Noah’s Three days passed faster than I wanted.
On the morning my leave officially ended, I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of my shirt for the third time.
I stared at my reflection.
I looked the same.
But somehow, I didn’t feel the same.
A month ago, I had left Ashford Biotech convinced that distance would make everything easier.
Now I was going back.
And Adrian would be there.
I took a slow breath.
“Just work,” I whispered to myself.
“That’s all.” Behind me, Ethan was sitting on the bed, playing with his stuffed fox.
“Daddy.” I turned.
“Yes?” “Work?” I nodded.
“Daddy’s going back to work.” I sat beside him for a moment, watching him turn the fox over in his small hands as though it needed inspecting before I could leave.
“Uncle?” I smiled faintly.
“You really don’t give up, do you?” He shook his head.
“Uncle.” I laughed.
“Yes.
You’ll probably see him eventually.” Ethan smiled.
That seemed to satisfy him.
I picked up my work bag.
Before leaving, I hugged him tightly.
“I’ll be back later.” “Okay.” Amelia appeared at the doorway.
“You ready?” “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Clara came behind her, holding a cup of coffee.
“Remember what I told you.” I raised an eyebrow.
“What?” “Don’t overthink everything.” Amelia laughed.
“That’s impossible for him.” “Exactly.” I rolled my eyes.
“Thanks for the support.” Amelia walked over and straightened my collar.
“You’ll be fine.” I nodded.
I hoped she was right, even though the small, private part of me that had spent a month rehearsing every possible version of this morning wasn’t nearly as convinced.
The drive to Ashford Biotech felt much shorter than I remembered.
As the familiar building came into view, my stomach tightened.
The glass exterior reflected the morning sunlight.
Employees moved through the entrance.
Cars filled the parking area.
Somewhere in that stream of people going about their ordinary morning, I felt strangely conspicuous, as if returning after a month should have left some visible mark on me.
Everything looked normal.
Except I wasn’t the same person who had left.
I sat inside the car for another few seconds, watching a group of researchers laugh about something near the entrance, easy and unbothered, the way I used to be before any of this started.
Then I forced myself to get out.
The moment I stepped through the entrance, familiar scents surrounded me.
Alphas.
Betas.
Omegas.
Everyone wore their scent blockers and neutralizers as required by company policy, but the faint traces were still noticeable.
It was strange how quickly the body remembered a place — my shoulders had already tensed in the specific way they used to whenever I walked through these doors, muscle memory I hadn’t realized I still carried.
I adjusted the small scent-control patch beneath my collar.
My Omega senses had been more sensitive lately.
My heat cycle wasn’t due immediately, but I had learned not to ignore the warning signs.
I always carried my cycle-management supplements with me now.
Being prepared was better than being caught off guard.
“Mr.
Everhart?” I turned.
One of the reception staff smiled.
“Welcome back.” “Thank you.” “It’s good to have you back.” I returned the smile.
“Good to be back.” The words felt strange.
But I meant them, more than I expected to.
I walked toward the elevator.
The doors opened.
I stepped inside.
Then someone entered just before they closed.
I froze.
Adrian.
He stood beside me, dressed in a dark suit, his expression calm.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he pressed the button for his floor.
“Good morning.” My heart skipped.
“Good morning.” That was it.
No awkward questions.
No mention of the kiss.
No discussion about the month apart.
Just two people standing inside an elevator pretending their hearts weren’t beating too fast.
The doors opened.
Adrian stepped out first.
He paused.
“Welcome back, Noah.” I looked at him.
“Thank you.” He walked away.
I watched him disappear down the corridor.
Then I let out the breath I’d been holding, only now realizing how long I’d been holding it.
One month away.
And somehow, one elevator ride had brought every feeling back.
I shook my head.
“Work,” I reminded myself, though the word felt thinner than it had in the mirror that morning.
I stepped out of the elevator.
But before I reached my office, my supervisor approached me.
“Mr.
Everhart, there’s something you need to know.” I stopped.
“What happened?” He lowered his voice.
“There’s been a change to your assignment.” My stomach tightened.
“What kind of change?” He glanced toward the executive floor.
“You’ll be working directly with Mr.
Ashford again.” I stared at him.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
After an entire month of trying to create distance, fate had apparently decided otherwise.
I looked toward Adrian’s office.
The door was closed.
I swallowed.
“Understood.” I walked toward my office.
This was going to be a very long month.
I stared at the assignment sheet in my hands.
Directly working with Adrian.
Of all the things I had expected on my first day back, this wasn’t one of them.
I looked toward the executive floor again.
Maybe I could request another assignment.
Maybe I could explain that I had just returned from leave.
Maybe— “Noah.” I looked up.
My supervisor was still standing there.
“Mr.
Ashford specifically requested you for the project.” My stomach dropped.
“He did?” “Yes.
He said you were already familiar with the work.” Of course.
It was a reasonable explanation.
Professional.
Nothing suspicious.
Still, I couldn’t help wondering whether Adrian had requested me because of the project or because he wanted an excuse to keep me close.
It wasn’t an unreasonable thought, not after everything — the kiss, the messages, the way he’d looked at me in the elevator like he’d been waiting for that exact moment for a month.
I quickly pushed the thought away.
That wasn’t fair.
Adrian had spent the entire month respecting my space.
I had no reason to assume otherwise.
“I’ll do it.” My supervisor nodded.
“Good.
The first meeting is in twenty minutes.” “Twenty minutes?” “Executive conference room.” He walked away.
I stared at the assignment sheet again.
“Great.” Twenty minutes later, I stood outside the conference room.
My hand rested on the door handle.
I took a deep breath.
This was work.
Nothing more.
I opened the door.
Adrian was already inside.
He looked up from the documents in front of him, and for the briefest moment something flickered across his face — relief, maybe, or the same nervousness I’d been carrying all morning, quickly smoothed over into practiced composure.
For a brief second, our eyes met.
Then he looked back at the papers.
“You’re on time.” “I always am.” “I know,” he said, and for just a second something almost like a smile touched the corner of his mouth — there and gone before I could be sure I hadn’t imagined it.
He gestured toward the chair opposite him.
“Sit.” I sat down.
A few other employees joined us, and the meeting began.
For the next hour, Adrian was exactly the man everyone knew.
Focused.
Calm.
Professional.
He spoke about the project, assigned responsibilities, and answered questions without hesitation.
Watching him move so effortlessly between the version of himself that ran meetings and the version who had pinned me against a wall three weeks ago felt almost surreal, like watching two different men share the same face.
Not once did he mention the month I had been away.
Not once did he mention the kiss.
And somehow, that made it easier.
I could breathe.
I could work.
I could pretend that my heart wasn’t reacting every time he looked at me.
When the meeting finally ended, everyone began leaving.
I gathered my papers.
“Mr.
Everhart.” I stopped.
Adrian was looking at me.
“Stay for a moment.” The last employee left.
The door closed.
Silence settled between us.
I kept my attention on the papers.
“Is there a problem with the project?” “No.” “Then?” He leaned back slightly.
“How have you been?” I looked at him.
“Fine.” “Really?” “Yes.” He nodded.
“Good.” I waited.
He didn’t continue.
“You wanted to talk?” “I did.” My fingers tightened around the folder.
“About what?” “The month.” I looked away.
“I needed it.” “I know.” “I wasn’t trying to punish you.” “I never thought you were.” His answer was so calm that I didn’t know what to say.
Adrian continued.
“I wanted to ask whether you’re comfortable working with me.” I looked at him.
“If you’re not, I’ll change the assignment.” I was surprised.
“You’d do that?” “Yes.” I thought about it.
A month ago, I would have immediately said yes.
But things had changed.
Maybe I had changed.
“I can handle it.” He nodded.
“Alright.” Another silence.
Then his gaze softened.
“Ethan?” My heart warmed despite myself.
Even his name in Adrian’s mouth sounded different now — careful, deliberate, like something he was holding rather than simply saying.
“He’s doing well.” “Good.” “He still asks about you.” Adrian looked down for a moment.
“I know.” I frowned.
“You know?” “He sent me a voice message through you.” I blinked.
“Oh.” I had forgotten about the short recording Ethan had made one evening.
Adrian smiled faintly.
“He said, ‘Uncle come.'” I couldn’t help smiling, picturing Ethan holding my phone with both hands, utterly serious about delivering his message.
“He really misses you.” “I miss him too.” The room became quiet again.
I looked at Adrian.
For the first time since returning, I didn’t feel the urge to run.
Maybe because he wasn’t asking me for anything.
He was simply there, steady in a way that made the silence feel less like tension and more like something we could actually share.
And perhaps that was enough.
I stood.
“I should get back to work.” He nodded.
“Of course.” I reached the door.
“Noah.” I turned.
Adrian hesitated.
Then he said quietly, “Welcome back.” Something inside me softened.
“Thank you.” I left the room.
As I walked back to my office, I realized something.
Coming back hadn’t been as terrifying as I’d imagined.
Maybe the month away had done something after all.
It hadn’t made me forget Adrian.
It had taught me that I could stand in the same room with him without losing myself.
And that was a beginning.
Whatever came next — the project, the talk we still owed each other, the truth I hadn’t found the courage to tell him — I would face it one day at a time, the same way I’d learned to face everything else these past two years.
It wouldn’t be easy.
It never had been.
But for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t dreading what came next.
Noah is officially back at Ashford Biotech, and guess who he’s been assigned to work with again?
Adrian.
Of course.
After a whole month away, Noah thought he would finally be able to keep things professional—but fate said, “Absolutely not.” I loved that Adrian didn’t pressure Noah.
He even offered to change the assignment if Noah wasn’t comfortable.
That’s the kind of growth we’re going to keep building between them.
And Ethan asking about Uncle Adrian?
That little boy is definitely going to keep bringing these two together whether they like it or not.
We’re entering a new stage now: Noah and Adrian working together again, while everything they haven’t said continues hanging between them.
Thank you for staying with the story and supporting me!
See you in Chapter 24!
— Ari1