"Not yet," I lied, glancing at the floor numbers descending on the panel. "I'll book it in a few days."
Before I could hang up, I felt him. The familiar presence, the quiet command. Ethan's voice, cool and measured, echoed behind me.
"You're booking a ticket?" He sounded confused, maybe even surprised.
I ended the call swiftly and turned to face him, masking my emotions. "Yeah, there's this place I’ve been meaning to try," I said, spinning a tale as naturally as I breathed. "Super popular. You have to reserve your way in advance to get a table."
Ethan eyed me but didn’t push further. With a nod, he grabbed my arm, leading me out into the night. We walked in silence, heading toward a nearby hotel. He checked us into a suite, the usual routine. He quickly got to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard of his laptop. The only sounds in the room were the hum of electronics and our synchronized breathing.
Despite the tension that had crept between us, we worked like clockwork, waiting for some clients overseas to get back to us. But eventually, fatigue overtook me, and I drifted off to sleep.