Chapter 127: What She Feels

Emerald’s POV

My mind kept wandering as I failed to concentrate on the lesson.

The frustrating part was that Michael was no longer doing anything to distract me.

He had returned to his usual calm, professional manner and was going through the material as though the kiss between us had never happened.

He explained the case study, pointed out the areas I needed to pay attention to, and asked questions whenever he wanted to make sure I understood what he had taught me.

He didn’t tease me or mention the kiss. He also didn’t give me the usual knowing smile he reserved when he caught me struggling to follow his remarks.

That should have made it easier to concentrate, but it only made things worse.

My mind kept going back to the kiss on its own.

I remembered the warmth of his lips and the way my body had responded before I had fully understood what was happening.

I remembered wanting him to continue. I remembered wanting more, and that realisation was the part I found hardest to dismiss.

It was not because I had forgotten what attraction felt like.

I had loved Kelvin for six years. I knew what it meant to care deeply for someone, to trust him, to build plans around him, and to give a relationship almost every part of yourself.

I had experienced the excitement, affection, desire, comfort, and intimacy that came with loving someone for that long.

Then, five months ago, Kelvin had destroyed all of it in the most humiliating way possible.

The memory of that night at Mercer Technologies still existed somewhere in the back of my mind. He had been preparing to announce our engagement, or at least that was what I had believed.

Instead, the evening ended in betrayal, humiliation, and the realisation that the man I had loved for six years was not the man I thought he was.

I didn’t anticipate becoming interested in someone so soon, especially not Michael. That was what threw me off.

I looked down at the page in front of me. I had read the same paragraph ten times and remembered almost nothing.

"You have been staring at that section for a while."

I lifted my head. Michael was watching me. "I am listening," I said to him.

"I know," he said calmly.

He did not accuse me of being distracted. He did not make another joke about the kiss. He simply turned his attention back to the material and continued explaining the point he had been making.

I observed him for a few seconds. He was clearly giving me space, which should have made me feel relieved. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why he had suddenly become so cautious.

After another few minutes, I finally closed my notebook halfway. "Why aren’t you teasing me anymore?"

His eyes lifted from the book. "Would you prefer that I did?"

I immediately regretted asking. "No."

"Then I am respecting your preference."

My lips twitched slightly as I watched him. There was no smug smile this time. He simply met my gaze and waited.

Something about that answer affected me more than another teasing remark would have.

Michael could have continued making me uncomfortable. He could have used the kiss to push me into another awkward conversation, but he noticed I was unsettled and deliberately gave me room.

I looked down at my hands. "You are surprisingly considerate sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

I couldn’t help but smile. "Do not ruin it."

He gave a quiet laugh and returned to the lesson. And I tried to do the same.

An hour passed, and I grew increasingly uncomfortable by the second, unable to help pressing my temples lightly.

Then I felt Michael’s gaze on me. I lifted my head to meet it. "What?"

"You are tired," he noted. "You have been rubbing your temple for the last five minutes."

I stopped, surprise contouring my face. I hadn’t realised I’d been doing it for that long.

Michael closed the book in front of him. "Take a break."

"I can continue."

"You can, but you have been studying for hours."

Then he stood and walked out of the study before I could argue. I watched him disappear toward the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he returned with a glass of water and placed it in front of me. "Drink."

I glanced at the glass, then at him. "I can see you really do take care of people."

"Not everyone," he corrected as he held my gaze. "You are you."

I did not know what to say to that.

There was no clever remark behind it. No teasing smile. No attempt to turn the moment into another game.

He had simply answered me.

I picked up the glass and took a sip, suddenly aware that my chest felt strangely tight.

There were many things I had learned about Michael since meeting him.

He was demanding. He was stubborn. He enjoyed getting under my skin far too much. He could be arrogant when he wanted to be, and his confidence sometimes bordered on ridiculous.

But he was also attentive.

He remembered my casual remarks, noticed when I was hungry, and ensured I ate when I was too busy or tired to cook. He also helped with my studies without making me feel incapable.

And when something happened that made me uncomfortable, he knew when to step back.

I had spent six years with Kelvin, so I knew the difference between someone simply being attentive and someone making you feel seen.

Michael was beginning to make me feel seen.

That realisation frightened me more than I wanted to admit.

I set the glass down. "There is something I want to clarify."

Michael waited, his expression calm.

"The kiss," I pointed out. "It was not part of our agreement."

"I know." He nodded.

I frowned slightly. "Then why did you do it?"

He continued to hold my gaze in silence for a few seconds before answering. "Because I wanted to kiss you."

The simplicity of his answer left me without a response. He did not try to justify it or pretend it had been an accident.

I looked away. "And if I tell you that it should not happen again?"

"Then it will not."

I looked back at him. He was serious. There was no disagreement, no trying to convince me, and no pressure.

"Would you apologise?"

His expression softened slightly. "If you want me to."