My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 37: Just A Moment

Katherine returned to her desk with the grace of a soldier retreating from battle. The second she sat down, she yanked open her bag, shoved her face into it, and screamed quietly. "What was that?! What was that?!" she whisper-yelled into the canvas lining.

She couldn’t believe what had just happened in Felix’s office. Her stupid eyes. His stupid lips. The air had been too thick to breathe, and she’d fled like a character in a melodrama. She thudded her forehead lightly against the desk a few times, trying to knock some sense into herself.

"I need a reset button," she muttered, peeking up to make sure no one saw her miniature breakdown.

Hours dragged on. She focused hard on her work, trying to drown the awkwardness with numbers, emails, and reports. She managed to avoid further interaction with Felix, and for that, she was infinitely grateful. When the clock ticked to noon, her stomach grumbled and she sighed in relief.

Just as she stood up to grab her purse, the door to Felix’s office opened. Katherine nearly jumped.

"Katherine," Felix called.

She whipped around, holding her breath.

He looked calm, professional. Unaffected. Of course.

"I’ll be out for lunch," he said. "Meeting a friend."

Katherine nodded quickly. "Understood. Enjoy your lunch."

Felix gave a short nod and walked away, disappearing down the hall.

The moment he was out of sight, Katherine dropped her shoulders and slumped a little. "Thank God," she mumbled. "One less hour of dying inside."

She grabbed her things and headed for the cafeteria. The sound of conversation and the smell of warm food instantly made her feel grounded again. She took her tray, filled it with some rice, grilled chicken, and a small bowl of soup, then made her way to an empty table.

Just as she took her first bite, a tray clattered onto the table in front of her. She looked up to see Lara, the finance manager, grinning like a fox.

"Well, well," Lara said, sliding into the seat opposite her. "Where’s your lunch date? Did you and Mr. Crawford have a lover’s quarrel?"

Katherine almost choked on her rice. She pointed a chopstick at Lara. "Don’t start. I swear, if you keep saying that, I’ll rat you out to him."

Lara gasped playfully, hand over heart. "You wouldn’t!"

"Oh, I would," Katherine said, smirking. "I’ll tell him how you keep calling him your boss crush."

"Tattle-tale," Lara accused, sticking out her tongue. "Fine, I surrender. But can I eat with you today? Or are you saving this seat for Mr. Hot Lips?"

"Lara!" Katherine hissed, turning crimson. She glanced around to make sure no one overheard.

Lara giggled as she dug into her noodles. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, you two are always joined at the hip during lunch. Did he finally ditch you for someone younger?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "He’s having lunch with a friend."

"Uh-huh. And you’re not invited?"

"Why do you make it sound like we always eat together?"

Lara wiggled her eyebrows. "Because you do."

Katherine sighed. "Okay, most of the time. Not always."

Lara took a dramatic slurp from her soup. "Well, I think it’s cute. He clearly likes you. And you like him. Don’t deny it. I see the way you blush when he walks by."

Katherine pretended to be deeply invested in slicing her chicken. "I don’t blush. It’s just warm in here."

"Mhm," Lara hummed, not convinced.

They shifted to safer topics—workplace gossip, a new intern with a crush on the head of IT, and weekend plans. It felt nice. Normal. By the time lunch ended, Katherine felt lighter.

But the day wasn’t over.

**

The clock ticked toward 5 p.m. and the office began its usual quiet shuffle of people packing up. Katherine bent down to pick up a slip of paper that had fallen from her folder when—

"Katherine."

She jolted up at the sound of Felix’s voice and immediately smacked her forehead on the underside of her desk.

"Ow!" she yelped, clutching her head.

"Shit!" Felix rushed over. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you."

Katherine winced, her eyes squinting from the sting as she slowly sat upright. "It’s okay, I just... wasn’t expecting you."

Felix crouched beside her chair, his eyes scanning her forehead with concern. "Let me see."

Before she could protest, his fingers gently brushed her hair aside, and then—to her utter disbelief—he leaned in and started blowing softly on the sore spot.

Katherine blinked rapidly. "Um... what are you doing?"

"Isn’t this what people do when someone gets hurt?" Felix asked innocently, still blowing air on her skin.

Katherine bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. It was adorable. Pointless, but adorable. His breath tickled, and her heart flipped.

He must have sensed the awkwardness growing because he suddenly pulled back and stood up, clearing his throat. "Sorry, I just—uh, I came here to say something."

Katherine stood too, smoothing her skirt, trying to appear unaffected. "Yes?"

Felix rubbed the back of his neck. "About the other day. After the party. In the car." His hand shifted to cover his mouth slightly, eyes darting away. "I just wanted to apologize."

Katherine felt a flutter in her chest. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "It’s fine. Really. Nothing happened. It was just... a moment. People have moments."

He gave a short, breathy laugh. It wasn’t unkind, but it wasn’t amused either. "Right. Just a moment."

They both fell into an awkward silence. She looked away, hand still resting on her head where he’d touched her. He looked down at his feet, one hand still partially covering his mouth like the words might try to escape again if he didn’t hold them in.

Neither of them said anything else.

The tension, though soft and shy this time, hung between them like threads pulled taut.

Katherine finally cleared her throat. "Well, um... I should pack up. Almost time to go home."

Felix nodded quickly. "Right. Let’s go home."

"Yeah."

They exchanged an awkward smiles—both a little embarrassed, both a little warm.