Augustus couldn’t stop smiling. He was leaning back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers, his lips curving into a grin that refused to fade. The kiss lingered in his mind, replaying over and over. He couldn’t believe she had kissed him back. That had to mean something, right? Sure, she ran off afterward, but she didn’t slap him or scream at him, and in Augustus’s book, that was progress.

As he sat there, floating on cloud nine, the door to his office swung open. Samuel strolled in, holding a coffee cup, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “Well, well, look who’s all sunshine and rainbows today,” Samuel said, closing the door behind him.

Augustus didn’t even respond. He just kept smiling, his gaze distant as he rested his chin on his hand. Samuel froze mid-step, narrowing his eyes at his unusually cheerful best friend. He glanced back at the door, then back at Augustus, rubbing his chin in suspicion.

“Hold up,” Samuel said, pointing a finger at him. “Did I walk into the wrong office? Are you actually smiling? Like, willingly? No one held a gun to your head?”

Still no response. Augustus was too lost in his thoughts to care.

Samuel, now thoroughly alarmed, walked closer. “Who are you, and what have you done with my brooding, grumpy best friend?” He plopped down on the sofa dramatically, clutching his chest like he was in physical pain.

It wasn’t until Samuel’s eyes zeroed in on Augustus’s lips that the real theatrics began. “Wait a minute.” He sat up straighter, squinting at Augustus. “Is that—?” He stood up, taking a step closer. “No way.” He gasped, pointing at Augustus’s lips like they had just grown a second head.

“Is that lipstick?” Samuel practically yelled, throwing his hands up in mock horror. “Brother, I know you’re going through heartbreak, but you can’t just go around making out with random women! That’s unethical! You’re a married man on the verge of divorce! How will you ever keep my sister-in-law with you if you’re out here playing Casanova?”

Augustus finally looked up, fixing Samuel with an unimpressed glare. “It wasn’t a random woman.”

Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Then who was it, huh?”

Augustus leaned back in his chair, a small, smug smile returning to his face. He tilted his head slightly and said, “It was her. Your ‘sister-in-law’ or whatever you call her.”

Samuel froze, his jaw dropping. Then, as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on his reactions, he gasped so loudly that Augustus flinched. “WHAT?” Samuel practically shrieked. “HER? Are you serious?” He dashed across the room like a kid on Christmas morning, grabbing Augustus by the shoulders and shaking him. “Details! I need every single detail! When? How? Did you—oh my God, is that her lipstick? Brother, this is making me feel single! Wipe it off before I start crying.”

Augustus shrugged nonchalantly, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. “I’m not wiping it off.”

Samuel stared at him, dumbfounded. “You’re not—are you serious? You’re just gonna walk around with her lipstick on your face like some love-struck teenager?”

“Why not?” Augustus said, his tone casual. “I have a wife. Everyone knows that. I’m allowed to ‘flex,’ as you’d say.”

Samuel let out a loud groan, dramatically falling back onto the sofa. “This is unreal. My best friend, Augustus—the Augustus who once told me emotions were for the weak—is now grinning like a lovesick fool with lipstick on his face. I need to call someone. This is history in the making.”

Before Samuel could pull out his phone, the door to the office opened again, and Evelyn walked in. She had her usual composed expression, but the moment her eyes landed on Augustus—and more specifically, the lipstick stain on his lips—her cheeks flushed a deep red.

Their eyes locked, and Evelyn quickly looked away, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling. Samuel, noticing her reaction, smirked like a Cheshire cat. “Ah, my dear sister-in-law,” he greeted her with a teasing tone, standing up and giving her an exaggerated bow. “I was just about to leave. But let me say, you’ve truly worked wonders on this man.”

Evelyn shot him a confused look. “What are you—”

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it,” Samuel cut her off, winking at Augustus before sauntering out of the office. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he called out over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.

Evelyn turned back to Augustus, her blush deepening when she noticed the lipstick stain again. She grabbed a tissue from his desk and marched over to him. “What are you doing? People are going to talk,” she said, dabbing at his lips with the tissue.

Augustus caught her wrist gently, stopping her. “Let them talk,” he said softly. “I have a wife. I’m allowed to show her off.”

Evelyn’s face turned even redder, and she pulled her hand back, focusing on the tissue as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “You’re impossible,” she muttered, quickly taking a seat and pulling out some files.

“Let’s focus,” she said firmly, trying to regain her composure. “There’s an issue with one of our products, and it needs a thorough analysis. We’ve been getting customer complaints, and—”

Augustus wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy watching her. The way her lips moved when she spoke, the way her fingers tapped lightly against the desk—it was all so mesmerizing.

“Augustus, are you even listening to me?” she snapped, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

“Hmm?” he said, blinking. “Oh, yes. Complaints. Products. Analysis. Got it.”

Evelyn sighed, clearly frustrated. “As I was saying, Justin will be assisting with the research—”

That got his attention. “What?” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “What’s Justin doing in this?”

Evelyn gave him a pointed look. “He’s a research analyst. This is his area of expertise.”

Augustus gritted his teeth, leaning back in his chair as he tried to hide the irritation bubbling inside him. He didn’t trust Justin. Not one bit.

Evelyn, noticing his reaction, raised an eyebrow. “What’s your problem with him?”

“I don’t have a problem,” Augustus said quickly, too quickly.

“Sure,” she said, clearly unconvinced. “Look, this project is important, and Justin’s return was a surprise, but a welcome one. He’s very good at what he does.”

Augustus didn’t respond. His mind was elsewhere, tangled in thoughts of jealousy and frustration. He had never been the jealous type before—he had never needed to be. But with Evelyn, everything was new. Everything was raw. And the idea of someone else making her smile the way she used to smile at him was almost unbearable.

As Evelyn continued talking, Augustus made a silent vow to himself. He wasn’t going to let Justin—or anyone else—get in the way. If he had to fight for her, he would. And knowing Augustus, he would do it in the most Augustus way possible.