-Maya’s POV-


    The house smelled like Ivan, a mix of leather polish, wood polish, and something clean and citrusy. It was a familiar scent, safe andforting. In the


    yroom, the twins were already lost in their own world, glggling as they chased a runaway ball of yarn across the soft carpet. Relief washed over me lik


    I took a deep breath and padded down the hallway towards his study. It was a converted room, lined with bookshelves and a massive oak


    desk, Ivan was hunched over hisptop, his brow furrowed in concentration. The muscles in his shoulders, usually so broad and reassuring. were tight, a


    clock, practically carrying the weight of the entirepany on his own.


    A small smile tugged at my lips. Maybe a little caffeine boost would help. I peeked into the kitchen, grabbed a steaming cup of coffee I’d made earlier, an


    Ivan’s head snapped up, startled. Then, a slow smile spread across


    his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes in a way that always sent warmth. blooming in my chest. “Hey yourself,” he said, his voice gruff butced with g


    He took the coffee carefully, bncing it precariously


    on hisp as he navigated his way out of his chair. Settling onto the plush armchair next to the desk, I couldn’t help but steal another nce at him. He lo


    “So,” I began hesitantly, “how are things going with thepany?”


    He took a sip of the coffee, letting out a satisfied sigh. “It’s… fine,” he said finally. It wasn’t the most forting answer, but I knew him well enough to u


    Letting out a sigh of my own, I slumped down on the mat opposite him. “I’m tired of this,” I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could. stop them. “E


    “Awkward?” he supplied, his voice gentle.


    I looked up at him, surprised. “Yeah, awkward. And I’m sorry, Ivan. I just…” My voice trailed off again, the guilt bubbling up inside me.


    brow furrowed in


    He reached out, his hand hovering over mine for a moment before gently squeezing it. “It was my fault, Amaya,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have used yo


    The warmth in his eyes, the sincerity in his voice, melted


    away thest vestiges of my anger. He was right. I had let my hurt cloud my judgment, and in the process, I’d pushed him away.


    A smile crept onto my face. “Apology epted,” I said, my voice soft. “Now, can we please get past this awkward phase? I miss your charm and everyth


    He grinned, a genuine, full–


    blown smile that lit up his whole face. It was a sight I hadn’t seen in a white, and it sent a jolt straight to my heart. “I didn’t think you found me charming,”


    The tension that had been hanging heavy between us finally seemed to dissipate. I burst outughing, the sound echoing through the parkour room. “Oh


    He watched meugh for a moment, his gaze warm and appreciative, before reaching down and shutting hisptop with a decisive click.


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    “What are you doing?”


    “Trying to fix the awkwardness,” he announced with a yful wink.


    Then, to my surprise, he pulled out a chessboard from a nearby drawer. Myughter redoubled. “Chess? You’re going to fix the awkwardness with chess


    I asked, disbeliefced with amusement.


    “Why not?” he challenged, setting the board up on the floor between us. “Besides, I think it’ll be fun watching you squirm as I totally kick


    your ass”


    A snort ofughter escaped me. “Kick my ass? Thest time I yed chess, I won three games in a row.”


    He raised an eyebrow, a yful glint in his eyes. “Maybe you just got lucky that time. Besides you haven’t yed with me. I’m more than prepared.”


    “Oh yeah? Prepared with what, some secret chess strategies you learned online?” I teased, taking a seat opposite him on the floor.


    “Maybe,” he said with a smirk, arranging the pieces on the board with practiced ease. “Now, are we ying white or ck?”


    “ck, obviously,” I dered, reaching out to im the ck pawns. The cool touch of the ebony pieces felt strangelyforting in my


    hands.


    The game began in a tense silence, each move carefully considered. Ivan, true to his word, seemed to be employing strategic approaches. He captured


    “There goes your lucky streak,” he said, a hint of triumph in his voice..


    I rolled my eyes yfully. “Don’t get cocky yet, Ivan. The game’s far from over.”


    With renewed focus, Iunched a counteroffensive, maneuvering my queen into a threatening position, Ivan furrowed his brow in concentration, his earl


    “Nice move,” he conceded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “But I think I can counter that.”


    The game continued in this vein for a good hour, a delightful back–and–


    forth battle of strategy and cunning. We traded pieces,unched surprise attacks, and defended our positions with a mix of determination and amuseme


    comfortablepanionship that felt as familiar as the worn leather armchair beside us.


    “Checkmate,” I announced triumphantly, a wide grin spreading across my face as I delivered the final blow with my knight.


    Ivan groaned, feigning exasperation. “Seriously? You won?”


    “Looks like it. Maybe your secret online strategies aren’t so secret after all.”


    He chuckled, shaking his head in mock defeat. “Alright, alright, you win. But next time, I’m definitely going to crush you.”


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    “We’ll


    I see about that.”


    As we began packing up the chessboard, afortable silence settled between us. It wasn’t the heavy, awkward silence of before, but a peaceful quietu


    “You know,” I began hesitantly, “this is nice Just… hanging out, ying chess.”


    We sat there for a moment longer, lost in our thoughts. The sound of the twins‘ughter drifted in from the yroom, a gentle reminder of the life we wer


    “Hey,” Ivan said softly, breaking the silence. “How about we make this a regr thing? Chess night, just the two of us


    A warmth spread through me at the suggestion. “I’d like that. Maybe next time, I’ll teach you a few winning strategies of my own.”


    Heughed, a rich sound that filled the room. “We’ll see about that, Amaya. We’ll see about that.”


    With that, we both rose to our feet, the yful banter and the shared victory on the chessboard leaving a lightness in my heart that had been missing for


    past few days seemed to lift a little, reced by a renewed sense of hope and optimism. For a moment, we just stood there, afortable silence settlin


    Then, something shifted. The air seemed to crackle with a sudden, unexpected tension. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, a warmth spreading from my


    “Yeah, of course.”


    There was a beat of silence, then I took a step back towards the hallway. “Alright, well, see youter,” I mumbled, feeling strangely reluctant


    to leave.


    “Hey,” Ivan called out, his voice stopping me in my tracks. I turned back to face him, my heart pounding a little faster than usual.


    He hesitated for a moment, then took a tentative e step towards me. The air crackled with unspoken emotions, and I could feel a blush rising higher on m


    Was he going to say something?


    Just as I opened my mouth to speak, to maybe ask him what he was going to say, Ivan surprised me. He closed the distance between us in two long stri


    Then, before I could even think to react, he did somethingpletely unexpected. He cupped my face in his hands and crashed his lips on