CHAPTER 53: PULLING ME TO YOU

"I’m a horticulturist by education," Georgia began, her voice soft but steady, "but I never got the chance to practice it. I had to start working for my father’s company right after graduation. He was sick and had to help my brother run the company."

She let out a breath, gaze distant as the flickering light danced across her face.

"I do have a garden back home, though," she added with a faint, bittersweet smile. "I wanted it to be more than just a hobby... I wanted it to be my life. But I guess having it as a passion on the side isn’t so bad. At least I still get to touch the earth and see things grow."

Nick studied her carefully, drawn in by the vulnerability she rarely showed. "Then why not sell the company?" he asked. "Walk away and chase what you really want?"

Georgia moved to a flat rock and slowly sat down, wrapping her arms around herself like a shield.

"I’ve told you before," she said, her tone lower now, more serious. "It’s not that simple. Hundreds of employees rely on us. That company—" she paused, swallowing the weight of her thoughts, "—it may not be my dream, but it’s part of my bloodline. My great-grandfather built it from nothing. It’s survived wars, recessions... ups and downs, even the recent pandemic."

Her voice cracked slightly, but she pressed on.

"I loved being in the garden... The one back at home was originally my mom’s. She died when I was young due to cancer. That garden became our little sanctuary while she was trying to heal, and my brother... he knew that.

While I was off chasing flowers and fruits, he stayed. He took on the pressure from my father. It wasn’t his dream, but he stepped up so I didn’t have to."

Her fists clenched over her knees.

"And then he died."

Nick didn’t say a word. His chest felt heavy just watching her.

"I’d never forgive myself if I lost that company after what he sacrificed. That business... It’s the last thing we have left of him. I owe it to him. I owe it to all of them."

Then she looked up at Nick, a soft defiance flickering in her eyes.

"My dreams aren’t gone," she said. "Just... waiting. They’ll bloom when the time is right. Just like the plants that I am taking care of."

Nick stared at Georgia far longer than he meant to. There was something about the firelight in her eyes, the quiet conviction in her voice, the strength wrapped beneath her softness; it held him in a way he didn’t expect.

She wasn’t just beautiful. She was unbreakable.

And in that moment, he knew.

This woman, this fierce, stubborn, aching woman, was going to move mountains. She would chase every dream that had been delayed and conquer every burden placed on her shoulders. And when that day came... he wanted to be there. Not just as a bystander, but as the man standing beside her, fighting with her, for her.

It awakened something in him that he didn’t know was there in the first place. Before he met her, he was hollow inside, if not dying. He lost all hope and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel in the life that he was navigating.

Georgia’s brows pulled together as she caught the weight of his gaze. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Nick blinked, his chest tightening as he tore his eyes away for a second, just a second. Then he looked back at her with a quiet fire behind his voice. "I’m just... amazed. Everything you said. Everything you carry. I wish I was more like you."

Georgia frowned, clearly thrown off. "What do you mean? You’re from a big, powerful family. You have money. Support. Everything. Unlike me, I’m alone, buried under all this responsibility."

Nick let out a low breath, his jaw tightening. He moved closer, just enough that she could feel the tension crackling between them like lightning before the strike.

"You think that makes it easier?" he asked, his voice rough. "You think having a name, a legacy, and a family that watches your every move is freedom? It’s not. It’s a different kind of cage. And most days... I don’t even know if I’m living my life or the one they mapped out for me."

"My life is a stage where I am supposed to dance to the steps and rhythm they set out for me. I am not allowed to make a choice because there are no options," Nick added.

Georgia blinked, lips parting slightly.

Nick leaned in, brushing a damp strand of hair from her cheek. His touch lingered, a whisper of something deeper.

"You... you fight for your life. You chase your dreams even while the world’s pulling you down. That kind of strength... It’s rare. And it’s pulling me to you."

’What the heck? What the hell is happening to me?’ Georgia’s thoughts spun as Nick leaned in close, so close, she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. Her pulse raced wildly in her chest, thudding against her ribs like warning drums.

His presence was overwhelming, intoxicating, and dangerously magnetic.

She wanted to pull away, to say something, anything, but her body betrayed her. She froze, caught in the quiet storm swirling between them.

But just as quickly as he closed the distance, Nick backed away, returning to the task at hand as if nothing had happened.

"How many coconuts should I open?" he asked casually.

The abrupt change in tone jolted Georgia back to reality. She blinked, inhaling a shaky breath as she tried to calm her nerves.

Was he messing with her head on purpose? Or was he just that good at leaving her off-balance? she thought.

’This guy is surely an expert in making women fall for him. I should be careful. What a playboy!’ Georgia said inwardly.

"Uh... maybe four," she replied, trying to keep her voice neutral, unaffected. "So we don’t have to open them again when we get thirsty later. It’s safer than drinking from the spring... and we can use the shells to boil the water."

Nick simply nodded, already digging into the first coconut like nothing had just passed between them.

But Georgia felt it. The tension. The words he’d said earlier still echoed in her mind, clinging to her like the heat of his gaze.

She stared at his back, silently cursing him for being too close, stirring her emotions, for pulling away, for making her feel things she swore she wouldn’t allow herself to feel again.

This wasn’t part of the plan. And yet, her heart was already rewriting it.

’Snap out of it, girl!’ she scolded herself in her mind. ’You two need to be close because of your agreement. What happened between you two is just lust, your body’s need. It’s not coming from the heart.’

She repeated that over and over in her mind. Reminding herself not to fall for Nick. He is not someone who would be there to protect her when he achieves his goals. So, she needs to do the same in order to protect her heart.

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