章 63: The Kiss

"I would, but not now." That was the answer Celeste gave Tiel all the way from the store to the car and to the office.

Celeste could not slow her beating heart. She never said when; it could be in ten years.

But the reality that at some point she would have to lie with this man had clawed at her the moment they arrived at the office.

At night, the office had a different vibe—a feeling of steadiness, as if time had stopped, and the energy that was awake during the day had never left but rather lingered, waiting to come alive again.

Everything was turned off except the break room and his office at the end, leaving a large part of the space in darkness.

Celeste sat by herself on a long tethered bench beside the window, looking at the beautiful view of the city.

A cup of steaming hot chocolate warmed the palms of her gloved hands. It was late December, and the temperature had just started to drop.