She smiled again.
"Pretty good. Better now that I have someone to talk to."
Alex blinked, surprised, and a shy smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Really?" he asked, almost unable to believe it.
She gave a small laugh and nodded.
"Yeah. You always seem so serious, I thought you didn't like talking much."
Alex rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"It's not that… I just never know what to say around you."
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, and then a warm smile spread across her face.
"Around me?"
Alex's face turned red again. He looked down at the table for a second before letting out a nervous laugh.
"Yeah… you kind of make me forget how words work."
She laughed softly, covering her smile with her hand.
"That's actually kind of sweet."
Alex looked up, finally meeting her eyes. For the first time, he felt a little less afraid.
"I've wanted to talk to you for a while," he admitted.
She tilted her head, curious.
"Then why didn't you?"
Alex smiled awkwardly.
"Because every time I saw you, I'd think of a hundred things to say… and then forget all of them."
She looked at him for a moment, her smile softening.
"Well," she said gently, "you're talking to me now."
Alex let out a relieved breath and smiled.
"Yeah… I guess I finally am."
Across the cafeteria, Noah watched from another table and gave Alex a proud thumbs-up.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The noise of the cafeteria faded into the background as the silence between them felt strangely comfortable.
She stirred her drink slowly, then looked up at him with a playful smile.
"So… was there a special reason you wanted to talk to me?"
Alex's heart skipped. This was the moment.
He hesitated, then gave a small nervous laugh.
"Honestly? I just wanted to know you better."
Her expression softened.
"That's a nice reason."
Alex gathered a little more courage.
"I always noticed you. The way you smile, the way you're kind to everyone… I thought you were really amazing."
A faint blush touched her cheeks, and she looked down at her cup for a second.
"I noticed you too," she admitted quietly.
Alex stared at her, surprised.
"You did?"
She nodded, smiling shyly now.
"Yeah. You always seemed thoughtful. And… kind of cute when you get nervous."
Alex laughed softly, his nervousness melting away.
"So I was worried for nothing?"
She met his eyes and smiled.
"Maybe just a little."
At that moment, Noah walked past their table, pretending to grab a drink, and whispered with a grin,
"Told you."
Alex shook his head, smiling, while she laughed.
The conversation flowed more easily after that, as if the invisible wall between them had finally disappeared.
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand.
"You know, you're different from what I expected."
Alex smiled, curious.
"Different good or different bad?"
She laughed softly.
"Definitely good. I thought you were quiet because you didn't want to talk to anyone."
Alex shook his head.
"Not everyone. Just… you made me nervous."
Her smile turned gentle again, and for a second their eyes stayed locked.
Alex felt his heartbeat rise, but this time he didn't look away.
"Would you maybe like to hang out after work?" he asked carefully.
"Maybe coffee… or just a walk?"
She looked pleasantly surprised, then a soft smile spread across her face.
"I'd like that."
Alex blinked, almost stunned by how quickly she answered.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Really. I was kind of hoping you'd ask."
Alex couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face.
Just then, the cafeteria bell rang, signaling the end of break.
She stood up, picking up her cup.
"Looks like break's over."
Alex stood too, still smiling.
"So… after work?"
She took a step closer and gave him a warm look.
"After work."
As she walked away, she glanced back once and smiled at him again.
From across the room, Noah appeared beside Alex with the biggest grin.
"See? I told you she likes you."
Alex watched her disappear through the cafeteria door, still smiling to himself.
"Yeah… I think you were right."
They returned to their workstations, but Alex still couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
Noah dropped into the chair beside him and smirked.
"So… coffee after work, huh?"
Alex opened his laptop, trying to act normal.
"Yeah."
Noah laughed quietly.
"Look at you. One conversation and your whole life changed."
Alex shook his head, smiling to himself.
Across the office, Leah sat down at her desk and glanced in his direction.
Their eyes met for a second.
She gave him a tiny smile before looking back at her screen.
Alex's heart raced all over again.
"I'm never surviving this day," he muttered.
Noah chuckled.
"Just survive until coffee."
The office settled back into the usual rhythm of keyboards clicking and phones ringing.
Then suddenly—
The lights flickered.
Every computer screen in the office blinked. The room fell silent. A strange low vibration hummed through the building, almost like distant thunder.
Alex looked up.
"Did you feel that?"
Noah slowly stood from his chair.
"Yeah… what was that?"
Outside the large office windows, the sky had begun to change.
Bright clouds twisted into a spiraling circle, glowing with streaks of violet light.
Leah stood from her desk, staring in shock.
"Alex… look."
Everyone in the office rushed toward the windows.
High above the city, space itself seemed to tear open.
A massive black alien warship emerged from the glowing vortex, its sharp metallic surface reflecting the sunlight.
The entire city froze.
Car alarms blared in the streets below.
People pointed toward the sky in fear.
Alex stared, unable to breathe.
"What… is that?"
Far above Earth, inside the warship, the Antigonian commander looked down at the blue planet.
"We have found Earth."
Another soldier activated the scanner.
"Searching for the Terranite Core source."
A glowing red signal pulsed directly over the city where Alex stood.
"Target locked."
The commander's cold voice echoed through the ship.
"Begin the extraction."
Alex's heart pounded so fast he thought it might burst. Around him, the office descended into chaos. Phones rang endlessly, coworkers shouted, and the air was thick with panic.
"Everyone, stay calm! Evacuate immediately!" someone yelled from the emergency intercom, but the message barely registered. Alex barely heard it over the roaring in his ears.
Leah grabbed his arm, her eyes wide.
"Alex… we need to get out of here, now!"