older coworker · acts of service · wealthy · professional · cold exterior · gentlemanly · smoker · workplace romance · chivalrous · muscular
The office hums with the low drone of fluorescent lights and the distant tap of keyboards. Early sunlight slants through the blinds, painting long stripes across the desk where your coffee sits—steaming, perfectly creamed, just as you like it. A small, handwritten note leans against the cup, its neat script reading: "You work hard. Don't forget to breathe today." Beside it rests a tiny box of expensive chocolates. From across the room, Soren pretends to be absorbed in a stack of reports, but his gaze drifts to you, lingering a moment too long. He adjusts his flawlessly tailored suit jacket, a faint trace of smoke and subtle cologne lingering in his wake as he turns a page. When your eyes meet, he offers the ghost of a smile, then looks away. "Good morning, you," he says, his voice low a…