Chapter 97: David?
The sound of the gym door beginning to open behind them.
David’s eyes opened.
Mrs. Walbury’s lips lingered against his for the briefest moment before she pulled back just enough to glance over her shoulder.
"..."
The automatic door slid halfway open.
Paused.
Then slowly drifted shut again.
Silence.
Neither of them moved.
Mrs. Walbury let out a slow breath before bringing a hand to her chest.
"...I think my heart just stopped."
David looked toward the entrance one more time before looking back at her.
"...False alarm."
"I know."
She laughed quietly, the tension melting from her shoulders.
"I’ve never been so relieved to see an empty doorway."
"I had a feeling someone was about to walk in."
"So did I."
She shook her head, still smiling to herself.
"...What an awful time for my courage to finally show up."
David studied her for a second.
"...You planned the kiss."
"I absolutely did."
"..."
"...I just didn’t plan on surviving it."
That earned the smallest smile from him.
"I thought you said you were good under pressure."
"I lied."
"You seem to be doing that a lot today."
"I’ve only lied twice."
"That’s already above average."
She couldn’t help laughing again.
The nervousness that had settled between them only moments ago gradually disappeared.
Somehow...
Laughing about it made everything feel less complicated.
Mrs. Walbury looked at him quietly.
The smile on her face softened.
"...David."
"Hm?"
"If you want to pretend that didn’t happen..."
"I won’t blame you."
Her voice remained calm.
There wasn’t a trace of expectation in it.
No disappointment.
No attempt to push him toward an answer.
Just...
A choice.
David looked into her eyes.
She meant every word.
’She’s serious.’
’If I tell her to stop...’
’She will.’
For some reason...
That made his decision easier.
"...And if I don’t?"
She blinked.
"...Then?"
"I don’t think pretending would change much."
"...No?"
"I’d still remember it."
"So would you."
Mrs. Walbury stared at him for a long second before lowering her eyes with a small smile.
"...You’re making this very difficult."
"I wasn’t aware there was an easy answer."
"There isn’t."
She looked back up at him.
Her eyes met his.
Neither of them looked away.
David let out a slow breath.
’...Well.’
’No point overthinking it now.’
He closed the distance between them.
This time...
He kissed her.
Mrs. Walbury froze.
Only for a heartbeat.
Then she relaxed, returning the kiss with the same quiet tenderness she’d shown him moments ago.
There was no urgency.
No desperation.
Just a quiet understanding that neither of them felt the need to put into words.
When they finally separated...
Neither of them moved very far.
Mrs. Walbury smiled.
"...Well."
David looked at her.
"...Well?"
"I wasn’t expecting that."
"I wasn’t either."
"I thought you’d spend another five minutes thinking about it."
"I considered it."
"I know you did."
She laughed softly.
"I could practically hear the gears turning."
"...Occupational hazard."
"I thought your occupation was being stubborn."
"That’s a hobby."
She smiled wider.
"There it is."
"What?"
"Your sense of humor."
"I don’t have one."
"You absolutely do."
"I’ll deny it if anyone asks."
"I’ll remember that."
David shook his head.
"...Troublesome."
"I’ve been called worse."
"I believe it."
A comfortable silence settled between them once again.
The gym remained empty.
The only sounds were the faint music drifting from the speakers and the steady hum of the air conditioner overhead.
Mrs. Walbury looked at him for another moment before reaching out.
Her fingers gently slipped around his hand.
"...Come here."
David glanced down at their joined hands before looking back at her.
"...Where?"
"You’ll see."
She gave his hand the slightest tug.
He followed without resisting.
"...That confident?"
"I own the building."
"...Fair point."
She led him the short distance to the reception counter before stopping.
David looked around.
"...This is it?"
She turned to face him.
"This is it."
"...You’ve been building suspense for three steps."
"I think it was worth it."
"I’m still deciding."
She stepped closer.
Not enough to crowd him.
Just enough that the distance between them disappeared once again.
David looked down at her.
"...Mrs. Walbury."
"Hm?"
"...Can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
He sighed quietly.
"...You planned that answer too?"
"I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’d say to you."
"...Should I be worried?"
"Probably."
She smiled before her expression softened.
"...May I kiss you again?"
There wasn’t even the slightest movement from her.
No expectation.
She simply waited.
Giving him every opportunity to say no.
David looked at her for a long moment.
Then...
The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"...You keep asking."
"I will."
"...Why?"
"Because I want you to choose it every time."
David held her gaze.
Something about that answer made it impossible to look away.
Without another word...
He closed the distance between them once more.
Her eyes slowly drifted shut as she met him halfway.
Their lips met again.
Unlike the first time...
There was no surprise.
No hesitation.
Just quiet certainty.
Mrs. Walbury’s hand rested lightly against his shoulder while David’s settled at her waist, careful enough that he could pull away at any moment if she wanted him to.
She didn’t.
If anything...
She leaned into him just a little more.
The kiss remained slow.
Unhurried.
Neither of them seemed interested in rushing what had taken both of them so long to reach.
When they finally parted...
Mrs. Walbury let out a quiet breath, her forehead resting lightly against his.
"...I think I’ve been wanting to do that for longer than I admitted."
David looked at her.
"I thought you said since yesterday."
"I did."
"..."
"...I may have rounded the number down."
He stared at her for a second.
"So..."
"It wasn’t yesterday."
She smiled innocently.
"I refuse to answer that."
"...Convenient."
"I learned from a professional."
"I don’t remember teaching you."
"You’ve been teaching me all morning."
"That sounds concerning."
"It probably should."
Another laugh escaped her.
The sound filled the empty gym before fading just as quickly.
For a while...
Neither of them spoke.
There wasn’t much left to say.
Mrs. Walbury slowly stepped back.
Only far enough to look at him properly.
Her eyes wandered over his face before she smiled to herself.
"...There."
David raised an eyebrow.
"...There?"
"I finally got to see it."
"See what?"
"You."
"I’ve been watching you ever since we met."
"You always keep a polite smile."
"You answer everything calmly."
"You make dry jokes whenever a conversation gets too serious."
She folded her arms loosely.
"But just now..."
"You stopped thinking."
David was quiet.
"...Did I?"
"You did."
She looked oddly pleased with herself.
"For about ten seconds."
"...That’s a new record."
"It is."
"I’ll try not to let it happen again."
"No."
She shook her head.
"I rather liked it."
David sighed through his nose.
"I had a feeling you’d say that."
A comfortable silence settled between them once more. Mrs. Walbury glanced toward the entrance.
"...We should probably stop before someone actually walks in this time."
David followed her gaze.
"...That’s probably a good idea."
"Yeah." She said "that’s a good idea."
Without wasting another moment, they both locked lips, returning into the sensual state once more.
***
Holly POV
"...Mm..."
Holly stirred beneath the blanket, her eyes opening little by little as she stared at the ceiling.
The apartment was quiet.
She blinked once before turning her head toward the other side of the bed.
Empty.
"..."
Her hand wandered across the mattress almost absentmindedly.
Cold.
"He really left..."
A small smile appeared before she could stop it. Last night hadn’t been a dream. David had actually stayed over.
For some reason...
Thinking about it now made her cheeks grow warm. She pulled the blanket over the lower half of her face.
"...Why am I getting embarrassed after he’s already gone?"
There was no one around to hear her. That only made it more embarrassing.
After another moment, she let out a quiet laugh and shook her head.
"I should get ready."
Trying to go back to sleep clearly wasn’t happening.
She climbed out of bed, stretched her arms above her head, and made her way toward the bathroom.
—
The morning passed quietly.
After washing up and changing into her work clothes, Holly grabbed her bag before leaving the apartment.
The cool morning breeze greeted her the moment she stepped outside.
The streets were only beginning to wake.
A few people hurried toward work.
Cars passed every so often.
The city still felt unusually calm.Holly found herself smiling again.
’I’m even earlier than usual.’
Maybe opening the gym before everyone else arrived wasn’t such a bad idea.
Lost in thought, she rounded the next corner—
"O-Oh!"
She nearly walked straight into a young man heading in the opposite direction.
He stepped back immediately.
"Sorry about that."
"N-No... I’m sorry."
The man smiled politely.
"No harm done."
After giving a small wave, he continued on his way.
Holly watched him disappear into the morning crowd before letting out a quiet sigh.
’I really need to pay more attention.’
Shaking her head, she continued toward the gym.
Before long...
The familiar building came into view.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out her spare key, and unlocked the front door.
Click.
The lock released.
She wrapped her hand around the handle and pushed the door open.
The bell above the entrance chimed softly.
Ding.
"...Good morni—"
Her voice stopped.
Near the reception counter...
David stood only a step away from Mrs. Walbury.
Neither of them had noticed the door opening.
Mrs. Walbury’s hand rested gently against the side of David’s face.
Their lips were pressed together in a quiet kiss.
For one long moment...
Holly simply stared.
Her thoughts came to a complete stop.
The sound of the bell faded through the gym.
David was the first to react.
His eyes slowly opened.
The moment they met Holly’s...
He froze.
Mrs. Walbury noticed the change in his expression.
She followed his gaze toward the entrance.
Silence.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Holly looked from David...
To Mrs. Walbury...
Then back again.
Her lips parted slightly.
"...David?"