Chapter 5: "Do You Like Me? How Much?"
The color drained from Leah's face. ‹96684423›
The thing she'd feared most had happened anyway. §57defed7 Elias Grant had seen the photo before she recalled it, and he'd recognized those hands as his own. (3174e55a)
"I'm sorry, I…" Leah's words died in her throat. #7f88db6b
What was she supposed to say? ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 That she shouldn't have taken a candid photo of him? * d0a61246 That she promised to delete it? ·d543fbf0· Either option was excruciating. #3e142f5d
Or should she use this moment to confess? [v.d9e53233] Things had already gone this far. [ed.e58bf111] If Elias rejected her, the worst that could happen was she'd never come to Marcus's place for Friday nights again. [ms.51535e6f]
Leah stood there spiraling, head bowed, but the man took two steps forward and stopped close enough to touch. (8588661f)
Too close. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 She caught his clean scent again — this time laced with a hint of residual red wine. ··14710fe2 Dazed, Leah lifted her head and saw something she'd never seen before: a trace of amusement on that habitually expressionless face. sub:2b93bbc4
He seemed to drift for a moment, studying her with dark, unreadable eyes, and then said something that felt completely out of left field.·dc3debac
"Red looks good on you." [proof:68edbda8]
Leah felt the blood rush straight to the top of her skull, her cheeks burning. ed.60d20d5e
She was wearing a wine-red sweater tonight, a slightly off-the-shoulder style. plate-a2a8305d Skin-baring women's fashion was mainstream in America, but Leah rarely wore anything this bold. (7c49ac5a/Wed) She only dressed up on Fridays — and the reason, naturally, had everything to do with Elias Grant.·666424fb
Yet here he was complimenting her, and all she wanted was to burrow into the floor and disappear. sub:a7806260
What was happening? ed.77495551 He already knew she harbored strange feelings for him, and then he'd just… randomly complimented her outfit. ··8bda2431 Did that mean things were heading in a good direction? ¶1ab699ac Leah bit down on her lip and looked up at him. ref·fedde6b4
Still too close. [proof:3c3afba6] She wasn't used to this kind of proximity — practically touching — and she instinctively stepped back. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) Her spine hit the door. no.03c9984a But Elias took a step forward immediately, nearly pinning her between himself and the door. §d5821eea
Without warning, he reached out, twirled a strand of hair that hung by her ear around his finger, then lifted his hand to grip her chin. ‹0b04024f›
Her body might as well have been frozen in place. ed.ad959d51 She let the man trespass and forgot to react.·37f6281d
Elias lowered his head, and for one breathless instant Leah thought he was going to kiss her. ‹a8971b34› He didn't. ref·47f7bf64 His lips stopped at her ear, his scorching breath accompanying the question: "Do you like me?" no.112e64b9
Was he drunk? [v.3e85f407]
Leah didn't know what to say. ⁰04160444 She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze aside. 0406e45f·· Even now, her brain managed to fire off an utterly irrelevant thought — *his voice is so beautiful* — and she was almost disgusted with herself. #f55a51a2
He laughed softly, the exhale nearly searing her earlobe: "How much?" ◆ b59e81e4
Who even asks like that? [v.dec7605a] She was stunned. sub:071c75ec
Seeing her silence, Elias didn't press.·464a3689 He stepped back half a pace without carrying the physical contact any further, and said calmly: "I'm sorry.·e49256db I was surprised, because you don't seem to know me very well." «d179cd40»
He was right — she knew virtually nothing about him. ⁰b3fa5e0a They'd only exchanged numbers today. «1567dfd3» Having this secret attraction exposed felt that much more humiliating, as if she were broadcasting to the world that she was the kind of shallow, careless woman who could fall for a stranger after a handful of sentences. ref·082e5eb4
Leah interpreted his blunt questioning and that earlier remark as a polite rejection. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 Perhaps it was the unexpected relief of finality, because suddenly she found her tongue again and recovered her ability to speak coherently. ··ef05341b
"I'm sorry. imp.c78a6786 I didn't mean to offend you." ⟨de780ff7⟩
"And it's not really *liking* you… just a bit of interest." plate-44ca91dd Her voice grew quieter and quieter. [proof:edf9529c] "What happened today was an accident. plate-8af8a4f5 I never intended to confess or bother you." * 66aeb60a
Leah felt more than a little wronged. ed.e9c1d480 The accidental send was her fault — she'd already made her peace with potentially losing her Friday entertainment — but she hadn't imagined he'd confront her about it so directly, face to face. 771e641d··
Honestly, wasn't this man actually kind of terrible? ·54c2c549· Just because he thought she was attracted to him, he felt entitled to toy with her like that — to humiliate her with his words? ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
"I'm sorry," the man said suddenly, reversing course. #33a5d1b1 "Did that make you uncomfortable just now?" [ms.3744a049]
His tone was still mild, his gaze steady on Leah.·9ad92f63 "I didn't mean anything by it. ed.0725350e I just wanted you to understand that the person you're imagining might not be who they actually are." ¶7213c01c
Leah knew this was probably just another way of letting her down easy. plate-d36594dd But at this point, she had nothing left to lose, so she pushed back: "Then what are you actually like?" — ad1268ce
"This sort of thing is supposed to be mutual, and getting turned down is perfectly normal. [ms.ecdccf77] Worst case, I just stop coming to game nights. ref·a3630ad5 But what you said just now — it makes a person wonder. ·1d770a86· Because it sounded like you're saying you're not uninterested in me at all, that you're only rejecting me because you think I don't know what I'm getting into, that you're turning me down for my own good." ··d464c9bf Her words came faster and faster, bordering on confrontational by the end. ¶c1bb0805 "…Is the high-minded act really necessary? [ed.f58c9c1c] Or is this just your move — stringing along women you're not even interested in?" [v.02dca0b4]
Leah felt her lips trembling. ◆ 2210f925 She hadn't known she could be this sharp-tongued, and she was already regretting it. «3c32a0ad» The more she explained herself, the more she sounded like someone lashing out after being rejected. — 262b84f8 It was not a good look. [ms.7a0a07fd]
She was the one who'd developed the inappropriate fixation on him — secretly photographing him, fantasizing about him. plate-26c85515 The only reason she could stand here accusing Elias Grant of anything was that he didn't know about the far worse thoughts in her head. [v.312c9298]
If he ever found out she'd had sex dreams about him — and *enjoyed* being taken roughly — he'd probably think even less of her. sub:39e925ee
But Elias didn't get angry. ··77f9b034 If anything, he looked intrigued. * 3402fe47 His tone remained perfectly level: "I don't believe I ever said I wasn't interested in you, or that I didn't like you." #2f9e1b15
What was happening now? [proof:fdd0f0a8] Leah was completely lost. no.28a2ac8b
"I'm not the good relationship prospect you might think I am," the man said. [proof:a7756199] He glanced upstairs, confirming the shower was still running, then continued with something staggering. [ed.da4a7847] "You could even say I have some… particular preferences when it comes to intimate relationships." #db835431
"What do you… mean?" sub:d1a37020
"I'm a deviant. no.0595214a The only kind of relationship I'm interested in is one based on absolute dominance and submission." [proof:f7930fdd] The man sighed. (1a8de1f7) "Is that direct enough?" imp.65dc67a4
Leah felt like her brain had hit its processing limit. [v.e7cb66b8] She didn't know how to handle information of this magnitude, and she couldn't form a single word. §254b18ac
Elias Grant left her with this: "If, knowing all this, you still want to explore something with me — come wearing red next Friday." no.39450da0
"Don't feel awkward because of me, and don't give up game nights with Marcus and the others. [ms.e152baa6] If I don't see you wearing red next time, I'll never come downstairs again." plate-a4ffe197