Rachel exhaled softly, with her fingers loosening around the strap of her small blue handbag.
She turned to Daniel, and then with her lips curling into a grateful smile, she said, "Thanks for standing up for me."
Daniel shook his head, and with his tone calm but firm, he said, "You don't need to thank me... I just did what was right."
Rachel tilted her head slightly, and with her smile growing warmer, she said, "Still… a lot of people were standing here, but only you stepped forward to stand up for me."
Daniel chuckled while brushing his suit jacket with one hand, then with his eyes playful, he said, "That's because I'm not like them... I'm rare, special, and unique."
Rachel burst out laughing; her laughter echoed off the lobby walls until her eyes watered.
She wiped the corner of her eye while still grinning. She said, "Didn't know you were this cocky... By the way, what are you even doing here?"
"Me?" Daniel asked while pointing at himself with his eyebrows raised.
