The 28th floor. Three in the afternoon.
The sound of keyboard typing from employees' desks created a busy rhythm, occasionally interrupted by the coffee machine from the pantry. The afternoon sun streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room feel warm. Car horns from the highway below drifted up faintly, drowned out by the whir of laptop fans spinning fast.
Rania let out a long sigh. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, but her eyes were starting to tire. The monthly report was due at five. Two more hours. And she was still stuck on one part.
She was focused. Her forehead slightly furrowed, occasionally biting her lower lip. She looked seriously overwhelmed.
"Ra."
A flat voice from behind.
Rania nearly jumped out of her skin. Her index finger instinctively hit the keyboard—who knows what key—and in an instant, a row of Excel formulas she'd spent half an hour on just vanished. Empty cells. Gone.
"Oh no, what—"
She stared at her screen in disbelief. Quickly pressed Ctrl+Z. Nothing. Pressed again. Nothing. Her heart started pounding. Her breathing got heavier.
She spun around.
Behind her stood Arkana. Her boss.
Tall, upright posture. A long-sleeved white shirt with sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows, revealing a watch on his wrist. Hair neatly combed back. His face was cold, expressionless. But his eyes... his eyes were looking at her, not the screen.
"Mr. Arkana?" Her voice trembled slightly—not because she was nervous around him, but because she was panicking about her report. "Sir, my data... it's all gone—"
He didn't answer. Instead, he walked slowly around her desk and stopped right beside her.
She was confused. Her eyes followed his movement.
"Did you try Ctrl+Z?" he asked, his voice deep and flat.
"Yes, but it didn't come back."
He leaned in—close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating from him—and looked at her screen. His right hand reached for the mouse, and his left hand... for some reason, moved toward the keyboard, almost touching her hand that was still resting on the keys.
She froze. Her body tensed. She held her breath.
"You pressed other keys before it could undo," he said. "Try Ctrl+Y."
"Huh?"
"Redo. Ctrl+Y. It'll bring back what you deleted."
She was paralyzed. Couldn't think straight—her concentration shattered between panic over the report and... his proximity.
Seeing she wasn't moving, he let out a slow breath. Then—without a word—he leaned in further, his left hand reaching for the keyboard, and pressed Ctrl+Y.
Now he was right beside her. His shoulder almost touching hers. The scent of his cologne—a fresh fragrance, like wood and citrus—was clearly noticeable.
The Excel formula came back.
She felt relieved. But still tense. Her eyes were slightly wide.
"Thank you, Mr. Arkana," she said softly.
He nodded. But instead of leaving, he just stood there. Still beside her. His eyes moved to the screen, reading the numbers.
She was confused. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she didn't dare type.
A few seconds passed.
"Mr. Arkana...?" She turned her head slightly to look at him. "Can I help you with something?"
"Your Q3 numbers are wrong."
"Huh?"
He pointed at the screen—again his hand passing over her shoulder. "Row seven. That's August's number, not September's."
She stared at the screen. He was right. She'd copied it and forgotten to change it.
Embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed. She quickly fixed it.
"Sorry, Mr. Arkana. I was in a hurry."
He didn't respond. But he didn't leave either.
She finished fixing it. Looked up again. He was still there.
Even more confused now. Her eyes blinked rapidly.
"Mr. Arkana? Is there really something I can help you with?"
He looked away. His gaze fell on her desk. On a pen. Her favorite pen—the one she always used.
He picked it up.
She didn't get it. But she stayed quiet.
He played with it in his hand for a moment. Then he put it back. But... not in its original place. He placed it a little further away.
His face was flat. But there was something in his eyes that was hard to explain.
"Good work last week."
She was surprised. "Huh?"
"The presentation with the foreign clients. They were impressed." He spoke quickly. Like he was embarrassed.
She smiled—her warm, innocent smile. "Oh, really? Thank you so much, Mr. Arkana!"
She was happy. Sincere.
He stared at that smile. A little too long.
Then he caught himself. Quickly straightened up. His face went cold again.
"Carry on."
He turned and walked toward his office. She breathed a sigh of relief. But—
"Mr. Arkana!"
He stopped. Turned around.
She stood up from her chair. "Sir, sorry—I wanted to ask about the Q4 data. I forgot which folder I saved it in."
She walked toward him, laptop in hand, meaning to show him something. But as she moved, her foot caught on a charger cable lying across the floor.
The charger cable was there, hidden under her bag.
"Whoa—!"
She lost her balance. Her laptop flew out of her hands. Her body lurched forward—she was falling.
Her eyes widened. Her hands reached for air, searching for something to hold onto.
Reflex. He moved without thinking.
In an instant, he was in front of her. His right hand caught her waist just before her body hit the floor. His left hand grabbed the laptop just before it crashed.
She was almost falling backward, but he caught her. One arm wrapped around her waist. Their faces were inches apart. Very, very close.
She was in shock. Her breath caught. Her eyes were perfectly round.
He was shocked too. But his eyes... his eyes couldn't look away from her face.
Silence.
Five seconds. Ten seconds.
He could feel the warmth of her body in his arms. Could see her long eyelashes. Could see how her lips were slightly parted from the shock.
The world around them seemed to stop.
His face was still cold. But his eyes... his eyes were warm. Soft. Like he was looking at the most precious thing in the world.
"Mr. Arkana...?" she whispered, still half-falling.
He snapped back to reality.
He quickly straightened her up. Released his hand from her waist—reluctantly, though his face showed nothing.
She was still in shock. Her cheeks were red. Her heart pounded wildly.
"I'm—I'm sorry, Mr. Arkana. I didn't mean to—" she stammered.
He looked away. Handed her the laptop he'd caught.
"Be careful."
His voice was hoarse. Hoarser than usual.
"Y-yes. Thank you, Mr. Arkana."
She took the laptop. Her hands trembled slightly.
He turned and walked quickly to his office. Without looking back.
Behind his cold face, his heart pounded wildly. His hand—the one that had held her waist—felt hot. He could still feel her warmth.
His office door clicked shut.
---
Afternoon turned to evening. Office lights began to turn off. Rania had just finished tidying her desk. The report was done. The clock showed 6:30.
She stretched her arms. She was tired. But behind that tiredness, a small smile lingered. Her mind wandered back to what had happened that afternoon. Her hand touched her own waist—where he had held her.
Daydreaming. Her cheeks flushed. She quickly shook her head.
*Stop it, Rania. Forget it. It was just a reflex.*
She sighed, then walked to his office. Knocked on the door.
"Come in."
She opened the door. He glanced at her briefly, then returned to his screen. His face was cold. No traces of this afternoon's incident remained. Or maybe he was just good at hiding it.
"Mr. Arkana, I'm going home now."
He nodded without looking up. "Okay."
She smiled briefly. But she didn't leave.
"Mr. Arkana...?"
He looked up now.
"Thank you for your help this afternoon. With the Excel. And... with me falling."
Shy. But sincere.
He was silent for a moment. His heart pounded.
"Yeah."
One word. But his eyes... his eyes were soft.
She smiled. Then she remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Arkana. I'll go first. Because..."
She paused. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
A sweet smile. A little shy.
"...Someone's picking me up. They've been waiting in the parking lot."
His hand stopped on the keyboard. His face stayed flat. But his eyes... his eyes widened slightly.
"Picking you up?"
His voice was slightly hoarse.
"Yes, Mr. Arkana. Thank you. Don't work too late, okay? You'll get sick."
Concerned. Sincere.
She gave a small wave, then turned and left. His office door closed slowly.
His office suddenly felt silent. Cold. Empty.
Arkana stood frozen.
*Picked up.*
The word echoed in the hollow silence of his office. From the 28th floor, the world below looked like a miniature stage. He watched Rania walk toward a sleek, black car. A guy stepped out—tall, confident, and wearing a smile that Arkana realized he could never give her.
He watched him open the door for her. He watched her get in. And as the car disappeared into the sea of city lights, Arkana felt a cold void expanding in his chest.
Rania was happy. And that was the problem.
He had realized the weight of his feelings only when she was already being driven away by someone else.
His eyes stayed fixed on the empty space where the car had been. His fist clenched tightly at his side—the same hand that had held her waist just hours ago. Still warm. Still remembering.
She didn't know that on the 28th floor, her boss stood motionless, wondering who the guy was that made her smile like that.
Rania was happy. She didn't know.
And Arkana... Arkana had just realized that his feelings might have come too late.
--- To be Continue ---