By evening
Riyana was done.
Done pretending.
Done ignoring.
Done acting like this didn't affect her.
Because it did.
More than she wanted to admit.
She stood up abruptly from her desk.
"Where are you going?" someone asked casually.
"Meeting room," she replied.
But that wasn't entirely true.
Because she already knew
He was there.
Inside.
Alone.
Riyana didn't knock.
She opened the door
And stepped in.
Bosco looked up.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Gone just as quickly.
"Yes?"
That tone.
Calm.
Neutral.
Distant.
Something inside her snapped.
"What is this?" she asked.
Bosco frowned slightly. "What?"
"This," she gestured sharply. "This whole act."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
Expression unreadable.
"I don't understand."
Riyana let out a short, disbelieving breath.
"Of course you don't."
Silence stretched.
Then
"Say what you want to say, Riyana.
That
That calm tone
Made it worse.
"Why are you acting like nothing happened?" she asked directly.
There it was.
Out in the open.
Bosco's gaze stayed on her.
Steady.
"Because you said it shouldn't," he replied.
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
Riyana froze for a second.
"That doesn't mean you just" she stopped, frustrated. "You just switch off like that."
"I didn't switch off," he said.
"You did."
"No," he corrected calmly. "I stepped back."
Her jaw tightened.
"That's not the same."
"It is," he said. "For you."
That hit.
Because it was true.
"You wanted distance," he continued. "You made it clear."
"So now you're just… okay with it?" she asked.
A pause.
Then
"Yes."
That one word
It shouldn't have affected her.
But it did.
Riyana took a step closer.
"Really?" she asked, her voice tightening. "That easy for you?"
Bosco's eyes flickered slightly.
"You think this is easy?" he asked quietly.
"Looks like it."
Silence.
Then
He stood up.
Slowly.
And suddenly
The space between them changed.
Smaller.
Heavier.
"You're the one who pushed this away," he said.
"And you're the one who's pretending it didn't exist!"
Her voice rose slightly.
"Because you said it was a mistake."
"I said" she stopped, frustrated, running a hand through her hair. "That doesn't mean"
"That doesn't mean what?" he asked.
Riyana went silent.
Because she didn't have an answer.
And that
That frustrated her more.
"Exactly," Bosco said quietly.
That did it.
Riyana stepped closer.
Now
Too close.
"Then why does it matter?" she demanded.
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it was intense.
Real.
"If it was nothing," she continued, her eyes locked on his, "then why does it feel like this?"
The question hung between them.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Bosco didn't answer immediately.
Because he didn't have a simple answer either.
Instead
He stepped closer.
Closing the gap completely.
Now
There was barely any space left.
Riyana's breath hitched.
But she didn't step back.
Not this time.
"You tell me," he said, his voice low.
Her heartbeat was loud now.
Too loud.
"I don't know," she admitted.
The words slipped out
Before she could stop them.
And that
Changed everything.
Because now
For the first time
She wasn't denying it.
Silence filled the room.
Thick.
Charged.
Bosco's gaze dropped briefly
To her lips.
Then back to her eyes.
Riyana noticed.
And this time
She didn't look away.
Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.
"See?" he said quietly. "This is what you're avoiding."
"Maybe," she whispered.
A step closer.
If that was even possible.
Now
Their breaths mixed.
Her voice dropped
Barely above a whisper.
"But that doesn't make it right."
"Right for who?" he asked.
"For me."
Her answer was immediate.
But her body
Wasn't agreeing.
Because she hadn't stepped away.
Not even a little.
Bosco's hand moved
Slowly.
Not grabbing.
Not forcing.
Just
Resting lightly against the table beside her.
Boxing her in without touching her.
And suddenly
The air felt heavier.
Riyana swallowed.
"You should move," she said softly.
But there was no force behind it.
"No," he replied just as quietly.
Her breath faltered.
"Bosco"
But she didn't finish.
Because this time
He didn't rush.
Didn't act impulsively.
He just stayed.
Close.
Waiting.
And that
That was worse.
Because now
The choice wasn't his.
It was hers.
Riyana's eyes flickered again.
To his lips.
Then back.
Her control
Slipping.
Just slightly.
And in that moment
Everything balanced on one decision.
Step back
Or don't.
Her fingers curled slightly.
Her breath was uneven.
But she didn't move.
Not yet.
And Bosco noticed.
Every second of it.
"Still think this is nothing?" he asked softly.
Riyana didn't answer.
Because she couldn't.
Because now
It was very clear.
Not nothing.