Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 6

The alarm screamed from the bedside table, dragging me reluctantly toward reality. I reached out blindly, silencing it with a tired hand, only to fall back into the comfort of my pillow moments later. Monday morning had arrived far too soon. It felt impossible that the weekend, which had only just begun, had already slipped away like a passing dream.After five battles with the snooze button, I finally surrendered. I pushed myself out of bed, already knowing I was running late. The morning became a blur of hurried footsteps, a rushed shower, and half-awake preparations. I barely had time to enjoy my coffee as I grabbed my keys, rushed out the door, and jumped into the car.With the engine humming and the road ahead waiting, I took a deep breath. Another Monday had begun, and whether I was ready or not, the week was already moving forward.The roads were already beginning to fill, and the morning traffic seemed determined to test my patience. Cars moved slowly, horns echoed around me, a

By Monday morning, my brief encounter with Tom had almost faded into the background of my thoughts. Almost. The weekend had come and gone, and Monday had returned with its usual demands. My alarm went off at six, I got ready for work, and by the time I arrived at the office, I was already mentally reviewing the tasks waiting for me. There was a project review scheduled for midmorning, two emails from the development team that needed my attention, and a meeting with management that I hadn’t particularly been looking forward to. In other words, life was back to normal. And normal was exactly where I preferred it. I settled into my chair, switched on my computer, and began going through my emails. Within minutes, I was absorbed in a discussion about a delayed software update and whether the team could recover the time we’d lost the previous week. For the next several hours, Tom didn’t cross my mind. Well, not deliberately.It was only coffee, after all. I had exchanged numbers wit

By Monday morning, the coffee with Tom had settled into the back of my mind. I remembered the easy conversation, the way he had listened without interrupting, and how quickly the time had passed. But I didn’t spend the morning replaying every word. There were emails to answer, a project timeline that needed updating, and a meeting that began with someone asking whether we could just move the deadline up a little.I kept my attention on work. The week carried on much as usual. On Tuesday, I stayed late to sort out a problem with a delivery schedule. On Wednesday, Tasha sent me a picture from her lunch break and complained that her boyfriend had once suggested they try a restaurant she’d already told him she didn’t like. I sent back a sympathetic message and a reminder that she was free to choose the restaurant herself. Tom didn’t call that day, and I didn’t expect him to. On Wednesday evening, I was putting away the last of the groceries when my phone rang. His number appeared on m