Felix had been keeping an eye on Katherine for the past half hour, watching her try to keep her focus as the evening stretched longer than it should have. She sat opposite him on the sofa, her posture still neat but not nearly as sharp as it had been earlier. The faint crease between her brows smoothed and deepened in a cycle every few minutes, right before another yawn slipped past her defenses.
She tried to hide this one by turning her face slightly and bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. But Felix caught the tiny sound she made. That soft, involuntary sigh at the tail end of a long day, and the way her eyes lingered shut a beat too long afterward.
When she finally spoke, her voice was steady, polite... but the undertone was unmistakable.
"Alright," Katherine said, glancing between him and Leonard, "it’s late. I’m tired and you two should probably head ho."
Leonard, who had been lounging with one ankle resting on his knee, lifted his head at her words. His gaze flicked briefly toward Felix, as though he’d been expecting him to protest first, but Felix stayed quiet. The man stood without a word of argunt, brushing imaginary lint off his sleeve before giving Katherine a short nod.
"Goodnight," Leonard said, his tone neutral, not cold, not warm, just... contained.
Katherine returned his nod with a faint smile. "Goodnight, Leonard."
Felix pushed himself up from his seat as Leonard moved toward the door, Katherine walking with him. Felix followed more slowly, hands in his pockets, catching the quiet exchange of goodbyes at the threshold. The hallway light spilled in through the open door, illuminating Katherine’s hair in soft gold, and for a mont, Felix was too distracted by that simple image to realize they were stepping out together.
Leonard crossed the hall to his own apartnt, his steps unhurried but without hesitation. Katherine lingered just long enough to see him unlock the door and disappear inside. She gave a polite little wave before turning back toward her own place, Felix at her side.
He knew he should go too. There was no reason to linger. He’d stayed long enough, and yet... his steps slowed as they reached her doorway again.
"Well," Felix started, shifting his weight slightly, "I guess I should-"
He didn’t get to finish.
Her hand shot out, fingers catching the front of his jacket with more strength than he expected from her slender fra. Felix stumbled half a step forward in surprise, his eyes darting to hers, and found them clear, intent, and entirely not in a hurry.
"Katherine?" he asked, half a question, half a warning, though he wasn’t sure what he was warning her about.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped back into her apartnt, tugging him along with a firmness that left no room for refusal. The door swung shut behind them with a soft click that felt strangely final, shutting out the hallway and anyone else’s presence.
Then, in a single smooth motion, she moved closer, far closer, until his back was nearly brushing the wall. Her hand ca up and pressed flat against the wall just beside his head, trapping him in place without actually touching him. It wasn’t aggressive, not exactly... but it was intentional.
Felix blinked, caught off guard by the uncharacteristic move.
"Okay...?" he murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself. "Didn’t think you were the type to do this kind of thing."
Her lips curved faintly, though her gaze stayed locked on his. "Don’t test ."
There was sothing playful there, yes, but it was a seriousness he couldn’t ignore.
Felix’s heart had started to pick up its pace without his permission, the air between them thick with unspoken things. He could feel the faint warmth of her body in the small gap between them, the subtle scent of her perfu, light, clean, and just a little sweet, wrapping around him like a distraction he didn’t need.
"What’s this about?" he asked carefully, his voice dropping lower as though instinctively matching the intimacy of the mont.
Katherine tilted her head slightly, her eyes scanning his face with a precision that made him feel both exposed and uncomfortably seen. Her hand didn’t move from the wall, and she didn’t step back.
"Alright," she said softly, but with that sa quiet authority she’d used earlier when telling them to leave. "Now we have private ti."
Felix blinked, the corner of his mouth twitching despite the way his pulse had kicked up. "Private ti?" he echoed, aiming for dry humor but hearing the rougher undertone in his own voice.
"Yes," she said simply. "Private. Ti." Her gaze didn’t waver, holding his like she was pinning him in place as much as her hand on the wall was
He swallowed, suddenly aware of how shallow his breaths had beco.
"So?" she continued, her voice steady but not unkind. "Is there anything you want to tell ?"
The question landed between them like a weight, heavy enough to still the faint smirk on his lips.
Felix hadn’t expected this.
He’d told himself there was no chance he’d get Katherine alone. Leonard had planted himself like a piece of furniture in her living room, stubborn, heavy, impossible to move without a fight. Felix had thought about insisting he stay, finding so excuse, any excuse, to hang back until Leonard finally left. But Katherine had looked so tired that he’d forced himself to let the idea go. He wasn’t going to be the reason she had to drag the night out even longer.
And yet here they were.
It wasn’t him who’d carved out the mont, it was her.
Felix could feel the stupid little rush under his ribs, the one that told him, very plainly, that she wanted to talk.
Felix’s eyes searched hers, trying to gauge exactly how much she knew, or suspected, or was simply guessing at. He felt the urge to deflect rise instinctively, to make a joke, to push the focus away, but sothing about the way she was looking at him made it harder to breathe, let alone speak.
"Katherine..." he began, but the rest caught in his throat.
Her gaze didn’t waver, not even when his hand twitched at his side as if he might reach for her arm or step away.
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