Chapter 5 Blurred lines

Leah had seen chaos before - emergency shifts, triage lines, adrenaline and fear mixed in the air - but none of it compared to the chaos brewing inside her head every time Adrian Blake looked at her like that.

It had been three days since the dinner at his grandmother's mansion, and the memory refused to fade: the way he'd slipped his hand over hers at the table, the warmth of his voice when he'd said, Smile.

She'd told herself it was part of the act.

It was just pretend.

But her pulse hadn't gotten the memo.

---

The hospital corridor hummed with beeping monitors and hurried footsteps. Leah was halfway through a double shift when her phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number.

She almost ignored it - until she saw the message:

> We need to talk. – A.B.

She rolled her eyes, typing back between patient charts.

> I'm literally saving lives. Talk later.

A minute later, another buzz:

> I'll send lunch. Consider it an apology.

Leah frowned. "Apology for what?" she muttered aloud, but an hour later, when the receptionist wheeled in a catered tray with her name on it - complete with pasta, salad, and a small note that said, For the world's busiest nurse – Adrian - she found herself smiling anyway.

"Who's Adrian?" asked Nurse Bella, raising a teasing eyebrow.

Leah's ears burned. "Just... a mistake I married."

Bella nearly dropped a syringe. "You what?"

"Long story," Leah said quickly, tucking the note away. "Let's just say it involves city hall, the wrong form, and a very confused clerk."

Bella grinned. "Girl, if he's sending you gourmet food, that's not confusion - that's interest."

Leah tried to laugh it off. "Trust me, Adrian Blake doesn't do interest. He does control, contracts, and caffeine."

But the warmth in her chest betrayed her words.

---

Later that evening, she was walking out of the hospital when she saw him - leaning against a sleek black car like he'd stepped out of a magazine.

"Adrian?" she asked, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up my wife," he said smoothly.

She stared. "You could've texted."

"I did. You ignored half of them."

She crossed her arms. "Some of us work twelve-hour shifts, you know."

He opened the car door. "Then you deserve dinner. My treat."

Leah hesitated. "Is this... about the gala?"

"Yes," he said, too quickly. "Among other things."

That "other things" hung in the air, heavy and unspoken.

---

The restaurant he took her to was quiet and dimly lit, with soft jazz playing and candles flickering on every table. Leah tugged at her scrubs self-consciously.

"I could've changed, you know," she said.

"You look fine," Adrian replied, not even glancing at the menu.

"Fine?" she echoed. "That's not exactly flattering."

He looked up then, his gaze steady. "You look... real. It's refreshing."

Leah blinked. For a man who spoke mostly in bullet points and legal jargon, that sounded dangerously close to sincere.

They ordered. Conversation drifted from hospital chaos to his latest client scandal, and somewhere between laughter and dessert, the edges between fake and real began to blur.

---

When the waiter left, Adrian leaned back, watching her. "You handled my grandmother well," he said. "She likes you."

Leah smiled faintly. "She's wonderful. Terrifying, but wonderful."

"She's already planning the gala seating chart around us," he said dryly.

"Oh no," Leah groaned. "We're becoming an event."

He chuckled - a rare, quiet sound that made her chest tighten. "It's only temporary."

"Right. Six weeks," she said softly, though the number suddenly felt smaller than before.

He hesitated. "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

His jaw flexed. "Unless it takes longer to sort the paperwork."

Leah studied him. "You mean delay the annulment?"

"Just for convenience," he said, but his voice didn't sound convinced. "The gala's next week. The media will be there. It would look... inconsistent."

"Uh-huh." She folded her arms, smirking. "Convenience. Sure. Not because you enjoy torturing me."

"Only a little," he said, eyes glinting.

---

The air between them shifted - quieter, charged. Leah reached for her glass, trying to steady her thoughts. "You really think your grandmother won't figure this out eventually?"

"She might," he admitted. "But by then, I'll have explained. Or... maybe she'll convince you to stay married for real."

Leah nearly choked on her drink. "Excuse me?"

He smiled faintly. "Relax, Leah. I'm joking."

But he wasn't smiling like it was a joke.

And that terrified her more than she wanted to admit.

---

Back at her apartment, he walked her to the door. She fumbled with her keys, hyper-aware of how close he was.

"Thanks for dinner," she said, her voice soft.

He nodded. "You're welcome."

There was a pause - the kind that buzzed in the air, full of things neither wanted to say.

Finally, she blurted, "You don't have to keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Showing up. Buying food. Playing husband."

He tilted his head, studying her. "Maybe I like playing husband."

Leah's breath caught. "You're impossible."

"Maybe," he said quietly, stepping closer, "but you haven't told me to stop."

Her heartbeat stuttered. He was so close now she could see the flecks of gray in his eyes, the faint shadow of a smile tugging at his lips.

For one dangerous second, she didn't move.

Then her phone buzzed - loud, sharp, reality crashing back.

She stepped back quickly. "I... should go."

Adrian nodded once, the mask slipping back into place. "Of course. Goodnight, Leah."

She watched him leave, heart still racing.

---

Inside, she sank onto her couch and stared at the ceiling. What was happening to her? This wasn't supposed to feel like anything. It was supposed to be fake. Safe. Simple.

But nothing about Adrian Blake felt simple.

And when her phone buzzed again, she didn't have to check who it was.

> You left your cardigan in the car.

I'll bring it tomorrow.

She typed back before she could stop herself.

> You don't have to.

> I know.

She stared at the screen, that simple reply making her pulse race all over again.

Six weeks.

It was supposed to be six weeks.

But for the first time, Leah wasn't sure either of them could keep pretending that long.

---

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