"I'm a... trainee here, Juho," I said awkwardly.
Just seeing Juho's face — those emerald eyes, that handsome face — was enough to send a wave of heat rushing through me like I was a teenager again.
Juho didn't seem to notice that. "Haven't seen you since the café," he said cheerfully.
Then his tone softened. "I heard what happened to you at the airline."
"That was, uh... a horrible accident. But I got a new offer, so here I am," I replied, fidgeting with my hair like a total idiot.
Something in Juho's expression stiffened at my answer, but he quickly masked it with a small smile. "I see."
The subtle change in his tone made me slightly uneasy.
"Juho, what are you doing here?" I asked.
He was my ex-colleague. Why would he be at KE's studio? Shouldn't he still be flying? Did he also let a passenger open an emergency exit or what?
Juho lifted the black bag he'd been carrying, smirking faintly.
"I'm a photographer here."
"A photographer?"
"Yeah. Only part-time. Not many people at the airline know, so maybe you haven't heard."
I stared at Juho. "Don't tell me you're my instructor?"
"Oh, no." Juho said, waving his hands quickly. "I'm just here to take photos of you and, you know, tell you how to act in front of the camera."
Uh-huh. That sounded like an instructor to me.
"So… what should I do?" I cleared my throat, trying to calm the heat creeping up my neck.
Juho suddenly stepped closer. He brushed away loose strands of hair falling across my face, tucking them gently behind my ear, his fingers grazing my skin.
At that very moment, I was convinced Juho's plan was to kill me right then and there. The heat in my face shot straight to the sky and refused to come down.
His emerald eyes locked onto mine, studying every feature of my face with a professional kind of focus, but to me, it just felt like he was stabbing straight through my already fragile heart.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my trembling under control.
Juho's lips suddenly curved into a small smile. He'd clearly noticed my struggle.
"Kaija, relax," he murmured softly.
Nope. Not relaxing. Not even a little. The gentle way my name rolled off his tongue only made it worse.
His faint smirk deepened. "Kaija," he said, voice low, "you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."
My breathing stopped. My gaze dropped from his immediately, my fluster barely concealed. "Can… can we start shooting?"
"Of course."
Juho stepped back. He grabbed a chair and placed it by the window. It was early evening now, and soft orange light was pouring into the room.
"Come, sit here," Juho said, gesturing toward the chair.
I exhaled sharply, thanking God I was still alive, then took my seat down. Juho sat opposite me, adjusting the massive digital camera in his hands.
"Natural shots are best to start with," Juho said. "So I'd like to take some photos of you in your most natural state today. No posing, no pressure. That okay?"
"Okay," I nodded stiffly. I knew being natural in front of Juho was basically impossible anyway.
When Juho started shooting, I kept my eyes either on the window or the camera or somewhere else.
"That's good," he said softly. "Relax your shoulders. Imagine you're at home. Now look this way."
Every minute passed by like torture to my heart.
We wrapped up about thirty minutes later.
Juho checked the photos on his camera while I left the chair and stretched a little, leaning against the window and watching him.
With the light spilling across his face, he looked even more gentle somehow. Unconsciously, the corner of my lips lifted, like a lovestruck fool feeling content from simply stealing glances at her crush.
Juho set the camera aside. He suddenly looked over and asked, "The guy from the café the other day, was he your boyfriend?"
I startled, looking away. "We broke up that day."
"Oh. I'm sorry," he said quietly, stepping closer.
"It's fine," I replied. "Honestly, it was a good thing we broke up."
"Does that mean I can kiss you now?"
Huh!?
I looked at him sharply.
What did you just say?!
Before I could make sense of his words, Juho leaned forward.
My eyes flew wide.
His lips pressed against mine, his eyes fluttering shut. The tip of his nose brushed mine as his slow, warm breaths grazed my skin. Then his eyes snapped open, piercing mine, the green in his irises glinting with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.
I hadn't known Juho could wield such an intense, sensual look. In my mind, he was always that composed, considerate guy who'd never initiate something like this, especially not here.
More importantly, I'd never imagined he was into me.
His lips began to move, grazing my lower lip with a teasing nip, tasting it softly, unhurriedly. Without realizing, I was already responding, my tongue meeting his as our gazes stayed locked.
As his tongue slid deeper, he pressed his body against mine, pinning me against the window. His hand slipped to my waist, holding me firmly in place. Then his rhythm quickened. His breathing grew ragged, his lips turning greedier with each passing second.
I simply surrendered. Completely. Thoroughly. My awareness had vanished the moment his lips met mine.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
Juho's lips started trailing down my neck, nipping at my skin, biting softly, teasingly. His hand slid from my waist to my hip, then lower, his fingers digging into my flesh as his teeth grazed my collarbone. The sharp sensation snapped me back to reality.
I started realizing where this was heading.
"Wait," I gasped, my voice trembling. "Juho, wait. What are you…"
"Shh," he murmured, his breath warm against my skin. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
My face flushed deeper. "I am, but we're in..."
"It's fine. No one will come in."
"How do you know?"
Juho paused.
His lips came up again, brushing mine as he whispered softly, "Do you not want me?"
God. He didn't even have to ask. Of course I wanted this. I'd daydreamed about this. I wanted all of him, especially now that I'd broken up with Niklas. But we weren't in the right place. And something in the way he said it made me feel… uneasy.
My eyes narrowed, studying his face. "Juho, have you… in this studio…"
He met my gaze steadily. "Mmm," he hummed, not even bothering to voice it aloud.
The heat in my cheeks cooled.
No wonder he'd initiated everything so smoothly, so… effortlessly. As if he'd done it countless times before.
"Are you not comfortable with that?" Juho whispered, his emerald eyes soft, almost pleading.
"It's just..." I mumbled.
It's just I thought you had feelings for me, crush.