Damn! That was close. If Miranda saw us, I’m sure all hell would have broken loose, I thought.
"… a blue file in your office?" she continued, oblivious to the tension so thick in the air it could have been cut with a knife. "I swear it was on my desk this morning, but now I can’t find it anywhere."
I forced myself to breathe, to calm the storm raging inside me. Luna stood frozen beside me, and I could feel the guilt radiating off her in waves. I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of control.
"Miranda … my dear …" I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "Is everything okay?"
She finally looked up from her screen, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Yeah, just looking for a file. It’s somewhere, I swear."
She glanced between us briefly, but if she noticed anything out of the ordinary, she didn’t show it.
I let out a silent breath of relief, though the tension in my chest didn’t fully dissipate.
"It’s not here. There’s no blue file here."
She turned to Luna, offering a quick smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"Hey, Luna! Didn’t see you there. How’s it going? Hope my dad isn’t giving you too much trouble."
Luna’s voice was soft, strained. "Uhhh … you know, just the usual. Your dad has been … uhhh … very understanding."
Miranda nodded, already distracted again, as she tapped away on her laptop.
“Why are you desperately looking for the file?” I asked.
“It’s the file containing the sales record for last month. I actually took it home last night but can’t remember if I brought it to the office or left it at home. I’m just so confused.”
“Maybe you left it in your car or maybe it’s at home. You can call Jake to have someone check the house while you check your car.”
“Yeah … Uhh … that’s a good idea,” Luna said.
"Yeah, I’ll do just that, dad. Talk later?"
I nodded, forcing myself to smile. "Of course."
She left as quickly as she came, and the door closed behind her with a soft click. The silence that followed was suffocating. I could still feel Luna’s presence beside me, and the weight of what had almost happened hung heavily in the air.
I turned to face her, my heart still pounding. She was looking down, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and I could see the guilt etched across her face.
"We can’t keep doing this," I said, the words coming out harsher than I intended. But the truth of it weighed on me. "But I don’t know how to stop."
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with the same turmoil I felt. "Neither do I," she whispered.
And that was the heart of it. Neither of us knew how to stop.
“Why don’t we stop thinking about the possibilities of what could happen? We don’t want our feelings for each other to end.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Let’s get away from everything, even if it’s for a night. How about you join me on my yacht tonight?”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Come on, it’s just for tonight. I just want us to distance ourselves from the guilt, even if it’s just for a night. You don’t have to worry - Miranda won’t find out.”
“Uhh … I …”
“Just say yes. You don’t have to go home. We can just go to the marina from here. We can go now if you’d like.”