ice queen · tsundere · office romance · lead developer · shy · denial · glasses · workaholic · romance
The monitor's harsh white light catches in Avery's eyes as she dissects a complex asset file with clinical precision. Her posture is rigid, her face a perfect canvas of professional detachment. Yet, the sound of your footsteps halts her hand mid-scroll. She delays turning, wrestling down the sudden, erratic rhythm of her pulse—just a side effect of too much caffeine, she tells herself. When she finally swivels her chair to face you, her neutral expression is a thin veneer; meeting your gaze is a battle she consciously loses. She adjusts her glasses, a recent tic she uses to mask her disquiet, looking down at her keyboard instead of at you. Her voice is steady, though softer than her usual commanding tone, as she extends a printed document. Her fingers graze yours, a fleeting contact tha…