Chapter 4: The Tension Builds

It’s been a week since Zane offered me the job, and everything feels surreal. One moment, I’m sitting at my desk, staring at the contract HR sent over, and the next, I’m thinking about how different everything will be once I start. It’s like I’m on the edge of something big, but I don’t know whether to jump or back away.

The days drag on slowly, and the closer I get to my start date, the more I feel the weight of it all. I’m not just stepping into a new job. I’m stepping into Zane’s world, a world he’s built without me, a world where I’m just another employee—another nameless face in a sea of workers.

I can’t stop thinking about the conversation we had. The way he looked at me with that polite, distant smile, the way he spoke to me like he didn’t know me at all. It’s frustrating. I’ve spent so much time trying to build myself up, trying to be someone I could be proud of, but now that I’m here, pretending to be someone else, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve lost something important.

I keep asking myself: Should I tell him who I really am? Should I remind him of the boy he once knew? But every time I think about it, I freeze. What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if he doesn’t remember me at all? What if this whole thing changes everything?

The office is buzzing with activity, but I can’t seem to focus. My thoughts keep drifting back to Zane. I’ve seen him around a few times since the offer, but he’s always been busy, always surrounded by people, always too far out of reach. I’m just an employee now, not the friend he used to have. And maybe that’s all I’ll ever be to him—just a name on a roster, a face in a crowd.

Still, there’s something about him that pulls me in. His presence is undeniable, even when he’s not looking at me. There’s an energy to him that I can’t ignore, and it’s almost as if he’s still the same person, underneath all the layers of the CEO he’s become.

“Eli?”

I snap out of my thoughts, startled to hear my name. I look up to see Marco standing in front of my desk, his arms crossed and a mischievous smile on his face.

“You okay?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been staring at your screen for the past ten minutes without moving.”

I force a smile, shaking my head. “Yeah, just lost in thought.”

He leans in closer, lowering his voice. “I know what this is about. You’re still thinking about Zane, aren’t you?”

I feel my cheeks flush, but I can’t deny it. “It’s not that. I’m just… thinking about everything. About starting next week. About what’s going to happen.”

Marco smirks knowingly. “You’ve got it bad, huh?”

I glare at him, trying to brush it off. “It’s not like that. I’m just trying to figure things out.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” He grins, clearly not buying it. “Listen, you’ve got to stop overthinking it. You’re here for a job, not for some emotional reunion. If Zane remembers you, great. If not, then it’s his loss. You’ve got bigger things to focus on now.”

I nod, appreciating the pep talk, even if I don’t entirely believe it. It’s easy for Marco to say that. He’s not the one walking around in Zane’s world, pretending to be someone he’s not. But I know he’s right in some ways. I can’t keep letting my feelings cloud my judgment.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.

Marco pats me on the back. “Good. Now, enough of the Zane drama. Let’s grab lunch.”

I smile, grateful for his distraction. We head out of the office and into the building’s cafeteria. The noise of other employees talking and eating fills the air, but my mind is still preoccupied. It’s hard to focus on anything else when all I can think about is the person who seems so close, yet so far away.

Later that day, as the workday winds down, I receive a message from Zane’s assistant.

“Please meet with Mr. Martell tomorrow at 10 AM in his office. He wants to discuss some details about your start date.”

My heart races. Tomorrow. I’m about to walk into his office again. I know it’s just business, just a routine meeting. But it feels like it’s more than that. It feels like a step closer to something I can’t control.

The next morning, I try to calm my nerves as I approach the elevator, knowing that I’ll be face-to-face with him again. The doors open, and I step inside, taking a deep breath. When I get to his floor, I walk down the long hallway toward his office, my steps echoing in the quiet space.

When I reach the door, I pause for a moment, wondering what this meeting will bring. I knock, and Zane’s voice calls out from inside.

“Come in.”

I enter, and there he is, standing by the window, looking out at the city below. He turns when he hears me enter, his expression professional, but there’s something about the way he looks at me that makes my heart race. It’s almost as if he’s searching for something, trying to place me, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Eli, thanks for coming,” he says, walking toward me with that same composed demeanor. “I wanted to go over a few things before you start next week.”

I nod, my nerves suddenly making it hard to speak. “Of course. I’m ready for anything.”

He smiles, and for a brief moment, I catch a glimpse of the old Zane—the one I remember from our childhood. It’s gone in an instant, replaced by the CEO version of him.

“Good. Let’s sit down and go over the details,” he says, gesturing to the chairs across from his desk.

I take a seat, but as I sit there across from him, I can’t help but wonder: Is this just business? Or is something else at play?

As he begins talking about my role, the tasks I’ll be handling, I try to focus, but all I can think about is how close I am to him—physically, emotionally, and the weight of the unspoken past between us.

Is it time to tell him who I am? Should I risk it all?

I don’t know. But I can feel that whatever happens next will change everything.

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