Villain Ch 1968. Anticlimactic

He was teasing and warm and softer in the eyes than she'd ever seen him. And he was holding her like she mattered. Not like a conquest. Not like a strategic merge.

But like someone he wanted to keep close.

Mila smoothed her hands down the front of his jacket. "So what now?"

"Now," Allen said, glancing toward the entrance, "we go inside."

"And then?"

He smiled again.

"Then I will decide about what I should do next," he said slowly. "Because ending all of this with just kisses feels… kind of anticlimactic."

Mila's face flushed so hard she thought her ears might catch fire. "Allen…"

"What?" He looked almost offended, though the glint in his eyes gave him away. "I'm being honest. I mean... you want it to end like this?"

Her mouth opened, but no words came. Not right away.

He leaned in slightly, voice lower. "You want the night to fade out with a shy kiss and a walk through the lobby like we're coworkers playing pretend?"

"…No," she finally admitted, voice quiet. And it was the kind of 'no' that sounded a lot like yes but not here. Her heart beat faster.

She pushed lightly against his chest, fingers splayed. "We need to be careful."

Allen nodded, but his smile curved into something unreadable. "We will."

"No cameras."

"No cameras."

"No press releases."

He raised a brow. "Unless we look really hot in the photos."

She swatted his arm. "Stop."

But she was smiling again, even as her face stayed red. Because how could she not? Not when he was this close, this present. Not when he was being Allen, the exact version of him that made her nervous in a way that wasn't bad, just intensely aware of how much she liked him.

She slipped her hand into his again.

"Come on, Goldborne. Let's go."

They reached the door of the Cyber building. The soft blue lights from inside bled across the sidewalk, tinting Allen's features in a cool glow. He looked good in every lighting, unfortunately. The expensive kind of good.

He paused just before pulling the door open.

"Just one thing," he murmured.

"What?"

He leaned close again, and for a second she expected more teasing, maybe some fake whispered line to make her flustered again.

But instead…

He kissed her cheek.

Not quick. Not polite.

Slow.

Warm.

Lingering in a way that was so casually intimate she didn't even realize she was holding her breath until he pulled away.

Her whole body stopped. Her fingers twitched where they rested against his coat. Her knees… yeah, okay, they wobbled.

And then his voice brushed her skin.

"I'm keeping that one."

A helpless, breathy sound escaped her throat. The kind she couldn't have faked if she tried.

He straightened. Innocent.

Like nothing had happened.

And then he pulled the door open like a gentleman who hadn't just melted half her spine.

"Ladies first."

Mila walked past him, heart thudding so loud she swore the security sensor beeped early.

She was so in trouble.

And for once?

She really didn't mind.

The cool air of the Cyber building's lobby kissed her skin like a splash of clarity, but it didn't help much. Not when Allen followed right behind her, a smug heat still radiating off him like he knew exactly what he was doing. And he did. Of course he did.

She didn't know what was worse. That he kissed her like he meant it, or that he pulled away like it was nothing. Like she was the one who had to deal with the aftershocks. Her skin still tingled where his lips had touched, her knees were definitely weaker than they had been five minutes ago, and her pulse was still going off like a fire drill.

She turned her head, pretending she was checking her reflection in the glass wall they passed. Instead, she was watching him walk beside her.

Cool.

Sharp.

Relaxed.

And then she blurted it.

"So… what did you mean by 'you don't want to end it like this'?"

Allen didn't stop walking. But his head tilted slightly, amused.

"I mean, we just had dinner," she added quickly, trying to sound casual. "That was the date."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You think that was a date?"

Mila blinked. "Wasn't it?"

He smirked and stepped slightly closer, his shoulder brushing hers. "I was thinking dessert. A real one. Maybe a rooftop. VIP club. Or we skip the club, find a place with mood lighting and no eavesdropping interns."

Mila's breath hitched.

"Or," he continued, casually like he was reading a menu, "we could just go somewhere quiet. You. Me. Good music. And I show you that I do know how to plan something romantic that doesn't involve fast food."

She felt the air shift around her. Every word he spoke stirred something low and reckless in her chest.

"You… want to go somewhere now?" she asked. Her voice didn't sound as composed as she wanted it to.

Allen stopped near the elevator and leaned one shoulder against the wall, looking at her like she was the only thing keeping his attention in the whole city.

"I'm saying I'm not done," he said. "Dinner's just chapter one."

Her heart kicked again. Harder this time.

Because up until now, Allen had kept things subtle. Safe. They'd had coffee after meetings. He dropped by her studio after her photoshoot sessions, sometimes pretending he was just checking in, sometimes bringing her lunch she didn't ask for. There was always an excuse. Always a timing buffer. A slow, careful approach.

Maybe because of their families.

Maybe because of how high-stakes everything around them was.

But more than that?

No. They hadn't crossed that line.

Until tonight.

And now… Allen wasn't hiding the next step behind winks or lazy quips anymore. He was asking.

No, worse, he was inviting.

Mila's pulse tripped over itself.

"And what, exactly, do you mean by 'dessert'?" she asked, raising a brow. Her voice shook a little. Hopefully only she noticed.

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