Chapter 27

"Wait, you actually found it?" As Emily brushed her fingers lightly over the book's cover, her eyes grew wide.

I watched her response while leaning back against the kitchen counter. "I promised to get it."

She opened the book and flipped over the worn pages while speaking quietly. It was a first edition of a novel she had mentioned weeks ago, one her mother used to read to her as a child. She had said it casually at the time, but it stayed with me. I had been searching for it for some days.

She looked toward me and said in a scarcely perceptible murmur, "I don't have the foggiest idea what to say."

I gave her a little grin and answered, "You don't need to say anything."

Emily appeared briefly preoccupied as she blinked and ran her fingers lightly over the pages once more. The importance of the book to her was obvious to me. I could tell that I had gone too far by the way she held it and the way her face softened.

I ought not to have done it. The significance of the gesture was more important than its size; Emily deserved a pleasant gesture after what she had been through. I was gifting her more than simply a book. We were connected in a manner that I wasn't entirely sure I could control, and I was giving her a piece of something intimate.

Emily's eyes sparkled a little as she looked up. "This is... I'm grateful, Ethan. Actually. How you even remembered is beyond me."

I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent despite the obvious tension between us. "I guess you underestimate how well I listen."

She smiled; the quiet, sincere smile that always surprised me. I had no idea how much I enjoyed seeing her at ease and with her guard down. I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with it, but it stirred something inside of me.

She replied, carefully closing the book and placing it on the counter, "You know, you're... surprising. I was surprised by your thoughtfulness."

I shook my head and laughed. "I'm not a jerk all the time."

She mocked, "I never said you weren't," but there was more to her statement than that. "But this, this is very important."

I nodded as the gravity of the situation began to settle on us. "I'm glad."

Silence fell for a beat, and I could sense her watching me. I knew what would happen if I looked at her, so I didn't want to. For a really long time, there had been a ton of pressure among us, and each time we spent together, it seemed like we were drawing nearer to the boundary we were not permitted to cross.

I couldn't stop myself. I raised my head to meet her eyes.

I was sitting by myself in the living room that evening after Emily had gone to her room. The lights were low, the penthouse was silent, and my only thought was on how much had changed since she had moved in.

Not only did her presence appear to permeate the flat in a way that was both reassuring and unnerving, but it also made the place feel more alive.

Emily had always been different from anyone else in my life. She was different from the distant, cunning businesspeople I dealt with. She was different from the ladies I had dated, who were more attracted by my last name than by my personality. Emily was real. She was sensible, grounded, and somehow... kind.

And I was getting too close.

Even though I felt I was going too far, I was powerless to stop myself. I wasn't burdened by the company's legacy or the demands of managing it when I was with her. I felt free to be who I was with Emily.

But that was dangerous. Because we were step-siblings, despite my best efforts to deny it. We were unable to cross certain borders, but I was beginning to question whether it really mattered anymore.

I looked up as I heard a faint noise coming from the hallway. Emily was wearing shorts and a basic t-shirt, and she had her hair loose about her shoulders as she walked toward the kitchen. My hand on the kitchen island caused her to stop when she noticed me.

She responded softly, "Oh, I didn't think you were still up. I just wanted some water."

I watched her walk around the kitchen and nodded. She moved with grace, and I couldn't help but notice the little details, like the way she hummed to herself while filling a glass of water and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Is everything alright?" My voice was quiet as I asked.

"Yes," she replied, looking at me. "Just... thinking."

"About?"

Although it didn't quite reach her eyes, she smiled at me. "I suppose a lot of things."

I tried to figure out what she wasn't saying by observing her for a while. Tonight, she was different in some way. It might have been the book. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that we were all living in this weird, heated bubble. I was no longer able to ignore it, whatever it was.

"Emily," I said, "about earlier."

Her face was guarded but open as she gazed at me. "Yes?"

With my pulse beating a little more forcefully than I had anticipated, I stammered, "I just, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with the gift. It wasn't..."

She interrupted in a soft voice, "It didn't make me uncomfortable. It was thoughtful. More thoughtful than anyone's been in a long time."

I nodded while swallowing. "All right. I'm glad."

We stood there in the dark kitchen, the silence between us thick with unspoken words, and there was a pause. The same magnetic pull that appeared to bring us closer each time we were together was back in my senses.

After placing her drink on the counter, Emily moved in my direction. "Ethan..."

With my heart pounding, I glanced up at her. "Yes?"

For a brief moment, I believed she may say something that would completely alter the situation as she maintained eye contact with me. Instead, she simply gave a slight smile and turned to go, heading back down the corridor to her room.

My chest was constricted by something I didn't want to confess to myself as I watched her leave. Everything changed because of her.