Page 6 of Hidden Confessions

Hewasnervous.

I wasn’t sure what to do with that, but it made my chest ache a little.

His piercing blue eyes searched mine, looking for confirmation that it wasn’t some kind of prank.

I grinned. “I thought I made it pretty clear. That was a kiss. Don’t tell me you’ve never had one of those before.”

Spencer exhaled, the familiar spark of anger that I relished so much returning to his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have. I guess what I’m trying to ask is, why are you kissing me? I thought you hated me.”

“Ah, of course you did,” I said, sighing. Of course he fucking would.

It could not be further from the truth. Not that I ever tried to show my feelings for him.

How could I? Why would I? He gave me no reason to. We were co-workers. Always in competition, always trying to outdo each other. Spencer had never given me anything more than that. Actually, he gave me no chance to. Every time we interacted, it was a battle. No time to say that there was something else behind our fantasticprofessional aggression, because Spencer always came ready to fight.

And I’m definitely not one to back down from any type of battle.

More than that, I seemed to genuinely irritate him. Spencer made it very clear when he was annoyed. That was one emotion he displayed most frequently in my presence. Project work together felt more like a torture chamber, where I had to watch a guy I found fascinating huff and puff throughout the entire project. But... I kind of liked it. The idea that I could draw such intense emotions from him was... sadistically satisfying.

Spence was such a peculiar person. Everything he did impressed me—his approach to tasks, his attention to details. Though he and I had different perspectives on issues, he was impressive nonetheless. Even the way he walked and the dimples that would form on his cheeks every time he smiled... everything.

As soon as he’d made his dislike for me obvious, I’d been forced to push my fascination with him to the back of my mind and play the role he had given me.

Theenemyin the office.

Not sure why he naturally put me in that category, but that was the case.

I figured if I couldn’t have it how I wanted, I would have it in any way possible. If that was the only way I could have his attention, then so be it.

“Since this is the last time, I think we can both allow ourselves the luxury of being honest with each other,” I said.

I let go of his face but couldn’t bear to step back, not when this intoxicating rush was flooding my being. I stood close enough to feel his warm breath tickle my skin as he breathed out.

I was leaving. As in, never coming back. I had nothing to lose. No battles left to fight.

It was time for the truth.

“I never hated you, Spencer.”

His face morphed from confusion to skepticism to intrigue, the wheels in that pretty head of his spinning.

“What?”

“I never hated you,” I repeated, trying my hardest not to laugh at how easy he was to read. His face showed a myriad of emotions, and I watched them flit across his stupidly handsome face, registering each one as it passed.

Oh, Spencer... Spence. I liked how expressive he was. There was no filter to him letting you know exactly how he felt. If Spence didn’t like something, trust me, you would know. Just one look at his face was enough feedback. Something about that just made it impossible for me to leave him alone.

I admit, I liked to get a rise out of him just for the fun of it. There was something about seeing Spencer all upset and flustered that scratched a sinister itch inside me. Perhaps I went overboard at times, but that was the only way I knew to draw his attention. I wanted to be on his mind, wanted to be the first thing he thought about when he woke up and the last person on his mind when he went to bed. I wanted to plague his dreams, permeate every cell of his entire being until all he saw, thought, breathed was... me.

Finally, his face settled on something that looked... pained. Was that regret? Sadness? What the hell was this expression?

Then he spoke. “I... I never hated you either,” he mumbled.

My ears started to ring slightly. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It just couldn’t be. There was never a slip, never a hint in any shape or form that Spence felt anything towards me other than animosity. Now here he was, telling me all this when he knew I was leaving.

He was attracted to me? Liked me this whole time?

Fucking hell. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I wanted to wring his damn neck for doing this to me. Spencer just had to wait until right now to say it. Three fucking years, and I was only now finding out?

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