Aria's Room
Steam drifted slowly through the bedroom as Aria stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind her.
Her hair was still damp, clinging lightly to her shoulders. She slipped into a simple night dress and moved toward the mirror, running her fingers through her hair absentmindedly.
The house was quiet.
She didn't know where Ryan was. Downstairs, maybe. In his office. Or gone.
She didn't ask.
She didn't need to.
A soft whine interrupted her thoughts.
She looked toward the corner of the room.
The puppy was standing near the door, shifting from paw to paw, looking up at her expectantly.
She raised a brow.
"You just ate earlier."
Another small sound.
She sighed.
"Fine. Let's check."
She opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, the puppy trotting after her.
The lights downstairs were dim. The silence felt heavy, but not tense. Just still.
She walked into the kitchen and switched on the small light above the counter. A soft yellow glow filled the space.
The puppy immediately went toward the cabinets, sniffing near the bottom one.
"You're dramatic," she murmured.
She crouched and took out the bag of dog food, pouring a small portion into a bowl.
The puppy circled excitedly.
"Calm down."
She placed the bowl on the floor, and it began eating eagerly.
Aria stayed crouched, resting her elbow on her knee as she watched it.
"You act like you haven't eaten in days."
"You encourage it."
Her body stiffened slightly at the voice behind her.
She didn't turn immediately.
Ryan stood near the kitchen entrance, one hand in his pocket, watching.
"I didn't hear you," she said calmly.
"I know."
She stood slowly, brushing her hands together.
"It was hungry."
"It always is."
She folded her arms lightly.
"It's small."
His gaze shifted to the puppy, then back to her.
"You're very comfortable."
"With what?"
"You're very comfortable." < br> "With what?"
She didn't flinch.
"I live here."
The air shifted slightly.
He walked farther into the kitchen, his steps slow and controlled.
"You don't ask."
"About feeding a puppy?"
"About anything."
She tilted her head.
"Would you have said no?"
He didn't answer.
That silence was answer enough.
She turned slightly toward the sink, filling a small bowl with water.
"You don't have to stand there like I'm committing a crime," she said quietly.
His voice lowered.
"You challenge me on purpose."
She looked at him now.
"No. I don't automatically agree with you."
Another pause.
The puppy's small chewing sounds filled the space between them.
Ryan studied her for a moment.
Her damp hair.
Her relaxed posture.
Her relaxed posture betrayed no nerves, but a flicker of uncertainty crossed her mind as she looked at Ryan, wondering what he was really thinking.
"You're not careful," he said.
"With what?"
"With me."
Her eyes held his.
"Should I be?"
That question lingered.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"You don't know when to step back."
"And you don't know when to step forward," she replied evenly.
Silence.
The puppy finished eating and padded toward her feet.
She bent down and lifted it gently.
"There," she murmured to the puppy, her voice trembling just slightly as she tried to hide her own longing for connection.
Ryan watched the way her expression softened instantly.
It was effortless.
Natural.
She adjusted the puppy in her arms and looked at him again.
"Was that all?"
He didn't respond immediately.
Then, quietly—
"Go to sleep."
She nodded once.
"Goodnight."
She walked past him, close enough to feel the warmth from his body.
He didn't move.
Didn't stop her.
But his eyes followed her until she disappeared down the hallway.
The kitchen fell silent again.
Ryan remained standing there for a long moment.
Then he exhaled slowly.
For someone who claimed not to like disruption—
she had a way of changing the entire atmosphere without even trying.
The light above the counter hummed faintly. The house was quiet again.
He stared at the empty hallway where she had just disappeared.
His jaw tightened.
"Geez… what am I doing?" he muttered under his breath.
He dragged a hand through his hair, feeling the conflicting pull of desire and duty, as if trying to shake off something he couldn't quite define.
This was unnecessary.
Complicated.
Unprofessional.
He exhaled sharply.
"I need to stop this."
His voice was low. Firm.
"She's just my employee. Nothing more."
The words sounded right.
Logical.
Safe.
He walked to the sink and poured himself a glass of water, but he didn't drink it immediately. He just stood there, staring at the reflection in the dark window.
He wasn't a man who blurred lines.
He didn't mix business with anything else.
He didn't lose control over small things.
And she—
She was stubborn. Argumentative. Too comfortable.
Too fearless.
She didn't look at him the way others did.
That was the problem.
He set the glass down untouched.
"This ends here," he said quietly to himself.
No more late-night conversations.
No more standing too close.
No more watching the way her expression softened when she smiled.
Nothing unnecessary.
He turned off the kitchen light.
The darkness settled instantly.
As he walked down the hallway toward his office instead of his bedroom, his steps were steady again.
Controlled.
Back in place.
Upstairs, a door closed softly.
He paused for half a second.
Then kept walking.
She was just his employee.
And he intended to keep it that way.
The Next Morning 🌞
Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains, landing gently across Aria's face.
She stirred slightly, pulling the blanket closer before slowly opening her eyes.
For a second, she forgot where she was.
Then the ceiling came into focus.
Right.
She turned onto her side and reached for her phone on the nightstand.
The screen lit up.
12 missed calls.
All from Katy.
And several messages.
Katy:
Where are you??
Why aren't you at work?
Did something happen?
Call me NOW.
Aria, I swear if you got fired and didn't tell me—
Aria sat up quickly.
"Oh no…"
She hadn't even thought about work.
Everything had happened so fast these past few days that the outside world felt distant.
She immediately pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then—
"ARIA!!"
She pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.
"Good morning to you too—"
"Where the HELL have you been?!" Katy's voice exploded through the speaker. "You've not been coming to work! You're not answering your calls! I thought you were kidnapped!"
Aria blinked.
"I wasn't kidnapped—"
"Then what happened?!" Katy cut her off. "Did Mr Ryan Carter fire you? Did you quit? Did you finally punch him in the face? What is going on?!"
Aria rubbed her forehead.
So many questions.
So loudly.
"I did not punch him."
"Okay, but don't dodge the important part!" Katy continued dramatically. "Why didn't you call me? Why are you ignoring me?! Do you know how many times I called you?!"
"I can see," Aria muttered, glancing at the call log again.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, pacing slowly across the room.
What was she supposed to say?
Hey, remember our cold, untouchable boss? Yeah, I'm fake dating him and living in his house now.
Absolutely not.
She took a deep breath.
"Katy, relax, girl," she said gently. "I'm okay."
"Then explain."
"I just… needed a few days."
"For what?"
Aria hesitated.
Her eyes drifted toward the door.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.
"I had some personal things to sort out," she said carefully.
Katy went silent for half a second.
"Personal things?" she repeated suspiciously. "What personal things? You don't even like leaving your bed on weekends."
Aria almost smiled.
"I'm serious."
"Are you sick?"
"No."
"Are you in trouble?"
"No."
"Are you secretly rich and hiding it from me?"
Aria laughed softly despite herself.
"No, Katy."
"Then what?!"
She paused again.
Her mind raced.
She couldn't lie too much. Katy knew her too well.
"I'm still working," she said finally. "I'll come today."
"You promise?"
"Yes."
"Because everyone's asking about you. Even Mrs Collins."
Aria stiffened slightly.
Mrs Collins asking about her wasn't exactly comforting.
"I'll handle it," she said.
"Aria…"
Katy's tone changed now. Softer.
"You would tell me if something big happened, right?"
Aria swallowed.
"Yes."
That part wasn't exactly a lie.
Something big had happened.
She couldn't tell her what.
"Okay," Katy sighed. "Come early today. And if Mr Ryan Carter says anything rude to you, I'm throwing hands."
Aria smiled faintly.
"Please don't."
"I'm serious."
"I know you are."
There was a small pause.
Then Katy added quietly—
"I was worried."
Aria's expression softened.
"I'm sorry."
"Just come today, okay?"
"I will."
They hung up.
Aria lowered the phone slowly.
The room felt different now.
Heavier.
Reality was catching up.
Work.
Questions.
Eyes watching.
She walked toward the window and pulled the curtain slightly aside.
The morning sun was bright.
Peaceful.
Completely unaware of the mess her life had quietly turned into.
She exhaled.
"Okay," she whispered to herself. "One thing at a time."
She placed the phone down and headed toward the bathroom to get ready.
Today, she would have to step back into her normal life.
As if nothing had changed.
As if she wasn't living under the same roof as the man who owned the company.
As if she wasn't pretending to be something she wasn't.
And as if she had any idea how long she could keep this up.