![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Chapter-Eleven-Image.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suspension.<\/span><\/p>\n Total, utter suspension.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s the only way you can describe this feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This\u2026phenomenon<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everything suddenly hits pause. Your lungs. Your limbs. Your heart. Even time itself.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A severe, almost animalistic glare fills your entire line of vision, peering down at you. Scrutinizing. Examining. \u092e\u0930\u094d\u092e\u091c\u094d\u091e<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For seconds without motion or measure, you stare speechlessly into the<\/em> most exceptional, breathtaking eyes you\u2019ve ever seen\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the stunning face of the man they belong to.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A solitary, singular thought comes to mind:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wolf.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A mesmerizing, almost indescribable intensity fills them, infused into a graduated, golden hue.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Holy shit\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They\u2019re\u2026unreal.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just\u2026incredible.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Like priceless jewels harvested directly from the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Their sharpness feels like a blade; like they could cut right through your soul as they bore into yours, pulling like a magnet because, for the life of you, you can\u2019t seem to look away.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Long, thick lashes frame them, a shade or two darker than the soft, dense waves on his head.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ho. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Ly. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Shit. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He’s\u2026gorgeous.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Absolutely<\/em> gorgeous.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Belatedly, you sense the stronghold on your body, as if you\u2019re trapped in free-fall. That\u2019s when you notice large hands gripping your upper arms, effortlessly holding you up.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And, consequently, breaking your fall.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before you can react, he helps you up, inadvertently pulling you closer to him as he does. Your heart thunders in your chest, now only a whisper away from his, so loudly that you\u2019re afraid he can hear it, too.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Embarrassed, you\u2019re suddenly very aware that you\u2019ve been straight-up ogling him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But\u2026he’s been staring at you, too.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He still \u0939\u0948<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is, by far, the strangest interaction you\u2019ve ever had. With anyone. Ever<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Neither of you says anything.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At \u0938\u092c<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You just\u2026stare at each other.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As if it’s the only thing you \u0915\u0930 \u0938\u0915\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902<\/em> \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\u0964<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But a distant voice and advancing footsteps abruptly puts a stop to that, snapping you out of your trance and ending your brief\u2026exchange<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You step away from him and out of his grip, awkwardness speeding back into every vein in your body, dousing you mercilessly when you realize just how crazy you must look.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Uh…th-thank you,” is all you can manage when you finally find your voice again, albeit cracked, promptly averting your gaze as heat stings your cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You turn to your fallen documents splayed on the floor, your skin buzzing as you sheepishly bend over to pick them up, wishing you could ignore the feel of his gaze on you. While you\u2019re glad you didn\u2019t end up joining them, you feel just as embarrassed as you would have if you did. Actually, \u0905\u0927\u093f\u0915<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019re one hundred percent positive that plummeting flat on your ass would\u2019ve been far less jarring than having this imposing, insanely attractive stranger stop it from happening.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “There<\/em> you are,” the voice from earlier calls out.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Impulsively, your eyes dart behind him to another man approaching you, going wide with recognition.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Samuel Covington.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The CEO of Earth Capital.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Double. Holy. Shit…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For a split second, you find yourself completely star-struck, your brain scattering at the sight of him…until something dawns on you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You look back at the elevator, a major, virtual face-palm coming down on you like a hammer when you see the number next to it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 7.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sigh. Of course\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019re on the wrong floor.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That explains a whole lot.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before the CEO gets any closer, you mutter an apology and excuse yourself, feeling unusually timid as you put much-needed distance between you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You take off again, glancing at your watch and hoping you can still catch Schapiro in time. You hail the elevator, poking its button incessantly, exhaling in relief when it opens soon after.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Against your better judgment, you look back at him, unable to resist the sheer urge to…and your stomach erupts in a flurry of wild, angry moths.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He’s still watching you, effortlessly securing your sense of sight in its entirety. Your heart races as he stares you down, piercing yellow-gold focused on naught else.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s unnerving. And strange. And disturbing.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And\u2026and\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You re-avert your gaze, practically running into the elevator, mortified when your heel wobbles again just before you step inside.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Staggering, both body \u0924\u0925\u093e<\/em> mind, you wince, more flustered than you\u2019ve ever been in life. With a trembling finger, you hit \u20185\u2019 repeatedly, your heart thumping, your other hand shaking as it grips your documents\u2026able to feel his eyes on you long after they\u2019re within sight of yours.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You run into Schapiro again and, this time, you get him to sign the form\u2014but long<\/em> after his meeting is over.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After that point, the day seems to disappear right before you; time dissipating in a monotonous haze despite your new environment, spent entirely<\/em> on getting sorted and situated within it. It\u2019s well after lunch when your company ID, authenticated Pass and other clearance is finalized. There\u2019s only an hour left till closing when your payroll account is set up. From start to finish, the whole process is convoluted and long-winded. None of it should take nearly as much time as it does\u2014and from reports of previous interns, all the preliminary stuff typically doesn\u2019t<\/em>\u2014but, glitch or not, you have no option other than to roll with the punches. And, God knows, there are many.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Having said that, the unexpected, substandard quirks of Earth Cap\u2019s registration protocol haven\u2019t bothered you as much as they did earlier in the day. Or \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f<\/em>. Not an iota of you can claim it\u2019s because you\u2019ve progressively gotten accustomed to the wonky system, however, you suppose some of your impatience \u0939\u0948 <\/em>been buffered by\u2026other things.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Okay.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One<\/em> thing.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One man<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You concentrate on why you\u2019re here, getting yourself acquainted with this ecosystem as a whole and your department, in particular\u2014doing your damnedest \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902<\/em> to think about him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But, as much as you try, you can\u2019t, for the life of you, get the peculiar individual and his haunting, golden eyes out of your head.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine that a total stranger who didn\u2019t utter so much as a word could leave such a deep, lasting impression with just one look.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One unforgettable<\/em> look.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a little before five when you\u2019re<\/em> encouraged to leave\u2014along with a pile of binders, each full of files that you need to familiarize yourself with by tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019re not assigned to anything or awarded specific tasks yet so you do so with no objections, feeling unusually restless even though your excitement has long worn off. You can only chalk it up to the up-and-down-back-and-forth marathon you\u2019ve unwillingly competed in all day.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Oh\u2026that and actually seeing Sam Covington in person<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019d hoped<\/em> it would happen eventually, some time over the course of your three-month stay, but you definitely were not expecting to see the head of your dream company on your very first day<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And certainly not while recovering from almost tripping over yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still, while it was quite brief and accidental\u2014not to mention, less than ideal\u2014the sighting<\/em> itself had no less impact.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Michaela\u2019s out before you get back, the apartment pin-drop silent when you walk in. Nyxon is asleep in your bed, purring contentedly as he snuggles against your pillow.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You set the binders down in the living area, resisting the urge to brew a pot of coffee in fear that it\u2019ll only make you more agitated than you already are.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With a trusty marker and multi-colored Post-Its, you get to work, going through each binder carefully and making detailed notes for every one so you don\u2019t forget their respective key points.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All the projects seem interesting, but one, in particular, stands out over the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Definitely up my alley<\/em>, you think to yourself, excited by the prospect of assisting on it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the time you\u2019re on the last one, your eyelids feel like cinder blocks. All your motivation to do pretty much anything is one hundred percent gone. You can\u2019t even muster the energy for recreational reading when it\u2019s usually the one thing that relaxes you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You retire to your room, grateful that the feline of the house has decided to relocate to his mother\u2019s chambers.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You lie in bed, beyond exhausted yet unable to sleep, feeling idle as fuck for some reason\u2026trying to ignore the very noticeable, very unusual<\/em> throbbing between your thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a prolonged pause, your fingers travel south. You barely even graze your flesh when an intense, heated stare flashes before you. You gasp, taken aback, stunned by the abrupt, vivid imagery, your heart racing.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your own eyes go wide at the strange, novel occurrence. Brows furrow above them as you try to temper your suddenly erratic breathing, pulling your fingers away from your core.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You settle back in under the covers. Another hour passes with no change. And then another, marked by constant tossing and turning and mindless fidgeting despite the fact that you truly don\u2019t have the strength to do any of it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With no end in sight to this odd, exhausting restlessness, you actually<\/em> resort to counting sheep.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Committed, you tally imaginary livestock as they jump over a wooden fence, one after the other, until you\u2019re muttering absolute gibberish. Until you lose track of what you\u2019re even doing or why\u2026finally falling asleep at an unknown hour to the golden eyes of a wolf.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Suspension. Total, utter suspension. That\u2019s the only way you can describe this feeling. This\u2026phenomenon. Everything suddenly hits pause. Your lungs. Your limbs. Your heart. Even time itself. A severe, almost animalistic glare fills your entire line of vision, peering down at you. Scrutinizing. Examining. Penetrating. For seconds without motion or measure, you stare speechlessly into the most exceptional, breathtaking eyes you\u2019ve ever seen\u2026 And the stunning face of the man they belong to. A solitary, singular thought comes to mind:… \u0905\u0927\u093f\u0915 \u092a\u0922\u093c\u0947\u0902<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,93],"tags":[],"series":[107],"class_list":["post-5543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contemporary-2","category-romance","series-21-questions-role-play-edition"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-640x1024.jpg","blog_images":{"medium":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-188x300.jpg","large":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-640x1024.jpg"},"ams_acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5543"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=5543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Page-Chapter-Heading-Image-232x300.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n