3

"More wine?"

Yvonne lifted her glass with a teasing smile, the crystal catching the warm golden light of the suite.

Across from her, Elena blinked and nodded.

"Just a little."

The moment Elena reached for the glass, Yvonne pulled it away and rose unsteadily from the couch.

"Hey—"

"You've had enough too," Yvonne laughed.

Her words were slightly slurred.

She was drunk.

Very drunk.

The breakup earlier that day had hit harder than anyone expected.

A few hours ago, her boyfriend of three years had walked away after she refused to accompany him on a luxury birthday trip overseas. The company's anniversary event was approaching, and Yvonne had chosen responsibility over romance.

Apparently, he had chosen someone else.

Now she stood barefoot in the center of the hotel suite, cheeks flushed pink from wine and heartbreak.

When her friends suggested a private party to distract her, she'd insisted on bringing Elena.

"I trust you the most," she'd whispered earlier.

Those words alone had been enough to make Elena's heart race.

The truth was simple.

Elena had been hopelessly in love with her boss for years.

She just never expected to be standing here tonight.

"Come on," Elena said gently, moving forward to support her. "You need sleep."

Yvonne tilted her head.

"Sleep sounds boring."

Despite her complaint, she allowed Elena to guide her toward the bedroom.

Their bodies brushed together.

A simple accident.

Yet Elena felt every point of contact like electricity.

Yvonne had always been dangerous without realizing it.

The confidence.

The intelligence.

The kindness hidden beneath her sharp business persona.

All of it had drawn Elena in from the very beginning.

Sometimes she wondered whether she had fallen in love with Yvonne on the first day they met.

She led her inside the bedroom and helped her sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'll get some water."

Before she could leave, two arms wrapped around her waist.

Elena froze.

Yvonne pressed her forehead against her back.

"Do you love me?"

The question stole the air from her lungs.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Elena swallowed.

"Of course I do."

"No."

Yvonne loosened her grip and turned her around.

Her dark eyes searched Elena's face.

"Not that kind of love."

The room suddenly felt much smaller.

Much warmer.

Elena's pulse thundered.

"What are you trying to ask?"

Yvonne took a step closer.

"I see the way you look at me."

Elena's stomach dropped.

"You notice that?"

"I notice everything."

A nervous laugh escaped her.

She looked away immediately.

Years.

She had hidden those feelings for years.

How had Yvonne figured it out?

The silence stretched.

Then Yvonne's voice softened.

"I was hoping I wasn't imagining it."

Elena looked back.

"What do you mean?"

A faint smile appeared on Yvonne's lips.

The vulnerable expression looked strange on someone usually so composed.

"I like you too."

The words landed like a thunderclap.

For a moment Elena simply stared.

Certain she had misheard.

"You've been drinking."

"I have."

Yvonne nodded.

"But I've wanted to tell you this for months."

Elena's heart hammered painfully.

The room blurred around the edges.

This couldn't be real.

Yet Yvonne's gaze never wavered.

She wasn't joking.

She wasn't confused.

She was serious.

"Yvonne..."

"Tell me I'm not the only one."

Elena closed her eyes.

Every wall she'd spent years building collapsed instantly.

When she opened them again, Yvonne was still standing there.

Still waiting.

Still looking at her like she mattered.

That was all it took.

Elena stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.

Yvonne immediately melted into the embrace.

Neither woman spoke.

Words suddenly felt unnecessary.

Outside the window, the city lights glittered against the night sky.

Inside, the silence between them became something soft and fragile.

Something neither wanted to break.

Yvonne rested her head against Elena's shoulder.

"I thought you'd never say anything."

Elena laughed quietly.

"I thought you'd never feel the same."

"I was terrified."

"You?"

"Especially me."

The confession made them both smile.

For the first time all evening, Yvonne looked lighter.

As though some invisible burden had finally been lifted.

She reached for Elena's hand.

Their fingers intertwined naturally.

Comfortably.

Like they had always belonged that way.

And for the first time since she'd fallen in love with her boss, Elena allowed herself to imagine a future where the feeling wasn't one-sided.

A future where Yvonne might choose her too.