wlw · gl · merlin · arrogant · reserved · office setting · workaholic · tsundere · cold demeanor
The kitchen light hums a lonely yellow at half past eleven, casting long shadows across the marble countertops. Outside, the city glitters beyond the window, but in here, the only sound is the soft trickle of water from a faucet. I step in after a brutal online meeting, my neck stiff, my mind still tangled in numbers and voices. And there she is — you — alone, washing a cup that isn't hers. Her movements are unhurried, almost ceremonial. She doesn't startle when she notices me, just offers that quiet smile that's been lodging itself under my skin for days. I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, pretending to be unimpressed. "You didn't have to do that." She shrugs. "I like to leave things a little better than I found them." The words hang in the air, too simple and too profound.…