Lila sat at her desk, reviewing the latest round of reports. The rhythmic clicking of her keyboard was the only sound in her otherwise quiet office. Despite the routine, her mind kept wandering back to Ethan, just as it had been doing for weeks. The kiss. The moments they'd shared. The unspoken question between them: What now?
She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something had changed after their time apart. Ethan was different—more present, more assured. Yet, in the midst of all this change, the silence between them on the matter of their relationship remained.
Every glance they shared during work meetings felt loaded with unspoken tension, every brief touch lingering a little too long. But Lila, as always, kept her emotions close to her chest. She didn't know how to navigate this new space between them, especially now that they had returned to their roles.
Her phone buzzed on her desk, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a text from Sofia:
Sofia: You okay? You've been distant lately.
Lila smiled, her thumb hovering over the keys. It was true—she hadn't been as available to her friends lately. But there was a reason for that.
Lila: Just a lot on my plate. Work, life, you know how it is.
Sofia: Mmm, but that's not all. Is this about Ethan?
Lila froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't told anyone about what had been brewing between her and Ethan. But Sofia always seemed to know.
Lila: Maybe. But it's complicated.
Sofia: It doesn't have to be. Talk to him.
Lila sighed, setting her phone down. Sofia was right. It didn't have to be complicated. But the weight of uncertainty was starting to press down on her. She didn't want to lose Ethan, but she also didn't want to rush into anything without truly understanding what they were becoming.
---
Later That Day
The office was quieter than usual as the workday neared its end. Lila was deep in a strategy meeting with her team when her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Ethan:
Ethan: Can we talk?
Her pulse quickened. She knew what this was about. The same question that had been hanging between them like a fog.
Lila: Of course. Come by my office when you're free.
Minutes passed, but Lila felt like she was waiting for hours. Finally, the sound of footsteps in the hallway reached her ears. She looked up just as Ethan appeared in her doorway. His gaze was steady, his expression unreadable, but there was something in the way he looked at her that made her heart race.
"I think it's time we talk about… us," Ethan said, his voice low but certain.
Lila stood up, her breath catching in her throat. This was it. The moment she'd been avoiding but knew would come. She nodded, stepping aside to let him into her office.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," Ethan continued, closing the door behind him. "About how we've been walking around this… whatever it is between us. We both know it's something, but I don't want to keep pretending like we can ignore it."
Lila's chest tightened, but she forced herself to stay calm. "I agree. But I'm not sure how to—"
"Define it?" Ethan finished for her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I don't know either, Lila. But I think we owe it to ourselves to figure it out."
Lila took a deep breath, her mind racing. She wanted to say something profound, something that would make everything clear, but the words didn't come. Instead, she found herself stepping closer to him.
"I don't want to rush into anything," she said softly, meeting his gaze. "But I also don't want to keep pretending like we're just… colleagues. I've felt something between us for a while, and I don't want to hide from it anymore."
Ethan's eyes softened. "You don't have to hide, Lila. Not from me."
For a moment, the world outside her office seemed to disappear. There was only Ethan. And the uncertainty that had been hanging over them felt a little less daunting now that they were both standing in it, together.
"I don't know what this will look like," Lila said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm willing to find out."
Ethan's hand reached out, gently brushing against hers. "So am I."
In that moment, the air between them shifted. The unspoken question had been answered—not with grand declarations, but with a quiet understanding. They didn't have all the answers, and they didn't need to.
They were taking the first step. And that was enough.