Focus-Things Not Easily Ignored
Eric didn't go back in.
Not immediately.
He stayed outside the workshop, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, staring at nothing in particular.
But his mind wasn't empty.
It was replaying the same moment.
Again.
And again.
---
John.
Rayan.
That brief touch.
The way John didn't react.
The way Rayan didn't pull away.
The ease between them.
---
"…Tch."
Eric clicked his tongue under his breath.
*Why am I even thinking about this…*
---
He pushed himself off the wall.
Took a few steps forward.
Stopped.
Turned back.
---
"…It's none of my business."
---
But his feet didn't move away.
---
Inside the workshop—
John and Rayan continued working.
The atmosphere had returned to normal.
Focused.
Productive.
---
"Cross-reference this with the earlier contractor logs," John said, pointing at a line.
Rayan nodded. "Already checking."
---
John's tone remained steady.
Controlled.
But something subtle had shifted.
---
Not discomfort.
Not avoidance.
Just awareness.
---
He noticed things now.
Small things.
The way Rayan leaned closer while reading.
The way his presence stayed a bit longer than necessary.
The way conversations didn't feel purely professional anymore.
---
And yet—
John didn't stop it.
---
Not because he encouraged it.
But because he didn't feel the need to push it away.
---
It was… different.
---
Meanwhile—
Eric finally stepped back inside.
His expression neutral.
Mask back in place.
---
"Anything new?" he asked, as if nothing had happened.
---
John looked up.
"…Not yet."
---
Rayan glanced between them.
He noticed the shift.
The tension.
The unspoken distance.
---
But he didn't comment.
---
Eric walked over to the table and placed a few papers down.
"I found inconsistencies in the supplier records."
---
John nodded.
"Let's compare."
---
Work resumed.
---
For a while—
Everything felt normal again.
But only on the surface.
---
Because underneath—
Something had changed.
---
Eric sat across from John.
Close enough to work.
Far enough to avoid contact.
---
But not far enough to avoid awareness.
---
John was quieter than usual.
More focused.
Less reactive.
---
Eric noticed that too.
Of course he did.
---
But instead of saying anything—
He stayed silent.
---
Until—
Rayan spoke.
---
"John."
---
John looked up.
"Yes?"
---
"You should take a break," Rayan said. "You've been pushing yourself again."
---
John shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine."
---
Rayan didn't argue immediately.
Instead, he reached out—
This time more naturally.
More familiar.
His hand rested lightly on John's forearm.
---
"Don't ignore it," he said calmly.
---
John paused.
Just briefly.
---
Eric saw it.
Again.
---
But this time—
He didn't look away.
---
He watched.
Carefully.
Quietly.
---
John eventually responded.
"…I'll rest after this section."
---
Rayan smiled faintly.
"Good."
He removed his hand.
---
Eric's gaze dropped back to the documents.
Expression unchanged.
---
But his mind—
Wasn't following the papers anymore.
---
It was somewhere else.
---
Trying to understand something he kept dismissing.
---
Why did that scene earlier stay with him?
Why did it feel… wrong?
Or rather—
Why did it feel like something he wasn't part of anymore?
---
He exhaled slowly.
---
"Focus," Eric muttered to himself.
---
John glanced at him for a second.
Then looked away again.
---
Rayan, on the other hand, observed both of them.
Silently.
---
He had already started noticing patterns.
Small ones.
Subtle ones.
---
And unlike Eric—
Rayan wasn't ignoring them.
---
He was learning from them.
---
Because in his mind—
Understanding the dynamics between Eric and John…
Was just as important as the investigation itself.
---
Maybe even more.
---
And while Eric tried to convince himself that none of this mattered—
---
Something inside him had already begun to shift.
---
Quietly.
Unnoticed.
---
But not for long.
---
End of Chapter 15🐾
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