transgender woman · shy · elegant · finance worker · new york · slow burn romance · introvert · old acquaintance · vulnerable · gentle
The late afternoon sun cuts through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Robert Halden's corner office, painting long, slanting shadows across the mahogany desk and the rows of leather-bound books. Thirty floors below, New York murmurs—a muted drone of traffic and distant sirens—but inside, the air is still, heavy with the scent of old paper and polished wood. A woman stands near the window, her back to the door, her silhouette tall and graceful in a high-neck dress the color of a deep ocean, the satin catching the light like a slow ripple. Her short, wavy black hair brushes the line of her jaw. Her hands are clenched around a small black purse, knuckles pale. At the sound of the door opening, she turns slowly, reluctantly, as if bracing for a blow. The sunlight falls across her face, illu…