The weeks that followed did not slow down—they tightened.
If anything, Ben’s attention intensified, becoming impossible to ignore no matter how carefully Lena tried to keep her head down and her world small.
At first it was subtle: a compliment about her work during meetings, spoken just loudly enough for others to hear; a coffee appearing on her desk in the mornings without explanation; a quiet “You look tired, make sure you’re taking care of yourself” delivered with that calm, composed smile of his.
Then it escalated.
He began stopping by her desk more often, leaning casually against the partition, asking about her day, her workload, her health. He remembered details she hadn’t realized she’d shared. He held doors, offered to walk her to her car, adjusted his schedule so their paths
