Ryan leaned back in his leather chair, the hum of the air conditioner filling the silence of the office floor. His eyes, sharp and unblinking, were fixed on the glass walls of the office across from his. The floor was bustling with people, the usual morning chaos of a corporate office: phones ringing, keyboards clicking, the low murmur of conversations. But Ryan's world had narrowed, had reduced to one single figure weaving through the crowd—Ava.
"Dude, what are you staring at?" a familiar voice interrupted, breaking Ryan from his trance.
He turned slightly toward the voice. It was Mason, his closest friend from childhood is in the office, leaning against the edge of Ryan's desk with a smirk that suggested he already suspected something.
"I'm… not staring at anything," Ryan said, his voice unusually calm, though the slight twitch of his fingers betrayed otherwise.
Mason raised an eyebrow, unpersuaded. "Uh-huh. Sure. And I'm the CEO of this place. Come on, man, your eyes haven't left that side of the office for the past ten minutes. What's going on?"
Ryan didn't answer immediately. He returned his gaze to Ava, who was sitting at her desk, typing with a focused expression, occasionally glancing at the documents in front of her. Something about the way she moved, the rhythm of her actions, seemed hypnotic. It wasn't just her appearance—it was the subtlety of her gestures, the natural confidence that somehow softened when she thought no one was watching.
"Seriously, Ryan," Mason continued, leaning closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing some dark secret. "Are you… into someone in the office? Don't tell me it's her."
Ryan's jaw tightened imperceptibly, but he didn't look away. "It's… complicated," he said finally. His tone was neutral, but there was a quiet intensity in his voice that made Mason stop in his tracks.
Mason's grin widened. "Complicated, huh? That's corporate speak for completely obsessed." He nodded toward Ava. "Look, I get it. She's… different. But you can't just sit here all day staring. People are going to notice."
Ryan let out a short, dry laugh, almost scoffing, but it didn't sound like amusement. "People notice a lot of things, Mason. Some things are worth noticing. Some… aren't."
Mason tilted his head, intrigued despite himself. "Okay, now you're being cryptic. What does that even mean?"
Ryan's gaze softened slightly, and Mason noticed the rare vulnerability that Ryan rarely let anyone see. "She's… someone who doesn't try to be noticed. She just… exists in her own way. It's… rare."
Mason blinked, processing the words. "Rare, huh? That's one way to describe someone you can't stop looking at."
and I'm not sure she'll remember me if I approach her. he said, it's better to start knowing her again before .. he hasn't finish the sentence when he noticed her movement.
Ryan's eyes flicked back to Ava just in time to see her stretch briefly, her hair catching the fluorescent light in such a way that it created a halo effect around her shoulders. She didn't look up, didn't even realize she was being watched. Ryan's chest tightened. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he felt protective of her. Not in the usual office crush way. More… intensely aware of every detail about her.
"You really are obsessed," Mason whispered, leaning back against the desk, smirking. "You've been talking about her for months now, Ryan. Ever since she joined. And now you're sitting here like some kind of spy just… watching her work."
Ryan didn't respond. Words felt inadequate. Instead, he observed her more closely. The way her fingers paused mid-type as she read an email. The faint crease of concentration between her brows. The way she sometimes tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Small, insignificant actions to anyone else—but to Ryan, they were… everything.
"You know," Mason said, trying to lighten the mood, "you could just… go talk to her. You're in the same office. It's not like she's on another planet."
Ryan's lips twitched, a small, almost imperceptible smile. "It's not that simple."
Mason gave him a pointed look. "It's never that simple, is it? That's your problem, man. You make it complicated."
Ryan shifted in his chair, finally leaning slightly away from the desk. Mason's words weren't wrong, but it wasn't just about being complicated. It was about timing, about space, about not ruining something delicate with impatience. Ava was… unlike anyone he'd ever met. And he wasn't about to rush that. Not now, not ever.
He watched as Ava gathered a stack of papers, moving to the meeting room for the morning briefing. The office was filled with chatter and movement, but Ryan's attention was solely on her. Mason followed his gaze, raising his eyebrows.
"Man, you are really into her," Mason muttered.
Ryan didn't argue. He just let his eyes follow her, noting the slight bounce in her step, the way her bag swung gently against her side. He noticed things no one else did—the soft hum of her music as she worked, the faint scent of coffee she always carried, even the way she paused for a moment by the window to glance outside, as if she needed a breath of something beyond the office walls.
"You know," Mason said after a pause, "you should stop obsessing like a creep and maybe… make a move. Even just say hi, man. Build up from there."
Ryan finally let out a quiet sigh. "I don't want to scare her off. I… care about her too much to just rush in."
Mason leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Care about her? Ryan, you're acting like you've known her forever. You've barely even talked."
Ryan didn't reply. The truth was, he had observed her from a distance for months now, piecing together fragments of her personality from small moments: how she smiled at the intern who spilled coffee, how she quietly helped a coworker without drawing attention, the way her laughter was soft but genuine. He didn't just like her. He… respected her. Admired her. And that admiration was almost painful because he had no right to it, not yet.
For a moment, the office noise faded into the background. Ryan felt a rare sense of stillness amidst the chaos, a quiet connection to someone who didn't even know he existed in the way he did. Mason noticed the change in his demeanor.
"You okay?" Mason asked gently, nudging him slightly.
Ryan's gaze finally left Ava for a fraction of a second. "Yeah… just thinking."
Mason smirked knowingly. "About her, huh?"
Ryan didn't answer. He returned his gaze to Ava, who was now engaged in a discussion with a coworker, animatedly pointing to a chart on her laptop. Her energy, so genuine and effortless, made the rest of the office fade away. Ryan's heart rate increased slightly—not from attraction alone, but from the sense that this person, so vibrant and alive, existed in a space he wanted to protect, not dominate.
"You're insane," Mason muttered, shaking his head. "You've turned office stalking into an art form. I don't even know if you realize how… intense you are."
Ryan didn't respond. He just continued to watch, quietly, observing, memorizing every detail. There was a part of him that wanted to reach out, to bridge the gap between admiration and connection, but he held back. Timing, he reminded himself. Patience.
Minutes passed, and Ava returned to her desk, settling back into her work as if nothing had happened. Ryan allowed himself a small, private smile. She didn't need to know he was watching. She didn't need to know that in the midst of the office chaos, he had carved out a silent world just for her.
Mason, clearly exasperated, shook his head. "Man, one of these days, you're going to either confess or implode. And when that happens, I want front-row tickets."
Ryan finally leaned back fully in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. "Maybe," he said quietly. "But not today."
Mason glanced toward Ava one last time, then back at Ryan. "Yeah, okay. But don't think I won't keep pushing you. You're not getting out of this quietly forever."
Ryan didn't answer. He didn't need to. His focus was already back on Ava, on the way she laughed at a coworker's joke, on the way her hands moved as she typed, on the subtle way her presence could dominate a room without even trying.
And in that quiet observation, amidst the controlled chaos of the office, Ryan realized something undeniable: he had already fallen. Not recklessly, not without thought. But completely.
He was lost in her world, and for the first time, he didn't mind.