Lila told herself it was nothing.
Just rain. Just an umbrella. Just a man with observant eyes and a calm voice.
Nothing.
Yet on Friday morning, she stood in front of her mirror longer than usual.
Not because of him.
Of course not.
She just... wanted to look put together.
The media house was buzzing that day.
A new investor was coming to observe operations. Everyone was pretending to be extremely busy.
Lila sat at her desk, revising a romantic script she had written the night before.
The male character had this line:
"You don't scare me. You just don't let people close enough to try."
She stared at it.
Why did that sound familiar?
She shook her head and kept typing.
Then the office doors opened.
And the air changed.
You know that feeling when someone walks into a room and the energy shifts?
That.
Lila didn't look up immediately. She didn't care who it was.
Until she heard that voice.
"You must be Mr. Adebayo."
Mr. Adebayo? Investor?
Her fingers froze above the keyboard.
No.
It couldn't be.
She slowly lifted her head.
And there he was.
Adrian.
Not under the rain this time.
In a tailored charcoal suit. Confident. Composed. Speaking with her boss.
Her stomach dropped.
Of course.
Of course the only man who had caught her attention in months would walk into her workplace as someone important.
He turned slightly.
His eyes scanned the room.
Then they found her.
And for the smallest second...
He paused.
Not dramatically. Not exaggerated.
Just enough to confirm:
He remembered her.
He didn't smile widely. He didn't wave.
He simply held her gaze.
And looked twice.
That annoyed her.
Why twice?
Why did he look at her like he had discovered something?
She immediately looked back at her screen, pretending to work.
Her heart was not cooperating.
An hour later, her boss called out:
"Lila, come greet Mr. Adebayo."
She stood.
Calm.
Controlled.
Walked over.
"Mr. Adebayo," her boss said proudly, "this is Lila. One of our best writers."
Adrian extended his hand.
Professional.
Neutral.
"Miss Lila."
His voice was different now.
Polished.
She shook his hand.
His grip was firm but not overpowering.
"We've met," he added casually.
Her boss looked surprised. Oh?"
"In the rain," Adrian said.
Lila cleared her throat.
"Yes. Umbrella diplomacy."
Her boss laughed loudly, not understanding the tension beneath that small exchange.
"Well," her boss said, "Mr. Adebayo is considering investing in our storytelling department. So impress him."
Impress him?
Oh, that was dangerous.
Later that afternoon, Adrian asked to see some of the scripts.
Lila handed him hers.
He read silently.
The room felt smaller.
Too quiet.
Too aware.
After a few minutes, he looked up.
"You write like you've been hurt," he said calmly.
Her jaw tightened.
"That's dramatic."
"Is it?"
"It's fiction."
He leaned back in his chair slightly.
"Fiction is usually truth dressed in courage."
She swallowed.
Why did he speak like that?
Why did he see too much?
"You assume a lot," she said coolly.
"I observe," he corrected.
She crossed her arms.
"And what do you observe now?"
He studied her for a second longer than necessary.
"That you don't like men who try to define you."
Silence.
Electric.
He stood up.
"You're talented, Lila."
Just Lila.
Not Miss Lila.
Not formal.
"And you're guarded."
That one landed.
He walked toward the door.
Then paused.
"I don't mind guarded," he added softly. "I just wonder who hurt you enough to build walls this high."
And then he left.
Just like that.
No flirting.
No chasing.
No begging.
Just truth.
Lila stood there, breathing slower than she felt.
She didn't like that he noticed.
She didn't like that he wasn't intimidated.
And she definitely didn't like that for the first time in a long time...
Someone wasn't trying to break her walls.
He was just acknowledging them.
That night, she couldn't sleep.
Not because she liked him.
No.
Because she didn't understand him.
And Lila hated not understanding things.
But somewhere across the city.
Adrian sat on his balcony, holding a glass of water, replaying her words.
"Umbrella diplomacy"
He smiled to himself.
He had met many women.
Confident. Charming. Interested in his status.
But Lila?
Lila didn't lean forward.
She stood her ground.
And for the first time in years...
He was curious.