, and deadlines, but the energy betwee

brush of his hand against mine while

an said, leaning over my desk. His proximity made my s

tighter than intended. "

d silence as we both worked, fingers tapping keyboards in tandem.

with a revision that required us to spend t

for a while," Evan said, a small,

but nodded. "Fine. Le

coffee cups scattered around and hours passed in a flurr

ur arms, the accidental touches, the soft laughs sh

ng me. His gaze wasn't just focused it was intent, persona

racted," he

t stop thinking about the night in the alley, about his

aned just a little closer. "I'm still

etween us, wanted to risk it all for a chance at something real. But the profes

I said, focusing back on the spre

, almost accidental. And in that moment, the prof

ling tired, yet charged with unspoken tension. As we walked back toward ou

, quietly. "We tack

art hammerin

professional and personal were blurrin

efore another storm of deadlines. I was buried in client ema

d me. His fingers brushed mine, and a jolt ran up my arm-ele

red, keeping my e

me work. "You've been tense all morni

" I replied, though my

"Uh-huh. Chaos with

finitely not avoiding you," I said qui

rence call with a demanding client. An urgent redesign t

," Evan said flashing a gri

tone neutral even though I was anxious about

e. Every accidental brush of his hand against mine, every shared glance over a spreadsheet, made it harder

to laughing at silly client comments, and somehow, even th

omething out on my screen. His hand to

e said softly, almost

. By the way, he still made my heart race after two years, by the memory o

eemed to shrink around us. "We can take it slo

the tension between us was palpable, a

packed up, exhausted but charged with the unspoken energy lingering in the air. A

said quietly.

ated, my voice sof

mptied, that the line between professional and pe

hum of computers powering down and the distant footsteps of

e stepped outside. The cool evening

surprised with how

lid in, my heart was racing. The interior smelled faintly of his c

e lost in our own thoughts. But after

ay... and today... I know it's messy. But I wan

g exposed and alive all at once. "I want to believe that," I admitted, voic

hing his fingers against mine. The contact was small

he said gently. "One st

f the day slowly ease but leaving behind a new, dangerou

visible above the city lights. He didn't kiss me goodbye, didn't c

tomorrow?

spered, already c

ilarating and terrifying, the past wasn't gone. It had onl