The Ex Factor
765 Words
Rose had barely stepped into the office before the low-grade anxiety that had been trailing her since the benefit settled itself across her shoulders like a weighted shawl.
She should’ve been over it by now. But the encounter with Kelvin at the gala—his fake concern, his territorial tone, the barely concealed loathing in his eyes when he’d looked at Adrian—had left a bitter aftertaste. And now she could feel his presence again, lingering somewhere in the background like a bad smell. Watching.
Pretending not to.
She dropped into her chair and opened her laptop, trying to focus on emails. It didn’t help that her phone buzzed with a message halfway through her first reply.
Adrian:
“Just checking in. You survived the weekend, I assume? Or should I swing by with donuts and emotional support?”
Rose bit back a smile, then typed quickly.
Rose:
“I survived. Don’t underestimate my emotional fortitude. But donuts do sound tempting.”
Adrian:
“Temptation is sort of my thing. I’ll keep the offer open.”
Before she could reply, a shadow passed the edge of her cubicle. A second later, Kelvin’s voice slid over the top like oil.
“Morning, Rose. You look… tired.”
She turned her head slowly. “Wow. That’s a hell of a greeting.”
Kelvin smiled, unbothered. “Didn’t mean it as an insult. Just… you’ve looked better.”
She offered a tight-lipped smile. “And you’ve sounded better.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” Then, with a not-so-casual glance at her monitor, “Working on anything important?”
“Always.”
There was a beat of silence before he leaned slightly closer, his voice lowering like they were sharing a secret.
“Just so you know, people notice things at events like that. Especially when you bring a date like… him.”
Rose’s fingers froze on her keyboard.
“You don’t know anything about him,” she said coolly.
Kelvin shrugged. “Don’t have to. Guys like that? Polished. Pretty. Expensive. Doesn’t take a genius.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Kelvin.”
“I’m just saying, Rose…” he murmured, “…be careful. Image matters. Especially in a place like this.”
Rose turned to face him fully, eyebrows raised. “Are you threatening me with office gossip?”
Kelvin smiled like it was all a game. “Of course not. Just concerned. You’re smart. You’ve worked hard to get here. It’d be a shame if something—someone—tarnished that.”
Before Rose could respond, another voice broke the tension like a knife.
“Everything okay here?”
Adrian. Again.
Only this time, he was in plain clothes, no pretense, just jeans, a leather jacket, and that infuriatingly calm expression. He stood a few feet away, coffee in hand, like he’d been there all along.
Kelvin straightened, visibly unsettled.
“Oh. It’s you again.”
Adrian sipped his drink. “Guilty.”
Kelvin turned to Rose. “Well. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Good idea,” she said flatly.
He walked off, not even trying to mask the tension in his shoulders.
Adrian waited until he disappeared into the copy room before stepping closer.
“I wasn’t planning on interrupting,” he said softly. “But the look on your face…”
Rose sighed, pressing her palms against her eyes. “I’m so tired of men thinking I owe them something.”
“You don’t.”
She looked at him. “I know that. But it doesn’t stop the whispers. The judgments.”
Adrian tilted his head. “Do you want me to go? Keep my distance?”
The question took her off guard.
“No,” she said quickly. Then, softer, “I want… I want things to be simple for a little while. Just for once.”
Adrian nodded slowly, his voice warm and grounding. “Then let me be simple. No flirting. No pressure. Just… me. Here. If you want that.”
She studied him for a moment. And then she smiled. Really smiled.
“You saying you’re capable of not flirting?”
Adrian raised a brow. “Let’s not get crazy.”
She laughed—really laughed—for the first time all morning.
And just like that, the weight on her chest eased. Not gone. But lighter.
As Adrian turned to leave, he looked back over his shoulder.
“I meant what I said about the donuts.”
Rose rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed put long after he was gone.
- Writer
