“I was at the party.” I said it quickly through the phone, hoping it would clear her suspicion.
There was a long silence from the other side.
A silence that immediately told me Paige wasn’t convinced.
Finally, she spoke.
“What party?” I quickly tried to explain before she could overthink.
“I met these two girls from our company.
They recently moved into the apartment near mine, and they were having a small celebration today.” I kept my voice as normal as possible.
“They invited me, so I went.” For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then I heard a relieved sigh.
“You could have informed me at least.” Paige’s voice softened.
“I was worried for nothing.” Guilt immediately hit me.
And after everything that happened tonight, I realized how careless I had been.
“I’m sorry.” I said it immediately.
Then again.
And again.
Until Paige finally laughed slightly.
“Meave, okay.
I get it.” I smiled faintly.
Even when she was worried, she was still patient with me.
Then she suddenly changed her tone.
“Also, tomorrow is a holiday.” I straightened slightly.
“Me and Alden already made plans for tomorrow.” I already knew where this was going.
“So you better not ghost us.” I sighed.
Of course.
Paige and Alden never let me spend my free time alone.
Not that I disliked it.
They were probably the two people who knew me the best.
But after this exhausting week…
All I wanted was to sleep for an entire day.
“I won’t.” I finally agreed.
A small victory tone appeared in her voice.
the call ended with see you tomorrow I lowered my phone slowly.
The car became silent again.
I looked ahead through the windshield.
For some reason, I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was still sitting beside Alexander.
A series of thoughts kept drifting through my mind.
The investigation.
Eugene.
The note.
Everything I had witnessed tonight.
So much had happened that I barely noticed when the car slowed down.
Only when the engine turned off did I realize we had stopped.
I looked outside.
My apartment building.
We were already here.
For a moment, I just stared.
Then another thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Wait…
How did he know where I lived?
I turned toward him.
“How do you know I live here?” Alexander looked at me briefly before answering.
“I know where everyone in my department lives.” I blinked.
Well…
That made sense.
And somehow…
It didn’t.
Knowing Alexander, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
He was the kind of person who noticed everything.
Still, it was slightly strange knowing that he had information about all of us.
But after everything I had seen tonight…
I decided not to question it.
There were probably many things about ESSPU that I wasn’t supposed to know yet.
I slowly opened the door.
“Thank you for dropping me home.” I said it quietly.
Alexander simply nodded.
I stepped out of the car and closed the door.
But as I stood there, watching him prepare to leave, something felt wrong.
He had gone out of his way to bring me home.
After everything that happened tonight…
The least I could do was offer something.
Before I could overthink it, the words escaped.
“Do you want coffee?” I paused.
Alexander looked at me.
Or maybe…
“You could rest for a bit in my room.” The moment the words left my mouth, my brain caught up.
Wait.
That sounded…
Very wrong.
My eyes widened slightly.
“I mean—” Before I could correct myself, Alexander answered.
“Okay.” I froze.
Okay?
That was his response?
I stared at him, completely caught off guard.
He reached forward and turned off the engine.
Then he stepped out of the car.
I stood there silently.
I had only asked out of politeness.
A simple formality.
I didn’t actually expect him to agree.
We walked inside my apartment, and Alexander followed silently behind me.
The moment he entered, I suddenly became more aware of my surroundings.
My apartment.
It wasn’t anything impressive.
mine was just…
A normal place.
A place filled with things I needed.
A place that looked more like a home built over time rather than something designed to impress.
But right now, with Alexander standing inside, I couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed.
There were books stacked on the table, a few documents from work placed near the sofa, and random things that I hadn’t bothered organizing after my busy week.
I should have cleaned.
At least a little.
But with the internship, reports, and everything else…
I barely had time to breathe.
“Sorry…
my place is a bit messy.” I said awkwardly.
Alexander looked around briefly before looking back at me.
“No.
It’s alright.” His simple reply somehow made me relax.
There was no judgment in his voice.
No criticism.
Just a simple acceptance.
He sat patiently on the sofa while I walked toward the kitchen.
I prepared a cup of coffee.
Black coffee.
No sugar.
Because I remembered.
Every morning at the office, Alexander drank the same thing.
I wasn’t sure why I remembered such a small detail.
Maybe because I had spent the entire week observing them.
Or maybe because, despite his intimidating personality, small details about him had started becoming noticeable to me.
I placed the cup in front of him.
“Here.” He looked at the coffee before looking at me.
“Thank you.” I sat across from him.
And once again…
Silence filled the room.
It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly.
But it was strange.
Being alone with Alexander outside the office felt completely different.
At work, he was my boss.
Someone I respected.
Someone whose approval I secretly wanted.
But here…
He was just a person sitting in my apartment, drinking coffee.
To break the silence, I finally spoke.
“So…
what are we going to do about the letter?” Alexander placed the cup down on the table.
“We will find out who printed those company cards.” His eyes moved toward the note.
“Maybe we can get a lead from there.” I nodded slowly.
The answer made sense.
The company cards were not something anyone outside Westbridge could easily access.
Someone had either used internal resources…
Or someone inside the company was involved.
“Meave.” Alexander’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at him.
“Would you accompany me tomorrow to investigate the printed cards?” For a second…
I thought I had heard him wrong.
Tomorrow?
With him?
Until now, Alexander had only given me reports to analyze.
He trusted my observations.
He accepted my work.
But this…
This was different.
He was asking me to be involved directly.
To investigate with him.
A strange feeling spread through my chest.
Excitement.
Happiness.
Maybe even a little pride.
I had been worried that I was only there because they needed someone to handle the extra work.
But now…
Alexander himself was including me.
“Yes.” The answer came out much faster and more excitedly than I intended.
I immediately realized how obvious my excitement sounded and quickly composed myself.
“I mean…
yes, I would like to.” Alexander looked at me for a second.
I wasn’t sure if he noticed my reaction or not.
With him, it was always impossible to tell.
Then he stood up.
I stood up as well.
He picked up his coat from the side and started walking toward me.
I moved slightly to give him space.
But as he came closer…
His foot caught against the leg of the table.
Everything happened too quickly.
Alexander stumbled.
My eyes widened.
He was about to fall.
Without thinking, I reached forward to stop him.
The problem?
I completely forgot one important fact.
Alexander was almost twice my size.
So instead of stopping him…
I became the person who fell with him.
A second later— Thud.
My eyes widened as I realized what had happened.
I was lying on top of him.
For a moment, everything went completely silent.
The room.
The sound of my own thoughts.
Everything.
My hands were pressed against his chest, and I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath me.
My face instantly heated.
This was not how I imagined spending my evening with Alexander Callahan.
Not at all.
I quickly tried to move away.
“I’m sorry, I—” But before I could finish, I looked up.
And met his eyes.
For the first time, Alexander didn’t look completely composed.
He looked surprised.
Embarrassed?
I couldn’t tell.
Alexander Callahan was not someone whose emotions were easy to read.
“I am really sorry.” I quickly said while getting up from him.
“I was just trying to help.” My voice came out more flustered than I wanted.
I didn’t even know why I was explaining myself so much.
It wasn’t like I had intentionally fallen on him.
It was an accident.
But somehow…
The situation felt much more embarrassing than it should have.
After a few seconds, Alexander finally got up.
“Sorry.” He said quietly.
But neither of us looked at each other.
Not even once.
My heart was beating so fast that I was afraid he could hear it.
I didn’t dare look at his face.
Was he angry?
Was he uncomfortable?
Was he disgusted?
Or was he just embarrassed like me?
I had no idea.
Alexander didn’t say anything else.
He simply reached for the company card that he had taken earlier to examine beside the note and placed it carefully on the table.
Then he walked toward the door.
Just like that.
No explanation.
No reaction.
Nothing.
A few seconds later…
I heard the sound of the door closing.
A heavy thud echoed through the apartment.
And only then did I finally let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
My hand moved toward my chest.
My heartbeat was still racing.
I was sure my face was completely red.
What was wrong with me?
I slowly turned around.
My eyes landed on the empty coffee mug sitting on the table.
And immediately…
The entire scene replayed inside my mind.
The way he looked at me.
The sudden fall.
The silence.
The fact that I was literally lying on top of Alexander Callahan.
I covered my face with my hands.
“Seriously, Meave…” I whispered to myself.
This was a disaster.
I fell back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
Why was my heart still beating this fast?
And worse…
Why was I still thinking about his expression?
I groaned quietly.
“I am a mess.”