Cynthia decided very early that morning that something felt… off.
Not bad. Not dangerous.
Just off.
It started when she walked into the office and nearly collided with a bouquet of flowers.
"Whoa—sorry!"
The flowers wobbled, then lowered, revealing a man she vaguely recognized from another department. Tall. Confident smile. Way too awake for a Monday.
"Good morning," he said brightly. "You must be Cynthia."
She blinked. "I must be?"
He laughed as if this was charming. "I'm Daniel. Marketing.
"Oh," she said politely, stepping aside. "Nice to meet you."
Daniel handed her the bouquet.
"These are for you."
The entire office froze.
Chairs creaked. Keyboards paused mid-type. Someone audibly gasped. Cynthia stared at the flowers like they were a math problem she had not revised for.
"For… me?" she asked.
Daniel nodded. "You mentioned liking flowers during the meeting last week."
Cynthia mentally replayed the meeting.
She had said, "This chart is confusing—it looks like a dying flower."
That was not the same thing.
"That's… very thoughtful," she said slowly.
Alexander, who had just walked out of his office, stopped mid-step.
Ethan, seated nearby, looked up like he had just sensed danger in the air.
"Daniel, but this is really not necessary.", she said
Daniel smiled wider. "Nothing wrong with brightening someone's morning."
Alexander crossed his arms.
Very calmly.
Too calmly.
Cynthia placed the flowers on the nearest desk—Ethan's.
Ethan looked down at them like they were a live animal.
"Why are they on my desk?" he whispered.
"Temporary storage," Cynthia whispered back.
Daniel didn't move. Instead, he leaned casually against a desk.
"So," he said, "do you usually take coffee breaks around ten, or are you more of an eleven kind of person?"
Cynthia hesitated.
"I usually take… work breaks," she answered.
Daniel laughed. "I like your sense of humor."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
Ethan subtly slid his chair closer to Cynthia, like that would somehow protect her.
"Daniel," Alexander said smoothly, "is there something work-related you need?"
Daniel turned, clearly surprised. "Oh—sorry. Didn't realize I was interrupting."
"You are," Alexander replied politely.
Too politely.
Cynthia jumped in quickly. "I actually have a work to do. A very… urgent one."
Daniel nodded. "Of course. Maybe later then."
He winked.
Winked.
And walked away.
The moment he disappeared, the office erupted.
Ethan stared at the bouquet. "Should I file a report or water them?"
Cynthia buried her face in her hands. "I didn't ask for this."
Alexander cleared his throat.
Everyone looked at him.
"Back to work," he said calmly.
No one moved.
Alexander sighed. "Now."
Chairs scraped. Screens lit up. Conversations dropped to whisper
Ethan was whispering loudly.
"Do you think he's jealous?"
Eleanor,ethan seat mate replied,"I think he's trying not to be."
Back in the office, Cynthia exhaled before she open Alexdander's office door.
"Hey", cynthia said
"Should I say something to HR?"
Alexander considered it. "If it continues, yes. One bouquet is… annoying. Repeated behavior is a problem."
She nodded. "Agreed."
There was a brief silence.
Then Alexander added, "For the record… you handled it professionally."
She met his eyes. "Thank you."
They shared a small smile—one that was immediately interrupted when the door swung open.
Ethan poked his head in. "Just updating you that the flowers are now gone."
Cynthia blinked. "Gone?"
Ethan shrugged. "Eleanor adopted them. She says they symbolize 'unwanted workplace romance.'"
From outside, Eleanor yelled, "I renamed them!"
cynthia closed his eyes.
"Of course you did," he muttered.
Cynthia laughed.
And just like that, the tension dissolved.
At least for now.