The rain poured heavily against the glass windows, creating a dull rhythm that filled the silent office. Most employees had already left, eager to escape the storm. But not everyone.
Amara sat at her desk, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, her mind far away from the report she had been trying to complete for the past hour.
Deadlines.
Pressure.
Expectations.
Her life had become nothing but that.
"Still here?"
The deep voice startled her.
She turned slightly, her heart skipping a beat—not out of fear, but something she refused to acknowledge.
Ethan.
Her colleague.
Her problem.
He stood by the door, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, looking effortlessly calm despite the chaos outside. Everything about him irritated her… or at least, that's what she told herself.
"Yes," she replied shortly, turning back to her laptop. "Some of us actually take work seriously."
A small smirk appeared on his lips as he stepped closer.
"And some of us," he said, stopping right beside her desk, "know when to take a break."
Amara clenched her jaw.
"Not everyone has the luxury of slacking off."
Ethan leaned slightly forward, his hand resting on her desk.
"You think I slack off?"
His voice was softer now. Dangerous.
She looked up at him—and instantly regretted it.
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, everything else faded.
The rain.
The office.
The tension between them shifted into something heavier… deeper.
Amara quickly looked away.
"Yes," she said, her voice weaker than she intended. "I do."
Ethan chuckled, but there was something unreadable in his expression.
"You really don't like me, do you?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth?
She didn't understand what she felt.
"I don't have time to like or dislike anyone," she finally said. "I'm here to work."
"Right," he nodded slowly. "Just work."
There was silence.
But it wasn't empty.
It was filled with something neither of them wanted to name.
Ethan straightened up.
"You should go home, Amara. The storm isn't stopping anytime soon."
"I'll leave when I'm done."
He studied her for a moment.
"You always do this."
She frowned. "Do what?"
"Push yourself like you have something to prove."
Her chest tightened.
"You don't know anything about me."
"Maybe not," he admitted. "But I see you."
That hit harder than she expected.
For a second, she couldn't breathe.
No one had ever said that to her before.
No one had ever tried.
She forced a laugh.
"You think you do."
"I know enough," he said quietly.
Their eyes met again.
This time, neither of them looked away.
The tension between them grew stronger, heavier, almost unbearable.
And then—
Thunder roared.
The lights flickered.
And suddenly, the entire office went dark.
Amara gasped softly.
"Relax," Ethan's voice came from the darkness. "It's just a power outage."
"I know that," she said quickly, though her voice betrayed her.
She hated darkness.
Hated how it made her feel small.
Vulnerable.
She heard his footsteps.
Then—
A soft glow appeared.
His phone flashlight.
He stood closer now.
Too close.
"You're scared," he said gently.
"I'm not."
"Amara…"
"I said I'm not."
But her hands trembled slightly.
Ethan noticed.
Without thinking, he reached out… and gently held her hand.
The moment their skin touched—
Everything changed.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart raced.
She should pull away.
She wanted to pull away.
But she didn't.
Instead, she stood there… frozen… caught in something she didn't understand.
Ethan didn't let go.
"I've got you," he said softly.
Those three words shattered something inside her.
No one had ever said that to her and meant it.
Her eyes burned.
But she refused to cry.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
The rain outside intensified.
And in that dark office, with nothing but the sound of the storm and the warmth of his hand in hers—
Two hearts collided.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But this was the beginning.
Of love.
Of pain.
Of everything that would change their lives forever.