Whispers of Passion | (18+)

09 | The Loud Silence Between Us

DIANA
***

As the days passed after the kiss between me and Dante, the work days became longer and more uncomfortable.

Multiple meetings we had to attend today which meant I had to talk to him and pretend like what happened didn't.

Every interaction between us the air seemingly grew heavy, our gazes avoiding each other as if it was the plague.

I focused intently on my tasks, preparing for the meeting ahead, but a constant awareness of Dante's presence made it difficult to concentrate. I could feel his gaze occasionally on me as I moved swiftly around the office.

"Diana," He called out to me.

I hummed, still focusing on my task at hand.

"Could we talk about—"

"There's nothing to talk about, Mr Luciano," I firmly stated.

The sound of him rising made me nervous about what was to come.

"Diana-" He softly called my name, threatening to break my professional and nonchalant act.

"Let's keep it professional, Mr. Luciano. We have a meeting to attend."

Our eyes met briefly, the spark from the previous night lingering in the shared gaze.

•••

In the meeting, I was seated across from Dante. Throughout the discussion, Dante's tone remained firm, and his eyes, which are usually warm, now held a distant formality. His sudden change in demeanor made my mind race, and I couldn't help but wonder how he could act so differently.

Our eyes met fleetingly, lasting mere seconds but was enough for me to feel on fire.

As we navigated through the day's tasks, his fingers occasionally brushed mine while reaching for a document, each time a tingling sensation lingered on my skin. We swapped glances that unwantedly tugged at my heart despite how mad I wanted to feel at him for kissing me— I knew that the only person I could blame was myself.

I found myself periodically getting lost in Dante's gaze during office discussions, every time he looked at me it seemed like his gaze softened ever so slightly.

In the last meeting, Lorenzo, overly observant, keen eyes darted between Dante and me, suggesting he sensed something beneath the surface, "Everything okay between you two?"

I shifted in my seat, attempting to soothe myself, "Just a busy day, Lorenzo."

Lorenzo's scrutinizing gaze implied that he didn't believe me.

"Any other ideas or comments before the meeting ends?"

"I have some, Mr. Luciano," I say matter-of-factly, rising from my seat, and looking him in the eye.

"I believe that Implementing a flexible work schedule can significantly improve employee satisfaction and productivity." he listened with a subtly raised eyebrow that showed his amusement.

"Ms. Alexandre, always looking for ways to make things easier. But we can't have people coming and going as they please."

"It's not about making it easy, Mr. Luciano. It's about acknowledging diverse working styles. Flexibility can enhance our overall efficiency."

"Efficiency or an excuse for people to slack off?"

I squared my shoulders, refusing to let his remark derail my argument, "It's about trust and treating employees responsibly. A content workforce leads to better results."