Unwritten chemistry in his eyes

I straightened my blazer for the third time in five minutes, but no amount of tugging could make me feel less like an imposter. Through the glass wall of the interview room, I could see him-Daniel Ross. Calm, composed, laser-focused on his laptop screen. 

"Relax, Maggie. Just be yourself."

That’s what HR told me. 

The door opened with a soft click, and the HR manager gave me an encouraging nod. “Daniel will see you now.”

No turning back.

I stepped inside, smoothing my sweaty palms against my pants. Daniel slightly stood up, offering his hand with a warm smile. Until now I realized how tall he was-easily over six feet—with the kind of lean build that suggested he spent more time buried in research papers than at the gym. Yet, there was a quiet strength to him, the kind that came from standing for hours over lab benches and hauling heavy equipment without complaint.

His hair, a mess of soft, dark brown curls, looked perpetually disheveled, as if he had run his hands through it one too many times while lost in thought. It made him seem younger than he probably was, but the sharp focus in his eyes-a deep, steady brown behind rectangular glasses, quickly erased any impression of carelessness.

Despite his academic appearance, there was an energy to him that hinted at intensity beneath the surface.

“You can sit, Maggie,” he said after a gentle shake with my hand, still scrolling through whatever life-changing research was on his screen.

I sat, trying to look collected and not like I was mentally rehearsing every possible answer to questions I hadn’t prepared for.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint tapping of his pen against the table. I started wondering if this was part of the interview-testing how long I could survive in silence before breaking.

Finally, he glanced up, and for the first time, his eyes met mine directly.

“So, Maggie. Master’s graduate?” His tone was casual, like he was asking if I preferred tea or coffee. “Fresh out of university?”

“Yes. I graduated last month.” I smiled, keeping my voice steady. So far, so good.

Daniel nodded. “And why you are here for this position?”

Ah, the standard why-here question. Easy enough.

“I admire the research being done here,” I answered quickly. “Your team’s work on immunoassay is groundbreaking, and I want to contribute to something meaningful.”

I thought it was a decent answer—polished, professional. But Daniel didn’t react. He just kept tapping his screen as if he was listening to a weather report. After that, he asked me some practical questions-some about maths, some about serial dilutions. He also passed me a pipette to let me show him how I would use them.

I was gradually feeling more relaxed, as I was always confident about what I was good at.

“Well,” he said after a long pause, “let’s see how you handle the less polished questions.”

Less polished? What did that mean?

Daniel leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. “Let’s say I give you an urgent task to complete, but at the same time, someone else from the team asks for help on something equally urgent. What do you do?”

I blinked. That wasn’t exactly textbook interview material.

“Um,” I began, carefully choosing my words. “I would see which task had a bigger impact on the project and prioritize that. If it wasn’t clear, I’d communicate with you and that person together and, decide which one to proceed?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was trying to suppress a smile.

“And if both tasks are equally important?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

I hesitated for a second, then decided honesty couldn’t hurt.

“I’d figure out who looked scarier in the moment and handle their task first.”

There it was—the smile. It wasn’t huge, but it softened his sharp edges just enough for me to breathe easier.

“Fair answer. Though I wouldn’t recommend relying on fear alone. It’ll wear thin quickly around here.”

I grinned, tucking that bit of advice away.

“Next question,” Daniel continued, still leaning forward with his eyes fixed on mine. “If you discovered an error in my work, would you tell me, even if fixing it would delay a major project?”

I paused. This felt like one of those trick questions professors threw in during exams just to make sure you were paying attention.

“I will definitely tell you,” I said finally. “Even small errors can snowball, and I’d rather deal with the delay than pretend nothing happened.”

Daniel’s pen hovered over his notepad for a moment. Then, he gave a small chuckle. “So you’d let me embarrass myself with a delayed project?”

“Well,” I replied, suppressing a smirk, “if it’s between that or hiding it, I’ll take the honesty route.”

His eyes narrowed slightly—playful, but still observing me carefully.

“You were like me before,” he said, clearly entertained.

His tone changed as he sat up straighter. “Ok, let’s talk about deadlines then. Say we’re racing against the clock on a breakthrough, and you’re 90% sure of your method. I insist on a different approach. Do you challenge me or follow orders?”

The playful atmosphere evaporated instantly.

I hesitated, suddenly aware that this answer mattered more than the others.

“I’d challenge you,” I said carefully. “Respectfully, of course. But if I believed in my method, I’d owe it to the project to speak up.”

Daniel nodded, his gaze lingering longer than I expected.

“Smart,” he said quietly. “But just so you know, I’m 99% sure of my methods most days.”

I grinned. “Good thing I’m good at catching that 1% then.”

This time, his smile was full, even if it only lasted a second.

As Daniel stood and stretched his arms slightly, the weight of the interview seemed to lift.

“Right...I’ll let HR follow up with you,” he said casually. “But since you survived this far, I’d say you’re already doing better than most.”

I exhaled softly, gathering my things. “Thanks… I think?”

He replied with a simple smile. "I have other stuff to do now, but see you soon."

Later, when the HR manager found me in the hallway, she smiled brightly. “Congratulations. Daniel said he was impressed. He doesn’t usually say much, but I think you left a mark.”

I glanced back at the closed office door, my heart beating a little faster.

Pleased? I barely survived that interview.

But as I walked out of the building, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been testing more than just my skills.