Chapter 4 Not an Accident

Tasha’s POV

“THAT didn’t happen.”

Carlos said it like he was trying to erase the last ten seconds out of existence. And he said it firmly enough, confidently enough, the entire thing would just… disappear.

I didn’t answer right away.

I was still standing there, barely an inch away from him, my back brushing the edge of the worktable, my fingers curled slightly at my sides like I didn’t know what to do with them yet.

Because I didn’t.

My mind was still catching up.

His lips—

No.

I swallowed, forcing that thought down before it could settle.

I lifted my gaze slowly. He was already looking at me. Too focused. Too aware. Too tense for someone who was claiming nothing happened.

“That didn’t happen,” he repeated, sharper this time, like I was the one refusing to accept it.

I tilted my head slightly, studying him.

“Right,” I said. “Because you look very unaffected right now.”

His jaw tightened. “I am unaffected,” he shot back quickly.

I almost smiled. Almost.

“Then you should probably tell that to your face.”

That did it. His eyes narrowed just a fraction, something sharp flashing behind them.

“You’re making it into something it’s not,” he said, stepping back half a step like distance would help him regain control.

“I’m not making it into anything,” I replied, crossing my arms loosely. “You’re the one talking about it.”

Silence. Not empty, but tight. Like something was stretching between us and neither of us wanted to be the first to snap it.

“It was an accident,” he said again, slower this time.

“Yeah,” I agreed easily. “It was.”

That seemed to throw him off more than if I’d argued. He blinked once, like he didn’t expect me to agree so fast.

I shrugged slightly. “People bump into each other. It happens.”

Another pause.

Then his eyes searched mine, like he was trying to figure out if I was lying. I wasn’t. At least… not completely. Because it was an accident.

So why did it feel like something shifted? Why did it feel like I couldn’t just brush it off the way I should?

“Good,” he said after a second, his voice settling back into something controlled. “Then we’re clear.”

“Crystal.”

We just stood there for a moment. Too close. And I hated that I could still feel it. That brief contact. That split second. It wasn’t even soft. It wasn’t even intentional.

But somehow it stuck. Annoying. Unnecessary. And completely inconvenient.

Voices started picking up around us again. Low murmurs. Whispers.

I didn’t need to turn to know what they were about. Of course people saw. This place ran on attention.

And we just handed them something interesting.

Great.

I exhaled slowly, grabbing a cloth from the table just to have something to do with my hands.

“It was an accident,” I repeated under my breath, more to myself this time.

Because it was. It had to be.

Carlos didn’t respond. But I could feel his gaze still on me. Heavy. Unmoving. Like he hadn’t actually moved on from it either.

Before I could say anything else, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

“Well. That was unexpected.”

I didn’t need to look. I already knew.

Bianca Laurent.

I turned my head slightly as she walked toward us, calm as ever, like she hadn’t just walked into the aftermath of something very obvious.

Her heels clicked softly against the floor, measured, confident, drawing just enough attention without trying too hard.

Her eyes flicked to me first. Quick and assessing. Then his eyes lingered to Carlos.

“Oh,” she added lightly. “I heard there was a bit of a scene.”

A few people nearby suddenly found their tools very interesting.

I straightened slightly, keeping my expression neutral. “Nothing worth talking about,” I said.

Bianca smiled. “Of course not.”

She didn’t believe me.

Not even a little.

Her attention shifted fully to Carlos, her expression softening just enough to look natural.

“Are you okay?” she asked, stepping closer.

Her hand slid along his arm possessively like it belonged there.

I looked away. I didn’t need to see more.

“I’m fine,” Carlos replied, his voice back to that controlled tone he used like armor.

“Good,” she murmured, her fingers still resting lightly against him. “Wouldn’t want unnecessary distractions affecting you.”

There it was.

I kept my eyes on the engine in front of me, tightening a bolt that didn’t need tightening.

“Some people,” Bianca continued, her voice softer now, “don’t always understand how things work here.”

I glanced up. Her gaze was on me again. Calm but sharp underneath.

“I’ll figure it out,” I said.

She tilted her head slightly. “I’m sure you think you will.”

Something in my chest tightened. Not enough to show. But enough to feel.

She stepped a little closer—not enough to make a scene, but enough that her voice dropped just slightly.

“Just be careful,” she added sweetly. “Some things aren’t meant for people like you.”

I held her gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Her smile didn’t change. But something in her eyes did. Like she wasn’t used to being answered like that.

Then she turned back to Carlos, her hand still resting against him like a quiet claim. “Come on,” she said gently. “You don’t need to stay here.”

For a second, he didn’t move. And I hated that I noticed. Hated that I was waiting to see what he’d do.

His gaze flicked to me again. Brief and unreadable. Then his jaw tightened slightly. And he stepped back.

“See you,” Bianca added lightly as they turned.

I didn’t respond. I just nodded once, like it didn’t matter. Like none of this did.

They walked away together, her hand still on him, her presence wrapped around him like something familiar. Something expected. Something that made sense.

Unlike this.

I looked back down at the engine, forcing myself to focus. On something real. On something that actually mattered.

But my thoughts wouldn’t settle.

It was nothing.

Just an accident.

But why did it feel like I’d just stepped into something I didn’t understand yet?

“Get it together,” I muttered under my breath.

Because this?

This wasn’t why I came here.

I wiped my hands clean and stepped away from the workstation, ready to leave before my brain could spiral any further.

“Leaving already?”

I froze.

I turned slowly. Carlos stood a few feet away again. Alone this time. Bianca nowhere in sight.

My chest did something weird. I ignored it.

“Yeah,” I said. “Unless you need me to fix something else.”

His mouth twitched slightly. Not quite a smile. “Not right now.”

A small pause. Then he stepped closer. Again.

Why does he keep doing that?

“You handled her,” he said after a moment.

I frowned slightly.

“Handled what?”

“Bianca.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”

“That’s why it worked.”

I blinked. That wasn’t what I expected him to say. “Okay…”

He watched me for a second longer, like he was trying to decide something. Then his gaze dropped to m,y lips just for a second.

And I felt it. 

That same awareness from earlier. My breath caught slightly before I could stop it. He noticed.

“It was an accident,” he said again, but this time it sounded less like a statement and more like something he was reminding himself.

Neither of us moved.

For a second, it felt like something might actually happen. Like he might say something real.

Or I might.

He held my gaze for a second longer. Then turned and walked past me. His shoulder nearly brushing mine. His hand grazed mine. Light. Barely there.

But this time…

I felt it. More than I should have. And it didn’t feel like an accident.