moment snapped and everyone moved. Including me. I stepped back into place, focusing on the system in front of me, forcing everything else out.
Or trying to.
“Ready?” Carlos asked from beside me.
I nodded once. “Always.”
The simulation started. And for a while, everything blurred into motion. Data readings. Adjustments. Timing.
Carlos moved with that same precision I’d noticed before. Controlled. Efficient. Every decision deliberate.
It should have made things easier. Working with someone like that. But it didn’t. Not when I was hyper-aware of him—of the way his presence filled the space even when he wasn’t saying anything.
“Pressure’s rising,” I said, scanning the readings quickly. “Ease it before it spikes.”
“I’ve got it,” he replied.
“You’re pushing too hard.”
“It’s within range.”
“It won’t be in ten seconds.”
The system stabilized. I exhaled quietly.
“See?” I muttered.
“I said I had it,” he replied.
“After I said something.”
His mouth twitched slightly. “Whatever.”
“Hey, Hamilton.”
The voice came from the side—Luigi.
I turned slightly.
He was leaning casually against the edge of a nearby station, watching us with an easy expression that didn’t feel forced.
“Nice recovery earlier,” he added. “You saved that run.”
I blinked. “I just did my job.”
“Yeah,” he said with a small smile. “Better than most.”
Something in my chest eased slightly.
“Thanks,” I said. “How about—”
“We’re not done,” Carlos cut in, his tone controlled but edged.
“I know,” I replied.
But something in his gaze sharpened just slightly. “I was just checking on her.”
“She doesn’t need checking on,” he said, brows furrowed.
Something low and sharp settled in my chest.
“Maybe if you weren’t so busy controlling everything, you’d actually notice what’s happening around you,” I said, my voice quieter but not softer.
His head turned. Slowly. “What’s that supposed to mean—”
“Ten seconds,” the instructor called. “Wrap it up.”
The moment broke again. I turned back to the engine, finishing the final adjustments quickly. But I could still feel Carlos’ gaze on me.
Then, his hand came up beside mine, adjusting something that didn’t need adjusting. His arm brushed mine. Then stayed there.
I looked up. He was already looking at me.
“You’re distracted,” he said under his breath.
I held his gaze. “No,” I replied quietly. “You are.”
Something flickered in his expression. Then, he leaned in slightly. Close enough that no one else would notice.
“You don’t get distracted by him,” he said.
My pulse jumped. I swallowed. “And who says I’m distracted?”
His gaze didn’t move. “Me.”
I let out a quiet breath. “And why does that matter to you?”
His voice dropped just enough that only I could hear it. “Because from now on, I don’t want you looking at anyone,” he replied. “Not when you’re with me.”