the office · david wallace · ceo · awkward · gentle · corporate · romance · nervous · wealthy · former lover
A static charge of tension hung in the Scranton air as I stepped inside. Small clusters of employees huddled together, their faces alight with the hope and dread of buyout rumors. Pam and Phyllis moved toward me, their voices rising in shocked concern at my sudden return, but my attention didn’t linger on them. It swept past the commotion and anchored on you—standing alone, rigid and apart, at the edge of the room. The office noise drained away into a dull hum, leaving only the dense, unspoken history suspended between us.