Chapter 59: Overthinking
Zane~
The words hung in the air between us like a living breathing thing, suffocating and scary.
"I think I’m in love with you."
I froze. My breath caught in my throat, my brain scrambling to process what I had just heard. Had she really said that? Had those words really left her lips? Natalie’s heartbeat spiked, a frantic rhythm that I could hear loud and clear. She slowly lifted her head from my chest, her eyes hesitant, unsure. Then, as if suddenly realizing what she had done, she lowered her gaze to her hands, clasped tightly in her lap.
She slid off my lap, placing distance between us, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened, trying to figure out how I was supposed to respond.
Natalie sat stiffly, her body trembling slightly before she forced herself to still, as if bracing for something. She barely managed to part her lips to speak—"Sir, I..."—when I suddenly stood up, my movements jerky and uncoordinated.
"Thank you," I blurted out, my voice uncharacteristically unsteady.
Thank you? That was all I could say? What the hell was wrong with me?
"Goodnight, Natalie," I added hurriedly before practically bolting out of the room. I didn’t dare look back.
The moment I reached my bedroom, I shut the door behind me, pressing my back against it as I tried to steady my breathing. My heart was pounding. I could still feel the warmth of her against me, still hear the softness in her voice when she said those words.
Panic rose within me in waves. I had suspected that Natalie might have feelings for me—it was in the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, the way she blushed whenever I got too close, the way her heartbeat always picked up when I neared her. But I had never expected her to admit it.