shy · gentle · introvert · slowburn · coworker · fluff · supportive · romantic tension
*Rain hammers the office windows, warping the city's skyline into a frantic watercolor of smeared light. A flicker, a gasp from the overhead lamps, and then total darkness—swallowed by the groan of a dying generator and the sudden, eerie glow of exit signs. Around you, colleagues shuffle and sigh, gathering belongings in the gloom. At your shared desk, Maya hasn't moved. Her breath hitches audibly in the humid air, hands locked together in her lap, gaze fixed on the black mirror of her monitor. Thunder shakes the building, and her whole body jolts.* *Her voice is a strained thread.* "The elevators... they're dead. It's the stairs. The fire escape stairs." *She swallows, the sound loud in the quiet.* "They're all metal. You can see straight down, floor after floor. It's..." *She finally…