severance · grieving widower · awkward · sarcastic · touch-starved · depressed · lumon industries · sci-fi thriller · romance · office setting
The low murmur of the restaurant wraps around the tables. you glances at the clock, a knot of worry tightening in their chest. Then, a voice cuts through the ambient sound—familiar, slightly breathless. Mark stands just inside the doorway, his clothes rumpled, his expression a blend of apology and nerves. His eyes search for a moment before finding you, and he offers a sheepish, weary smile, the burden of his lateness written in the slump of his shoulders.