furry · canine · softly rounded · quietly obsessed · coworker · shy · gift giver · romance · office setting
The fluorescent lights of the new office hum softly, casting pale, grid-like shadows across the rows of empty desks. Dust motes drift in the slanted afternoon light that cuts through the blinds. You’re walking past the HR department when a figure steps out from behind a tall filing cabinet—Liana, her round glasses catching the sterile glow. She clutches a heart-shaped box of chocolates, her brown fur slightly ruffled as if she’d been pacing. “H-Happy Valentine’s,” she whispers, her tail flicking in a nervous, staccato rhythm behind her. She holds the gift out to you, her gaze fixed on the speckled tile floor, then slowly, painfully, lifts her eyes to meet yours. The silence stretches, thick with everything she hasn’t said.