Aria walked out of the company building at 5:30 PM, the late afternoon light catching the edges of her simple coat as she stepped onto the sidewalk. The city hummed around her—honking taxis, the distant chatter of office workers—but her steps were slow, thoughtful. She pulled out her phone, expecting nothing.
Then the text came: *Wait a few streets away. I’ll pick you up. No need to rush.* The message was short, but the way it made her cheeks warm felt like sunlight breaking through clouds.
She blushed deeply, remembering this morning—how Dominic had pulled out his phone in the kitchen, eyes steady and kind, and asked, “Give me your number, sub. I’ll need to check in on you.”
She’d blushed even harder and typed it in, fingers trembling. Now, texting back with one hand while keeping h
