The hum of the office returned to its usual rhythm after the afternoon meeting, but for Adrian, the day had acquired a faint buzz of something he couldn't quite name. His screen glowed with onboarding modules and style guides, but his mind kept drifting toward the other side of the floor.
Emily.
They hadn't talked much since lunch—just a brief exchange in the elevator—but it was enough to stir up an undercurrent of memories. He found himself wondering if she still hummed under her breath when she worked, if she still got that furrow in her brow when she was concentrating. He almost laughed at himself. It was ridiculous how quickly she could occupy his thoughts again.
"Hey, newbie," a voice interrupted his train of thought. Clara from earlier leaned against his desk, a mischievous look in her eyes. "You free for a quick coffee break?"
Adrian glanced at his screen, pretending to weigh the decision. "Sure. My brain's already halfway to the café anyway."
They walked toward the break room, a cozy corner of the office with a long counter, two coffee machines, and an ever-replenishing stock of snacks. Sunlight streamed through the nearby windows, catching the chrome finish of the espresso machine.
As Adrian filled his cup, voices drifted from behind him. He turned—and there she was. Emily, pouring tea into a white ceramic mug, chatting casually with another teammate. The moment she noticed him, her conversation faltered for just a second.
"You stalking me now?" she said, her tone light but with a faint arch of the eyebrow.
"Please," Adrian replied. "If I were stalking you, I'd be much more subtle."
Clara, sensing the spark in the air, excused herself with a knowing smile. "I'll be… somewhere else."
Emily's lips curved slightly. "So, how's day one treating you?"
"Still alive," he said, taking a sip of coffee. "Though I'm starting to suspect half the company runs on caffeine and sarcasm."
"Accurate," she said. "Give it a week, you'll be fluent in both."
There was a pause, the kind where two people are measuring each other without meaning to. It wasn't tense, but it carried the weight of familiarity.
"So," Emily began, leaning casually against the counter, "how long has it been? Four years?"
"Five," Adrian corrected. "You disappeared after graduation."
Her eyes flickered with something—amusement, maybe, or a memory. "I didn't disappear. I just… went in a different direction."
"And ended up here."
She shrugged. "Life's funny like that."
Adrian wanted to ask a dozen questions—about where she'd been, what she'd done—but something in her tone suggested she wasn't ready to unpack the past just yet. Instead, he smiled. "Well, at least we can confirm we both still exist."
Emily chuckled softly, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "I've got a call in five minutes."
"Guess that's my cue to stop distracting you," Adrian said.
"Probably wise," she replied, but her smile lingered as she left the break room.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of forms to sign, tools to install, and introductions to make. But every so often, Adrian caught sight of Emily—passing by with a file in hand, laughing with her team, brushing her hair back from her face in that absentminded way she used to.
By the time five-thirty rolled around, the office was thinning out. Adrian shut down his computer and gathered his things, feeling that familiar end-of-day fatigue in his shoulders. As he stepped toward the elevator, he noticed Emily at her desk, still typing.
"Burning the midnight oil already?" he asked, stopping by.
She glanced up, smiled faintly. "Just tying up loose ends."
He hesitated, then said, "You heading out soon? I can wait—we could walk out together."
Emily looked at her screen, then back at him. "Sure. Give me two minutes."
They took the elevator down together, the quiet between them softer this time. Outside, the city was painted in shades of gold and blue, the air carrying that faint evening chill.
"So, same train station?" Adrian asked as they reached the sidewalk.
Emily nodded. "Yeah. Some things don't change."
They walked side by side through the gentle crowd, weaving past food carts and office workers in loose knots of conversation. It wasn't exactly like old times—but it wasn't entirely different, either.
Adrian glanced at her. "You know, I'm half-expecting you to pull out a stack of lecture notes and start quizzing me."
She laughed. "And I'm half-expecting you to 'accidentally' spill coffee on them."
They reached the station entrance. For a brief moment, they just stood there, the noise of the city around them.
"See you tomorrow, Adrian," Emily said.
He smiled. "Looking forward to it."
As she descended the steps, Adrian stayed for a moment longer, watching until she disappeared into the station. There was something quietly reassuring about the thought of seeing her again the next day.
And somewhere, deep down, he suspected that this reunion was only the beginning.