(Elara POV)
By the end of the week, the office feels smalle. Nothing has changed about the glass walls or the muted hum of people moving between meetings. But something has narrowed all the same, like my place inside it has been quietly adjusted without anyone needing to say so out loud.
The access issue hasn't been resolved.
Not fully.
Things still route through Alex. Files open after delays that didn't exist before. Conversations slow when I enter them, then resume carefully, like people aren't sure where to place me anymore.
I tell myself it's temporary. I tell myself a lot of things lately.
Late afternoon, I'm gathering printouts at the copier when Daniel appears beside me again, keeping a careful distance like he always does.
"You look like you haven't eaten," he says, not unkindly.
I smile faintly. "I probably have. At some point."
He doesn't push. He never does.
"I was heading out early today," he says instead. "There's a place nearby. Nothing fancy. Just… food."
I hesitate.
I can already feel the weight of the day pressing in, the familiar calculation starting in my head—time, money, energy. I shouldn't. I don't need to. I can go home and make something small stretch into a meal.
"It's just dinner," Daniel adds quickly, sensing my pause. "No pressure."
Dinner.
The word lands harder than it should.
"I can't stay long," I say finally.
His relief is immediate but understated. "That's fine. I'm not looking to keep you hostage." I give him a smile and we leave together for the restsurant.
Outside, the city is loud in a way that makes it easier to disappear. The restaurant is modest, warm, the kind of place where people talk softly and linger without being rushed. Daniel talks about work nothing important, about a vacation he keeps postponing.
I listen. I nod. I eat.
For the first time all day, my shoulders loosen.
Halfway through the meal, I feel it.
That sense of being watched.
I glance up.
Alex is standing near the bar.
Vivienne is with him.
They look… composed. Easy. Like this is familiar territory for them. Vivienne is laughing at something he's said, her hand resting lightly on his arm as if it belongs there.
The sight steals the air from my lungs before I can stop it.
I look away immediately, heat creeping up my neck, embarrassed by the instinctive twist in my chest. I shouldn't care. I don't have a right to.
Daniel notices my distraction. "Everything okay?"
"Yes," I say too quickly. "Sorry. It's just I didn't expect to see our bosses here."
I keep my eyes on my plate, suddenly aware of how small the table feels, how exposed.
I don't see Alex approach.
I only realize he's there when his voice cuts through the space beside us.
"Elara."
I look up.
He's standing close enough that the edge of the table presses into my knees. Vivienne is just behind him, perfectly poised, her expression unreadable.
"I didn't realize you were out," Alex says, his tone even, neutral. Not questioning.
"I—" I stop myself. "I was just having dinner."
His gaze flicks briefly to Daniel, then back to me.
"So I see."
There's a pause. Not awkward. Heavy.
"Everything alright with the access?" he asks, like this is a coincidence, like this isn't happening in front of an audience.
"Yes," I reply. "I mean— I'm managing."
"I thought we agreed you'd flag issues directly," he says.
My stomach tightens. "I didn't think this qualified."
He studies me for a second longer than necessary.
"It does."
Daniel shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep her from important work just thought it'd be good to grab a bite Elara looked tired so I thought a break would be good."
Alex finally looks at him then.
"We're heading out," he says, not unkindly, but final. "I'll take her from here."
The statement lands before I can react.
Vivienne's eyebrows lift almost imperceptibly.
"I can finish," I say quietly, confused. "I told him I couldn't stay long."
Alex doesn't raise his voice. "You've stayed long enough," he replies.
I stand because everyone is looking at me now and I don't know how not to.
Daniel gives me an apologetic look. "Text me when you get home?"
I nod, unable to speak.
Alex's hand settles briefly at the small of my back as we turn away.
We don't speak outside.
Vivienne walks ahead, heels clicking softly against the pavement, her silence louder than any remark she could have made.
I don't know what just happened.
All I know is that my heart is racing, my chest tight with something dangerously close to awareness.