Things Were Never Going Back To How They Used To Be

Alan woke up late, the sunlight streaming through the curtains felt almost blinding. He groaned as a sharp pain throbbed in his temples, a reminder of the previous night's excesses. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his forehead gently, trying to ease the tension that seemed to pulse with every heartbeat.

He glanced around his room, disheveled but familiar, and reached for a glass of water on the bedside table. The cool liquid soothed his dry throat as he took a deep breath. He needed to focus, he needed to remember what had happened.

As he sipped the water, fragments of memories began to surface. It was the anniversary of Claire's death, a day that had always haunted him. He recalled the nightmares that plagued him since waking up that morning, visions of Claire's final moments, her frail body fading away in front of him.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the dark cloud hanging over him. Work had been a blur, and then he'd gone to his favorite bar. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut, he had been drunk when Javier brought him home.

"Oh God…" he whispered as images flooded back into his mind. He remembered the kiss, the way Norah had responded to him, her lips soft and inviting against his own. The taste of coffee lingered there, sweet and intoxicating.

"No, this can't be real," he murmured again, disbelief washing over him. The thought that Norah might have feelings for him was too much to bear; their relationship had always been one of camaraderie. He decided it was best not to confront her about it, after all, she was still grieving Jacob.

Meanwhile, Norah stood in the grand kitchen, freshly washed and dressed but feeling anything but composed. She couldn't bring herself to look Alan in the eye after what had happened last night. The memory of their intimate moment replayed in her mind like an endless loop. She busied herself preparing breakfast, a spread fit for kings, hoping it would distract her from the tension bubbling just beneath the surface.

The table was laden with bread, cakes, omelets, fried snacks, and steaming coffee. She glanced at the clock; Alan was still holed up in his room.

After what felt like an eternity, Alan finally emerged from his bedroom and made his way down the stairs.

"Norah," he greeted her with his usual charm and elegance.

"Alan… sir," she replied delicately, forcing herself to meet his gaze for just a moment before looking back down at the coffee pot.

Alan noticed immediately that she was avoiding eye contact with him, a sure sign something was amiss.

"Are you feeling alrigh?" he asked casually but with genuine concern.

"Sure sir, everything is fine." Her eyes remained fixed on her cup as she lied through clenched teeth.

Alan took a seat at the dining table and began sampling the breakfast spread before him. "This looks amazing," he said appreciatively between bites of food. "You've outdone yourself."

"Thank you, Alan," she replied softly.

He hesitated for a moment before broaching the subject they both seemed eager to avoid. "About last night…"

"I'm sorry about how you found me… my wife Claire…" His voice trailed off as he felt a lump form in his throat.

"Being a disciple requires genuine compassion in helping others," Norah interjected calmly, surprising Alan with her sudden steadiness.

He looked at her with renewed curiosity; she seemed so composed despite everything they had shared just hours before. Perhaps she didn't see their kiss as anything significant after all, it might have just been a drunken mistake.

As they continued their breakfast in silence, an awkward tension hung between them like an unspoken word waiting to be released.

Suddenly, Norah stood up quickly to refill Alan's coffee cup but miscalculated her step and stumbled slightly. In an instinctive reaction, Alan reached out to catch her before she could fall.

Their bodies collided in a rush, a brief moment where time stood still as he held her firmly yet gently against him. Their faces were mere inches apart; he could see the surprise in her eyes mirrored by his own confusion.

"Whoa there!" Alan chuckled nervously as they slowly regained their balance.

"I'm so sorry!" Norah exclaimed breathlessly as she stepped back slightly but didn't break eye contact right away.

Alan laughed lightly again but felt an undeniable spark between them lingering in that charged space where they had just been connected so intimately. "Just be careful next time. You are quite a clumsy pregnant woman huh." Alan teased.

She nodded quickly but couldn't shake off the warmth spreading across her cheeks, the memory of their kiss igniting once more beneath their skin like fire meeting air.

After a moment that felt too long yet too short, they both turned away at once, fingers brushing against each other accidentally before retreating back into their personal spaces; it was almost comical how they both pretended nothing significant had happened, not wanting to acknowledge what lay between them now.

"Um… I really appreciate your help yesterday," Alan said awkwardly after clearing his throat while avoiding any mention of last night's events or their kiss.

Norah smiled softly but kept her eyes on her plate again as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "It's my duty. I'm a disciple."

They returned to their meals in silence again but this time there was something different in the air, a tension laced with unspoken words and undisclosed feelings hanging heavily above them like storm clouds ready to burst open at any moment if either dared cross that boundary into acknowledgment.

After finishing breakfast together without further incident or conversation about their previous night's escapade, their hearts racing silently against one another, they both knew they would have to face whatever this new reality between them meant sooner or later; there would be no escaping it now, not after everything that had transpired between them under those fleeting moments of vulnerability shared on that fateful night filled with longing desires buried deep within each other's souls waiting patiently for release…

As Norah cleared away the dishes while Alan helped out hesitantly, a sense of understanding passed between them silently; neither could deny what happened nor could either fully embrace it yet…

But one thing was certain: things were never going back to how they used to be again…