Late into the evening, the office was silent except for the hum of the air conditioner. Autumn and Sam found themselves alone in the conference room, papers scattered between them.
She sighed, eyes tired. "Sometimes I feel like people only want me for what I do not who I am."
Sam looked at her, a softness in his gaze. "That's not love. That's a transaction."
Her throat tightened. For a moment, the world shrank to just the two of them, vulnerability hanging like fragile glass.
"I'm scared," she whispered. "Scared no one will stay."
Sam reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Then let me be the one who stays."