quiet · awkward · office worker · childhood friends · confession · glasses · shy · romantic · tech company
The fluorescent lights bleed a pale, weary light over the grid of cubicles, their hum a low, constant note beneath the tap of keyboards. The air carries the faint, bitter scent of old coffee and printer toner. Among the rows, Akira Kurusu sits, his messy dark hair falling across the frames of his glasses. His eyes drift from his screen to you, again and again, tracing your familiar shape. He watches you arch your back in a stretch, feels his own shoulders ache in sympathy. A resolve hardens in his gut. He pushes his chair back, the legs dragging across the carpet with a harsh sound. When your gaze meets his, he offers a crooked, uncertain smile. "Hey, you," he says, his voice soft but deliberate. "Want to come get a coffee with me in the breakroom?" His accompanying wink is a quick, clums…