One Night
One Night 99

Chapter 99

Audrey

As I sipped my tea, I couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place in Claudia’s lavish dining room. The fine china clinked softly as I set the cup down, my eyes wandering over the ornate decor. Even though it was just the two of us, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I, a human, didn’t belong here among such luxury.

But it all became so, so much worse as the butler’s voice called out, “Mr. Edwin Brooks has arrived, madam.”

Instantly, I felt my heart stop in my chest. No, no, no. It couldn’t be him. Why

Not even a moment later, a familiar voice cut through the silence. “Claudia, it’s nice to see you-”

I turned, stiffly, and it felt as if time stopped when I saw him-Edwin-standing in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. What the hell was he doing here? My lingers tightened around the delicate teacup handle, my knuckles turning white. If I gripped it any tighter, I might have broken the porcelain.

The room fell silent as Edwin stood frozen, the flowers slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor with a soft thud. The yellow petals sc**d across the polished hardwood, but he hardly seemed to notice, his eyes too fixed on me.

Claudia gasped, breaking the brief silence. “Edwin, you crushed those lovely flowers!”

Edwin quickly snapped out of his daze, bending to scoop up the fallen bouquet. I’m so sorry,” he muttered, dusting off loose petals before handing them to Claudia. His eyes kept darting to me with a mixture of surprise and something else I couldn’t quite read in their depths

I still sat there, utterly frozen, my teacup clutched tightly in my hand. It wasn’t that I was unhappy to see Edwin by any means, but why was he here?

Claudia seemed oblivious to the tension as she smiled at Edwin, plucking a few more loose petals from the yellow roses.

“Edwin,” she said. “I invited your student, Audrey. I’m going to be mentoring her in the fall. Isn’t that exciting? She turned to me and beamed, making some of the tension seep out of my shoulders. “I thought it would be nice for us to get to know

each other better.”

Edwin nodded stiffly, his eyes flickering to me. “Hello, Audrey,” he said, his voice unnaturally formal. I could see the muscle in his jaw twitching, a tell-tale sign of his discomfort.

“Professor Brooks,” I managed to reply, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears. Ismiled tightly and forced myself to take another sip of tea, hoping that the warm liquid would help to calm my nerves.

While Claudia rose to fetch a vase for her flowers, Edwin took a seat across from me. His posture was rigid, and he didn’t meet my gaze, nor did I try to meet his. The table suddenly felt too small, the space between us charged and heavy. We hadn’t seen each other since.

I blushed at the thought of our last encounter. We had been so close, so delightfully close to doing something that we would have likely both regretted, before I had bolted out of Edwin’s apartment.

Unbeknownst to Edwin, I hadn’t stopped thinking about him since that day-had hardly even slept, because the dreams of him were too vivid, too sensual, to get a proper night of rest.

Suddenly, my handmade outfit felt too tight, too restricting. The soft white cotton waistband of my pleated skirt seemed to dig into my waist, and the cap sleeves of the matching top made it feel as if I couldn’t move my shoulders, roll my neck. I squirmed slightly in my seat, fighting off the sudden wave of arousal just at Edwin’s proximity.

Not here, I thought bitterly, swallowing hard. Not now…

1/4

BG)

10:44 Tue, Sep 17 B GD

Chapter 99

95

Claudia, still arranging the flowers with her back turned, broke the silence again. “Fiona is running late, but she should be

here soon.

My stomach dropped. There was that name again: Fiona.

Surely it couldn’t be the same Fiona from the restaurant… The memory of that encounter flashed through my mind, making me feel even more unsettled. That horrible woman. She couldn’t be coming today, could she!

And more importantly, who was she-not just to Claudia, but to Edwin?

Desperate to break the tension and distract myself from my racing thoughts, I turned to Claudia. “Are you and Edwin related?” I asked

Claudia threw her head back and laughed as she took her seat at the table once more. “Heavens, no!” she practically shouted.

Before she could elaborate, Edwin cut in. “Family friends,” he said quickly, his eyes darting between Claudia and me. “We’ve known each other for years.”

“Oh.” My shoulders relaxed slightly. Family friends, I thought to myself. Perhaps Fiona was a family friend as well. Perhaps that was it and nothing more.

Claudia nodded, her eyes moving between Edwin and me. A small crease appeared between her eyebrows, and I quickly sipped my tea, hoping that she wouldn’t notice the way my cheeks flushed whenever Edwin looked at me.

“I hope this isn’t too awkward for you both,” she said. “I know students and professors don’t usually socialize like this.”

Yes, that’s it.” Edwin and I said almost simultaneously. We looked at each other, surprised, then quickly away.

I could feel heat rising to my cheeks, and I focused intently on stirring my tea. Let Claudia think that we were simply feeling awkward due to our connections at Grayspring, not other reasons.

Claudia chuckled, seemingly amused by our synchronicity, “Well, since Fiona is still running late, why don’t we start without her?” she asked, reaching for the coffee creamer. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “She’s always late, I’m afraid. I thought she might make an effort to be on time to see you, Edwin, but apparently not”

Edwin blanched slightly. “Ah, well.. We’ll catch up,” he said with a stiff wave of his hand.

I eyed them both over my teacup, remaining silent.

Still, as we began to eat the decadent spread of miniature sandwiches and light pastries, the atmosphere remained tense, with Edwin frequently glancing at the door. Each time the floorboards creaked in the hallway, he would stiffen slightly, only to relax when no one entered.

Despite the awkwardness, Claudia managed to keep the conversation flowing. We discussed fashion trends, my upcoming thesis, and Claudia’s latest projects. I found myself relaxing slightly as we talked about familiar topics.

“Audrey, did you make your outfit today?” Claudia asked, dabbing at her mouth with her cloth napkin.

I nodded, my cheeks flushing slightly as I saw Edwin’s eyes graze over the soft white fabrie. “Yes, I.. I made it specifically for today, I admitted.

Claudia’s eyebrows shot up. “Just for today?”

Before I could answer, Edwin spoke up for the first time in a while, his voice startling me slightly. “From what I understand. Audrey makes a new outfit for just about every event she attend

Our eyes met briefly, and I felt a flutter in my stomach. His gaze was intense, reminiscent of our moments alone in his apartment. I quickly looked away, focusing on my plate. “It’s true. I just can’t help myself.”

Chapter 99

After we finished eating, Claudia suggested we move to the sitting room for coffee. I settled into a plush armchair by the window, trying not to notice the way that Edwin’s muscled back stretched the fabric of his shirt taut as he stood by the fireplace, staring at nothing in particular.

Just as I was about to comment on one of the paintings on the wall to break the silence, Claudia’s phone rang. The sharp trill cut through the quiet room, making me jump slightly.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” she said, stepping out of the room. The door clicked shut behind her, and just like that, she was gone.

Suddenly, Edwin and I were alone. I fidgeted with the hem of my dress, desperately trying to think of something to say. My eyes flicked over his broad shoulders, noticing how tense they appeared, and I felt my heart stutter even more.

Edwin suddenly turned and cleared his throat. “Audrey, 1—”

But before he could finish, Claudia returned with a slight frown on her face. “I’m afraid Fiona won’t be joining us after all,” she announced.

Edwin’s shoulders deflated.

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