The office looked different at night.
The vibrant chatter, clicking keyboards, and bustling footsteps had all faded into a soft hum of distant air-conditioning. Most desks were empty, dimly lit by the warm glow of the emergency lights. Only a handful of employees remained—those unlucky (or hardworking) enough to be stuck doing overtime on a Thursday evening.
Among them was Lila Moreno.
She sat hunched over her monitor, flipping through spreadsheets, her eyes narrowing at the endless rows of numbers. Her long dark hair was tied in a loose ponytail that had slowly fallen apart, freeing strands that framed her tired but still stunning face. She tapped the desk lightly, trying to stay awake.
Just finish this. Just one more report. You can go home soon. Come on, Lila.
A loud sigh escaped her.
"Rough day?"
She froze.
That voice. That smooth, teasing, maddeningly familiar voice.
She didn't turn immediately. She already knew who it was.
Raven Hale.
He leaned against her cubicle wall like a lazy cat, folders tucked under one arm, suit jacket draped over his shoulder. His loosened tie made him look effortlessly attractive, annoyingly relaxed despite also working overtime.
Lila's heart twitched—just a little.
She cleared her throat. "You're still here?"
"Looks like it." He shrugged casually. "Someone has to pick up the slack when the company's favorite demoness is hogging all the overtime hours."
She shot him a sharp look. He grinned.
"Relax," he said, lifting both hands defensively. "I'm teasing. Kind of."
Lila exhaled, shaking her head. "Shouldn't you be… bullying someone in another department right now?" she muttered under her breath.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "I only bully people who deserve it."
That made her pause.
There was something in his tone—something almost serious—but she brushed it aside and returned her focus to her screen.
---
A Silent Observation
Raven didn't leave.
Instead, he slid into the spare chair near her desk, spinning it slightly before sitting down backward, arms resting across the top of the chair. His eyes were on her. Watching.
Lila stiffened. "Do you… need something?"
"Nope."
"Then why are you—"
"You look tired."
She blinked.
"I'm fine," she quickly defended.
"You say that," he said lazily, "but you've been staring at that same cell for about three minutes."
She jolted, glancing back at the spreadsheet.
He wasn't wrong.
Her face heated in embarrassment. "Mind your own business."
"I am," he said nonchalantly. "My business is staring at you right now."
Lila choked on her own breath. "Wh— What—"
Raven smirked, finding her flustered reaction entertaining. His fingers tapped the back of the chair rhythmically.
"Stop teasing me," she muttered as quietly as possible.
"If you want me to stop," he said slowly, leaning a little closer, "you might have to stop being this fun to tease."
Lila looked away, grabbing her pen with a little too much force. "Some of us actually need to work, you know."
Raven stood.
She sighed in relief—until he moved closer.
Her breath hitched as he placed one hand on her desk, leaning down slightly. "Let me help."
"With what? Annoying me?"
"With this." He pointed to the monitor. "Your formatting is all over the place."
She gasped audibly and covered the screen with both hands. "Don't look at it!"
Raven laughed—an actual laugh, not a smirk. "Relax, it's not that bad."
"It is! I wasn't ready to submit it yet."
"That's why I'm helping," he said gently. "Scoot."
"What?"
He nudged her chair lightly. "Move."
"I— no— wait—"
Before she could protest, Raven dragged a chair beside hers and sat down. Very close. Too close. Shoulder-to-shoulder close.
Lila froze again.
"Okay," Raven said, cracking his fingers dramatically. "Show me."
"I don't want to."
"I'll buy you dinner."
She stared at him.
He stared back calmly.
She groaned. "Fine."
---
The Unplanned Office "Date"
What started as Raven fixing a few formatting issues turned into the two of them sharing a quiet, strangely intimate work session in the dim office.
He typed effortlessly, occasionally explaining something to her. And every few minutes, Lila caught herself glancing at him:
the way his brows furrowed in concentration
the way his lips pursed when he read something confusing
the faint shadow of stubble on his jaw
the quiet but steady hum he made when thinking
She didn't mean to stare.
She really didn't.
But Raven noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He leaned closer intentionally this time, whispering, "If you keep staring at me like that, Moreno, I'll start thinking something's up."
She jerked upright. "I-I wasn't staring!"
"You were."
"No, I—"
"You definitely were."
The smirk was almost criminal.
Lila hid her face behind her hands. "Stop."
"Why? You're cute when you panic."
---
A Power Outage? Seriously?
Just when the atmosphere was growing more charged than the office's electricity—
CLICK.
The power cut out.
Everything went dark except for the emergency lights. Most monitors shut off. The air-conditioning paused. A soft collective groan echoed from the few remaining workers.
Lila froze.
"Oh no," she whispered. "My unsaved progress…"
"Relax," Raven said softly. "Your auto-save's on."
"You don't know that."
"I literally turned it on earlier."
She blinked. "…Oh."
He flashed an I told you so grin.
But something else bothered her.
The darkness.
Growing up, Lila was teased for being chubby. Locked in dark rooms by mean kids. Mocked until she cried.
Her chest tightened. Her breathing slowed.
Raven noticed instantly.
"Hey." His voice softened. "You okay?"
"I— I'm fine. I just— I don't like… dark places."
Raven stood and moved in front of her, placing himself between her and the shadows.
"You're with me," he said quietly. "You're fine."
She didn't realize she was holding her breath until then.
---
The Near Touch
The power flickered back on. Lights buzzed. Computers restarted.
Lila opened her eyes, exhaling slowly. Raven was still standing in front of her, closer than necessary, looking at her with surprising gentleness.
"If something scares you," he said softly, "you can tell me."
She swallowed. "I… didn't want to bother anyone."
"You're not a bother."
His voice was firm. Sincere.
Her heart skipped a beat—maybe two.
Raven hesitated, his hand lifting slightly, like he wanted to brush the hair from her face… but he stopped inches away, fingers trembling just a little.
Lila noticed.
He wanted to touch her.
He really wanted to.
But he didn't.
Instead, he pulled back slowly, clearing his throat. "Ahem. Anyway. Let's finish this report."
Lila realized she was smiling. Just a tiny one.
He noticed too.
---
Awkward Dinner Plans
When the report was finally done, Raven stood up, stretching his arms. "Okay. Food time."
Lila blinked. "What?"
"I promised, right? Dinner."
"Oh. I thought you were kidding."
"I don't joke about food," he retorted.
Lila hesitated. "It's late…"
"So? I'll walk you home."
"W–what? No, you don't have to—"
"I want to."
She stared at him.
He didn't break eye contact.
Her chest felt warm again.
"…Okay," she whispered.
Raven grinned like he'd just won a prize. "Good. Let's go before you change your mind."
He grabbed his jacket and waited for her. As they walked side by side toward the elevator, their hands brushed slightly. Both pretended not to notice.
Both felt it.
And both secretly wanted it to happen again.
---End of Chapter 14---