Monday morning came with a strange sense of relief.
Amara woke up determined to focus on work. No thinking about Daniel. No replaying conversations. No wondering what could have been.
She dressed carefully, a simple fitted blouse and pencil skirt, professional, composed. She needed structure, something predictable.
Work always helped, it felt like safety. No emotional tension. No memories. Just routine
By the time she arrived at the office, she had almost convinced herself she was fine.
Almost.
"Good morning," her colleague Ada greeted.
"Morning," Amara replied, forcing a smile.
She settled at her desk, opening emails and trying to drown herself in routine. The familiar sound of keyboards and quiet conversations soothed her.
Then her boss appeared and called her.
"Amara, can you come to the conference room?"
Her stomach tightened slightly. "Sure."
She grabbed her notebook and followed him down the hallway.
Inside the conference room, a man stood near the window, looking out at the city and scrolling through his phone. He turned when they entered.
Amara blinked.
He was tall, well-built, with calm eyes and an easy confidence. Not intimidating. Just… grounded.
"Amara, this is Ethan Cole," her boss said. "Our new business partner."
Ethan stepped forward and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. I've heard you're the one keeping everything running here."
She shook his hand, surprised by his warm tone. "That's a lot of responsibility to live up to."
"I like people who can handle responsibility," he said with a small smile.
There was something refreshing about him. No tension. No complicated history.
They sat down and began discussing work matters, but the conversation flowed easily. Ethan listened attentively, asked thoughtful questions, and occasionally cracked subtle jokes that made Amara laugh.
Halfway through the meeting, she realized something.
She felt relaxed.
Truly relaxed.
It had been a while.
"You explain things clearly," Ethan said as she finished outlining a project timeline.
"Thank you."
"I'm glad we'll be working together."
"Me too," she replied, and she meant it.
When the meeting ended, Ethan walked with her toward her desk.
"So, do you always make meetings this interesting?" he asked.
She laughed. "Only on Mondays."
"I might start liking Mondays then."
She shook her head, smiling.
For the first time in days, Amara smiled genuinely.
When she left the room, she didn't realize someone had seen everything.
As she sat back at her desk, she noticed her mood had lifted.
For the first time in days, she wasn't thinking about Daniel.
But across town, Daniel was thinking about her.