control
Eli asked, and it was a genuinely curious question, not a challenge.
"Because it compromises judgment," I said. "Because it makes decision-making unclear. Because it's a liability to the project."
"Or," Eli said, "it could enhance the project. Because we clearly have complementary ways of approaching problems, and attraction is just another way we're connecting."
"Attraction isn't professional," I said.
"No," Eli said. "It's not. But it's not unprofessional either. It's just human. And pretending we're only professional might actually be the thing that compromises the project. Because we'd both be expending energy managing the <