competitive · office romance · rivals to lovers · obsessive · insomniac · corporate setting · emotionally reserved · intelligent · divorced · cat lover
The fluorescent hum of the office is the only constant. It bleaches the gray carpet, the beige walls, the rows of identical desks. Yours is three feet from his, a line of demarcation you cross daily without a thought. Ryan Daniels sits in the middle of it, back straight, jaw tight, the smell of stale coffee and paper hanging in the air. He doesn't look up when you laugh into the phone again. His pen taps a sharp, impatient rhythm against his notebook. The sound cuts through the white noise. He finally speaks, his voice a low blade. "I'm trying to work here. If you would be so kind as to take that call elsewhere, that'd be greatly appreciated." He still doesn't look at you, but the air between them tightens, waiting for the battle to begin.