Subtle Flame

It didn’t take long for the cleaning the mansion to become a daily job. This allowed Jasmine the opportunity to catch up on bills and create a savings while working around her college schedule. She was able to pause her other jobs to catch up with assignments, her thesis was on track.

Not seeing Elijah for the last few weeks helped make the job easier. She overheard other staff mention that he was traveling more for work these days. A few liked to gossip that there was trouble with the happy couple, but she tried not to blame herself for that.

Jasmine had been in the mansion for two hours, moving from room to room. Sweeping, dusting the fancy decor, organizing books, and wiping down marble countertops. She paid extra attention to detail, memorizing the placement of each trinket.

She had created a routine to ensure each room was cleaned at least once a week. Today she focused on the shining surfaces. The delicate knick-knacks and polished furniture. Cleaning anything that shine with a delicate touch. These items were those that ordinary people could only dream of.

It made her feel small and irrelevant, though she was careful not to let her thoughts stray too far into envy. She remembered her own goals, her own dreams. And as much as the luxury of this place fascinated her, it was the steady stream of income that had brought her here.

Yet, as she carefully polished the old mahogany cabinet, her thoughts kept circling back to Elijah. Envy started to creep in as she coveted him. The man who had startled her the first time she was here with his unexpected touch. She thought about him every time that she cleaned this room.

She tried to ignore it, to push the brief moment to the back of her mind.

After all, it had been nothing more than a mistake, right? He was soon to be married to someone else, his fiancée she had never met, Clara. He was engaged and committed to another woman, and she was a struggling college student working odd jobs to make ends meet.

She couldn't afford to entertain thoughts like these. Not in a place like this, not with a man like him. She knew he wasn’t on a work trip… he was avoiding her. It was for the best.

And yet, as the day wore on, the memory between them seemed charged. Even when they were in different locations, living separate lives. Jasmine felt it. A strange magnetism that was hard to ignore.

She anticipated an occasional appearance each time the Butler opened the door. Each time she passed by the forbidden hall, she wondered if he was thinking of her. If he was feeling the way she had.

Jasmine had finished polishing the foyer and was now in the formal dining room, setting everything in its place for what she presumed would be a grand dinner. The massive chandelier overhead draped a soft glow over the oval table, while a large floral centerpiece covered the center. Jasmine was carefully positioning the delicate water glasses when she heard a set of footsteps approaching.

She turned toward the sound and almost dropped a glass when she saw him.

“Elijah.”, she whispered to herself.

His dark hair was neatly styled back. The crisp blue shirt he wore fit him perfectly, the sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms. He looked different this time. He looked perplexed at the sight of her.

His posture rigid and shoulders were strained. He looked as though the weight of the world was pressing down on him. As his eyes met hers, there it was again. The brief glint, the undeniable chemistry that radiated between them.

She swallowed hard and quickly looked away, "I hope I'm not getting in the way.", she said.

Her voice steadier than she felt. She couldn’t afford to make this awkward. She was just here to clean.

“No, not at all.”, Elijah replied quickly.

His voice a little sharper than usual. He seemed to clear his throat, as if trying to gather his thoughts. “I just wanted to check on how things are going. Clara’s not here yet, so I thought I’d take care of a few things before the party starts.”

He looked around the room, his eyes scanning the polished surfaces before landing on her. Looking at her, his gaze lingered a bit to long.

Jasmine nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

The brief charged silence between them felt thick with unspoken words. It wasn’t just her cleaning that had Elijah distracted. It was something else.

Something between them.

She kept her hands busy, Focusing on straightening the silverware in front of her. Even though her fingers felt stiff and uncooperative.

“I’m glad it’s coming together.”, she said. Managing a soft smile, trying to keep things professional.

Elijah’s eyes watched her delicate hands as she worked for a moment longer than was comfortable. Jasmine’s pulse quickened as a shiver ran down her spine. She couldn’t quite read his expression.

Unsure whether he was concerned with the event or distracted by something else. It was like something deeper was playing out in the space between them.

A maid walked by, setting a vase of flowers by the window.

“Thank you for doing all of this.”, he said. His tone warmer now, “It means a lot to Clara and to me. She’s been under so much stress lately with the wedding preparations and is never here…”, he paused as the maid exited.

He let out a small, tired sigh, though it didn’t seem like he found anything tiresome about it. “And I… well, I’ve been doing everything I can to stay away and keep my mind off of you, but it's never enough.”

“I can imagine she needs all the help she can get.”, Jasmine replied quietly, glancing up at him briefly and ignoring his last comment.

There was something almost vulnerable about the way he spoke, an openness that surprised her. She viewed Elijah in a light of power, the polished man of wealth and status who always got his way. He seemed to falter, just for a moment, as he stood before her.

It was a fleeting glimpse, but it made her feel as though she were seeing the real Elijah for the first time. Someone who wasn’t just the handsome fiancé of a wealthy woman, but a man who was struggling in his own way. Something didn’t seem right about this house.

The air between them seemed to grow thick again, laden with a tension that neither of them seemed able to fully acknowledge. Jasmine focused her attention on the table, not trusting herself to meet his gaze.

“I’m sure Clara will appreciate everything when it’s all over, is there anything you need?”, she said. Her voice a little quieter than before.

"You." Elijah murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

Then fell silent for a few moments.

His gaze lingered on her, but Jasmine refused to look up.

She was sure that now, he was just toying with her. There was no way he would choose her over a sophisticated woman. She made herself believe that he did this with all of the maids.

Still, the pull was undeniable. She could feel it in the way his eyes flickered toward her, the brief, heated look they shared. She knew she couldn’t entertain it. She knew she had to keep her distance.

“I should let you finish up.”, Elijah said.

His voice was louder now, more firm. “I’m sure there is a lot left to do.”

Jasmine didn’t respond right away.

She still  did not trust herself to speak without exposing how nervous she felt. She could hear the door to the office creak shut moments later, but the strange electricity between them lingered.

Jasmine forcefully held her breathe until she could control her emotions.

Questions swirling as her anxiety increased. What was wrong with her? Why was this affecting her so much? She’d met plenty of attractive men before, men who were charming, kind, and maybe even a little mysterious, but Elijah… there was something different about him.

She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts and forced herself to focus on the task at hand.. Stop it, Jasmine. He’s engaged.

Wiping the table with more force than necessary, as if she could scrub away the tension in the air. But no matter how hard she worked, the thought of Elijah… his touch, his eyes… kept slipping into her mind. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much, but it did. She knew she had no place to entertain thoughts like that. No place at all.

After finishing the table, Jasmine moved on to the kitchen. Hoping to lose herself in the work. But as she scrubbed the counter, her thoughts kept drifting back to his grip around her waist, the heat of it, the way his fingers had lingered a fraction of a second longer than they should have. The way his eyes had met hers.

She pushed the thought away again, but still it looped back.

She finished the kitchen in a blur, her hands working mechanically as she fought to push the distracting feelings aside. She didn’t look at the clock. Didn’t look for Elijah. She just kept cleaning, each movement an effort to forget.

It was only when the front door opened again with the sound of a woman’s voice calling out from the hallway, that Jasmine realized how late it had gotten. She stepped out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on her pants. She froze when she saw the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hello, I’m Clara.", she spoke with authority.

Her smile radiant, as her eyes slid briefly over Jasmine. “You must be the cleaner. I hope you’re almost done. My dinner party is about to arrive, and that hideous car needs to be removed.”

Jasmine nodded quickly, "I just finished. Everything is ready. I was just about to leave."

Clara gave her a polite smile, though it was clear she wasn’t particularly interested in making small talk. Jasmine knew she could sense something. Something about the look in Clara’s eyes and the way she held herself made it clear. There was a sense of... ownership there, an invisible boundary that Jasmine intuitively understood.

She nodded, slipping past Clara as she grabbed her bag.

And as she passed Clara in the hallway, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder. She locked eyes with Elijah. And just for a second, there it was again. The subtle flame between them.

It was gone just as quickly, swallowed up by the reality of the situation. Jasmine shook her head. This was supposed to be just a job… but as she walked out the door, she realized it would never be just a job.