Lina
The office is already alive when Lina arrives.
Phones ringing.
Keyboards clicking.
Someone arguing softly about a deadline near the printers.
It's the usual morning rhythm of the publishing house, and normally Lina slips into it easily.
But today her mind feels slightly… distracted.
Which is ridiculous.
Because the distraction is a man she saw for exactly five seconds.
Five.
Seconds.
She drops her bag beside her desk and pulls out her laptop, trying to focus on the long list of emails waiting for her.
Coffee shop guy.
That's all he is.
Just a stranger with a nice smile and broad shoulders who happened to walk through the door at the exact moment she was leaving.
End of story.
"Morning, Lina."
Chloe slides into the chair beside her desk with the dramatic energy of someone carrying news.
"Morning."
"You're late."
"By three minutes."
"That's late for you."
Lina shrugs, opening her inbox.
"Traffic."
Chloe studies her for a moment.
"You look distracted."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Before Lina can respond, their manager's voice cuts across the office.
"Everyone, quick announcement."
Several heads turn.
Lina glances up.
Their manager is standing near the entrance to the marketing department.
And beside him.
Her stomach drops slightly.
It's him.
The man from the coffee shop.
For a moment Lina genuinely wonders if her brain is playing tricks on her.
But no.
Same dark hair.
Same easy posture.
Same relaxed confidence that made him stand out earlier that morning.
The only difference now is that he's not wearing the rain-damp coat.
Instead he's dressed in a fitted navy shirt with the sleeves rolled casually to his elbows.
Lina immediately looks down at her screen.
Don't stare.
"Everyone," the manager says, "I'd like you to meet our newest marketing hire."
Of course.
Of course he works here.
"Daniel Carter."
Daniel gives a small wave.
"Hi."
His voice carries easily across the room, warm and natural.
"I'm looking forward to working with everyone."
A few people greet him back.
Then the introductions begin.
Daniel starts walking around the office, shaking hands and exchanging quick conversations with each person.
Lina tries to return her attention to her computer screen.
But she's aware of him moving closer.
Aware of the quiet laughter that follows him from desk to desk.
Aware of how easily he seems to fit into the room.
Which somehow annoys her slightly.
Not because he's doing anything wrong.
Just because he makes it look effortless.
Chloe leans toward her and whispers,
"Oh my God."
"Stop."
"Did you see him?"
"Yes."
"Okay good, so I'm not hallucinating."
Lina tries not to smile.
"He's just a coworker."
"An extremely good-looking coworker."
"Chloe."
"What?"
Before Lina can respond, a shadow falls across her desk.
She looks up.
Daniel.
Up close again, he's somehow even more distracting than he was in the café.
His expression is open, relaxed.
No hint that he recognizes her from earlier.
Which is good.
Right?
"Hi," he says, offering his hand.
"Daniel."
Lina takes it.
"Lina."
His handshake is warm and brief.
"Nice to meet you."
"You too."
He glances at the stack of edited pages beside her laptop.
"Editorial?"
"Yes."
Daniel smiles.
"So you're one of the people who makes the rest of us sound smarter than we are."
Lina laughs softly.
"That's the goal."
"Well," he says, "I'll try not to make your job too difficult."
"I appreciate that."
For a moment it seems like he might say something else.
And Lina feels a strange flicker of anticipation.
But instead he just nods politely.
"Nice meeting you."
Then he moves on.
Just like that.
Too quickly.
By the time Lina thinks of something else to say, he's already at the next desk introducing himself to someone else.
Chloe immediately spins toward her.
"Okay."
"What?"
"You two just had a moment."
"No we didn't."
"You absolutely did."
"He introduced himself."
"Yes, and then you did that weird smile thing you do when you're pretending you're not interested."
"I was being polite."
Chloe leans closer.
"Also… I swear I saw you staring at him earlier."
Lina's eyes narrow.
"You imagine things."
Chloe grins.
"I observe things."
Across the office Daniel laughs at something one of the designers says.
The sound is easy and genuine.
Lina glances up before she can stop herself.
At that exact moment Daniel turns slightly.
Their eyes meet.
Just for a second.
He smiles politely.
The same friendly smile he's given everyone else.
Then he turns back to the conversation.
No lingering look.
No recognition.
Nothing.
Lina looks back down at her screen.
And for reasons she can't quite explain…
She feels strangely disappointed.
Not because he ignored her.
But because he didn't.
He treated her exactly the same as everyone else.
Just another coworker.
Just another introduction.
And yet—
For the rest of the morning Lina finds herself noticing him.
The way he leans casually against someone's desk while talking.
The way people laugh easily around him.
The way he seems completely comfortable in a room full of strangers.
At one point he walks past her desk again, carrying a stack of folders.
"See you around, Lina," he says lightly.
And keeps walking.
Too quickly for conversation.
Too quickly for anything more.
Lina watches him disappear into the marketing department.
Then she shakes her head slightly and returns to her work.
Because it shouldn't matter.
He's just a coworker.
A friendly stranger she happened to see twice in the same morning.
Nothing more.
But something tells her this won't be the last time she notices Daniel Carter.
And something else tells her
That five-second moment in the coffee shop might not be as forgettable as she first thought.