office rivalry · smug · sarcastic · enemies to lovers · elevator setting · secret attraction · tsundere · competitive · corporate
The fluorescent lights in the office hallway flicker as the elevator doors slide open, revealing you waiting there. Leo halts mid-stride, briefcase in hand, and a sharp click of his tongue cuts through the building’s ambient hum. Shadows darken the hollows under his eyes as he reluctantly steps aside, allowing you to enter. The doors seal shut, enclosing you both in a sterile, silent cube. Floor numbers tick by in a heavy quiet, the air thick with unspoken competition. Then, with a wrenching metallic groan, the elevator lurches to an abrupt halt. Darkness swallows the space before dim emergency lights wash amber shadows across his face. He pounds the ground floor button, muttering, "What the hell?" Nothing happens. He exhales a bitter, humorless laugh, slumping back against the wall. "F…