Chapter 18

Lena's exaggerated gasp made the driver glance in the rearview mirror, concerned. Embarrassed, Tara reached over and quickly clapped a hand over Lena's mouth. Lena mumbled in muffled surprise, and after a few moments of silence, Tara finally removed her hand.

With her usual directness, Lena quipped, "Well, well, the ice queen finally blooms. Not easy."

After a short pause, she asked, "But why did you say you think you like her? You mean you're not sure?"

Tara hesitated, not wanting to discuss it in front of strangers, so she deflected, "You've just come off a long flight; rest a bit. We'll talk more once we're at the restaurant."

The car soon pulled up to a restaurant by the riverside, and Tara handled the luggage as usual. "Let's stash this in our private room. Your hotel's upstairs, so after dinner, you can just head up and settle in."

Lena pulled out a chair and sat down. "Alright, so…tell me more. What's she like, and why are you only kind of sure you like her?"

Tara's face softened at the thought of Selena. "She's incredible. She comes across as cold and unapproachable, but once you get past that, she's warm, even thoughtful."

Lena nodded, her brows raising with interest as Tara continued, her voice quieter. "As for me… I've never thought much about what love is supposed to feel like. I just know that at first, I wanted to keep my distance. But somehow, my eyes keep going back to her. Hearing her voice makes me happy, and whenever someone bothers her, I get mad."

The corners of Tara's mouth turned up into a shy smile, and she touched a hand to her chest. "And when she's close, I feel my heart speed up."

Lena watched Tara, amused, but Tara seemed lost in thought. After a pause, she added, "But then, she's the only person I've felt this way around, so maybe…maybe I just have no resistance to someone that beautiful?"

Growing up with strict family expectations and discovering her own orientation early, Tara had learned to guard her feelings. To Lena, the uncertainty made sense, so she just flicked her hair back and asked, "Do you think I'm attractive?"

Tara looked surprised but still gave an honest answer. "You're fine. Yeah, you're pretty."

"Alright, then," Lena leaned in, lightly placing her hand over Tara's with a playful wink. "Do you get that same heart-racing feeling with me?"

Tara quickly pulled her hand away, edging back from Lena with an exaggerated grimace. "Absolutely not. Besides the urge to shove you out the door? Nothing else."

Lena wiggled a finger at her, smirking. "Face it, you're falling for her. Honestly, Tara, the moment you stopped feeling nervous about her getting close to you, you were already halfway in love."

Being called out so openly didn't make Tara feel relieved—in fact, it deepened her confusion. She stared absently at the plain white plate in front of her, thoughtful.

After a long pause, she made a firm decision. "No. If I still have some control over this, I need to keep my distance."

Lena's eyes widened, surprised at Tara's logic. Normally, she would have teased anyone else with that level of self-denial, but Tara was her best friend, and she sighed, shaking her head. "Are you serious? That's self-torture. Have you thought about talking to a therapist about this? Maybe it would feel more meaningful than beating yourself up?"

"Of course not," Tara replied quickly. "The fact is, she's straight. She has a boyfriend, even if he's awful, and she loves him. There's no chance she'd ever feel the same way about me."

Lena leaned back, considering this for a moment. "Hmm, maybe—but honestly, she could be bi. Why don't you just stay close for a while, get to know her intentions? If she's messing with you because things are bad with her boyfriend, then she'll face the consequences. I'll see to it personally."

She paused, noting Tara's troubled expression, and continued in a gentler tone. "But of course, I want you to have a happy ending. Do you have a photo of her? Let me see."

"Oh, sure," Tara began, reaching for her phone. But before she could find the picture, Lena's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh no, my phone! I forgot I had a meeting about a project with another friend. I got so excited to see you, I completely forgot!"

Tara slipped her phone back into her pocket, standing up. "It's fine, really. Go handle your project, that's more important."

As they walked down to catch Lena's ride, Tara was still conflicted about Lena's advice to test Selena's interest. After giving her some reassuring words, Lena chuckled and said, "Honestly, I know someone with a similar story to yours. She liked a straight woman too—only in her case, that woman was her subordinate."

Tara nudged Lena lightly with her elbow. "Don't go overboard. You know someone like that, really? I've never heard this story."

"Oh, it's from when I was in France. I ran into a thief one night, and she tripped him up for me. Later, we ended up in the same class, and I got to know her a bit. She was smart, and incredibly hardworking—she graduated with a master's in two years. It's a pity her parents bled her dry financially. She's great; maybe I'll introduce you two someday. She's gorgeous. Who knows, you two might hit it off?"

Tara shook her head, smiling down. "I'll pass for now. Go on, your car's here."

Selena, still recovering, finally made it to the big meeting she'd planned with Wayne.

As the director read off the list of staff who would be joining, he turned to the group and asked, "Any questions?"

Selena cleared her throat. "Tara's new to the company, with limited experience handling high-stakes projects like this. I recommend substituting her with Li Yan for now—he has much more experience."

Jasmine, another senior member of the team, eyed Selena knowingly and raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that's exactly why she should go with you. Isn't learning from a mentor part of the job? Besides, you fought me to bring her onto your team, and now you're sidelining her? If you keep her from field experience, maybe it's time to discuss moving her back to my team."

Selena turned to Jasmine, her gaze piercing, cold as glass. It was enough to make Jasmine catch her breath. After a long pause, Selena replied, "Tara won't be missing out on training; I'll handle her development myself. Jasmine, I'd rather you not joke about this."

The director, not wanting to take sides, shrugged and added, "Alright, we'll replace Tara with Li Yan. I think that should wrap things up."

As Selena stepped out of the meeting room, she noticed Tara walking toward her, her steps hurried. Selena nodded at colleagues as she made her way over. Before she could ask anything, Tara took her by the wrist, her warm hand pressing into Selena's skin as she delivered some unsettling news:

"Selena, you might want to avoid going back to your office right now. There's an older woman in there who claims she's your mother, and she's causing a scene—crying and yelling. I called security already. Let's hide out for a bit."

Without waiting for an answer, Tara led them into a nearby storage room. Selena barely had time to protest before Tara shut the door behind them.

The narrow space was cluttered with shelves filled with dusty files, cleaning supplies, and unused chairs. Selena found herself with her back against the door, Tara's arm resting against the wall beside her, shielding her protectively in the cramped room. The only sound was the thumping of their hearts, almost in sync.

Selena's fingers found Tara's shirt, clutching the fabric as a tremor ran through her.

Tara wrapped a steadying arm around her, pulling her close. The warmth of Tara's breath brushed against her ear, and Selena heard her whisper softly, "Don't worry, I'll be here with you. No matter what."