The Office Between Us
Romero’s warning: He’s not someone you fall for.
She walked back to her cubicle, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Humiliation, at having her private connection with Damian exposed and judged. Anger, at Ms. Romero for interfering, for assuming. And a deep, unsettling fear.
The warning stayed with her. It burrowed deep into her consciousness, a cold, persistent ache. She tried to brush it off, to tell herself that Ms. Romero didn’t understand, that her bond with Damian was unique. But the words, “He’s not someone you fall for,” played on an endless loop in her mind. She thought of Damian’s intense focus, his occasional obliviousness to social cues, his almost childlike vulnerabili