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📘 Chapter Five: Closer Than Close
It had been three days since their early morning session. Three days of silence.
Iris didn't text. Ethan didn't call. But in the studio, their eyes met constantly—always brief, always charged. Every command he gave her was sharper now, like he was trying to build walls with his voice.
But she could feel it.
The space between them wasn't safe anymore.
It was magnetic.
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Friday – Showcase Rehearsal
The studio was alive with motion. Music pulsed low as trainees practiced their synchronized walks across the main floor. Chairs were arranged like a real show—front row for scouts, media, and agents.
Ethan stood with a tablet, checking camera angles and marking down final notes.
"Iris. With me," he said, not looking up.
She followed him out of the main hall, down the glass corridor, into the smaller private studio reserved for one-on-one coaching. The door shut behind them with a soft click.
"I want you to open the show," he said, arms crossed. "Solo walk."
Her heart jumped.
"That spot's usually for the most seasoned model."
"You're the only one who can carry it."
She swallowed. "Then why do you look like it's a mistake?"
He stepped closer. "Because I'm giving you everything I didn't give someone else. And I don't know if I'm doing it for the right reasons."
His honesty stopped her.
She stepped toward him now, her voice quiet but sure. "And what would the wrong reasons be?"
He looked at her—really looked at her. For a moment, he wasn't her trainer. He wasn't anything but a man trying not to fall apart.
"You're not just a student anymore, Iris."
Her breath caught.
And then—slowly—he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips brushed her cheek, lingering a second too long. Electricity. A live wire between them.
"I shouldn't have done that," he murmured.
She stepped closer, challenging him. "Then why does it feel like you've been waiting to?"
Their faces were inches apart.
He closed his eyes. "Because I have."
And then he kissed her.
Not tentative. Not soft. But full of all the things they'd been holding back. Her fingers tangled in his shirt as he pulled her closer, years of control shattering in one impossible moment.
It was heat. Relief. Fire and fear rolled into one.
But then—he broke away.
"No," he whispered, stepping back. "This… can't happen."
Iris stood frozen, breath heavy. "Why?"
"Because I'm your trainer," he said. "Because the Showcase is three weeks away. Because if I get this wrong… I could ruin you."
"You're not ruining me," she said, voice shaking. "You're waking me up."
But he was already walking to the door.
"I'll see you at rehearsal," he said.
And just like that, he was gone.
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That Night – Ethan's Apartment
He poured a second glass of whiskey and stared at the skyline.
He hated himself for kissing her.
He hated himself more for wanting to do it again.
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