The night had grown quiet. The laughter and music from the evening had long faded into soft echoes down the hall. Everyone else had retired to their rooms, worn out from the company retreat’s endless toasts and laughter.
I sat by the window, shirt half-buttoned, a glass of the famous Kenyan Cane lemon and ginger liqueur in hand. My Bluetooth speaker hummed slow Billy Black playlist, soulful and nostalgic, the kind of music that makes you think too much. My mind kept replaying that moment with Ashney from earlier in a loop from the way she smiled, the sound of her voice, and the faint scent of her perfume that still seemed to linger in my thoughts.
I was lost in that haze when a soft knock interrupted the rhythm of the night. It was gentle, almost hesitant. I got up, slightly surprised, and when I opened the door, there she was.
Ashney.
She stood there, smiling that quiet, knowing smile, one that didn’t need words to make its point. “Hey,” she whispered, glancing down the hallway. “At least let me come in before someone spots us.”
I stepped aside and she slipped in, graceful as always. The faint scent of her perfume filled the room instantly, sweet, warm, and impossibly inviting. There was something about it, a blend of floral softness and something darker, something daring. It made her presence feel even more magnetic.
She turned to face me, her eyes meeting mine, that same smile tugging at her lips. I couldn’t help but notice how the dim hotel lighting softened everything, her skin, her hair, even the sparkle in her eyes.
For a moment neither of us spoke. The music played quietly between us, smooth, steady, alive. My voice broke the silence.
“At such a time of the night,” I said softly, “what brings you here? Couldn’t it wait till morning?”
She tilted her head slightly, still smiling. “Is there a problem?” she asked, her tone teasing and light, but with a hint of challenge beneath it.
Something shifted inside me then. A rush of courage, maybe, or just the kind of impulse you stop questioning when the moment feels right. I took a step closer, close enough to feel her breath, that same sweet mix of berries and something warmer.
Without breaking eye contact, I reached out and gently drew her closer. She didn’t resist. The space between us disappeared, replaced by a quiet electricity that filled the room. For a long second, the world outside the window, the moonlight, the city hum, the stars, all faded away.
There was only that moment.
Her eyes on mine.
Her smile, calm and knowing.
The music…
The stillness…
And the undeniable pull of something that had been waiting all evening to happen.
To be continued…
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