CHAPTER FIVE: THE HOT RIPPED NEW COLLEAGUE
1037 Words
By the time Paulina got home that evening, her legs ached from standing too long, her back was stiff from leaning over a desk all day, and her mind was exhausted from hours of staring at her computer screen.
Her apartment felt unusually quiet as she stepped inside. She dropped her bag near the doorway, kicked off her heels, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
The warm comfort of her space welcomed her like an old friend. It wasn’t fancy. Just a tiny one-bedroom student apartment with a narrow kitchen, a couch that creaked when she sat on it, and a bed that had seen better days. But it was hers.
After shedding her clothes and stepping into the shower, she let the water run over her for a long time. The warm spray soothed the knots in her shoulders and eased some of the tension coiled in her chest. She stood there with her eyes closed, letting the droplets tap rhythmically against her skin like a soft lullaby. She didn’t want to think. Not about James. Not about Alexis.
When she finally stepped out, she wrapped herself in a towel and went straight to the kitchen.
She decided to cook something simple: creamy garlic butter pasta with grilled chicken and sautéed spinach. It had always been her comfort meal.
She ate slowly by the window, the city twinkling in the distance. For a while, she let herself pretend everything was normal.
After cleaning up and pulling on a soft cotton T-shirt and shorts, she finally crawled into bed. Her body ached for sleep. The kind of sleep that didn’t come with shadows or screams.
But as soon as her eyes closed, they came again.
The nightmares.
She jolted awake, gasping for air, sweat slicked across her forehead. The room was dark, except for the soft amber glow of her bedside lamp. Her chest heaved.
She sat up, pressing a hand against her heart.
After a while, her breathing slowed. Her pulse calmed.
She climbed back into bed, pulled the covers to her chin, and eventually drifted off again into an uneasy sleep.
The alarm blared.
Paulina groaned.
She sat up and checked the time —
8:07 a.m.
“Shit.”
She jumped out of bed in a frenzy. Her shift at Chambers & Bloom started at 9:00 a.m. and it could take her twenty minutes to get there if the traffic gods smiled on her.
She tossed on a white blouse and gray skirt, skipped breakfast, grabbed her bag, and bolted out the door.
The morning air was sharp against her damp skin, her damp hair tied into a rushed bun as she flagged down a taxi and muttered an apology to the universe.
As the cab sped through the streets of New York, she leaned her head back, sighing.
It had been two weeks.
Two weeks since she woke up in her nineteen-year-old body.
Two weeks since she began interning in the Publishing Relations department of Chambers & Bloom.
Two weeks of keeping her distance from James.
He had texted her, called her, and left her voicemails. All soft, all sweet, “I miss you, babe.” “Let’s talk.” “I don’t know what I did, but I want to fix it.”
She hadn’t replied at first. But after a while, curiosity and a need for control got the better of her.
Last night, James finally asked her out.
“Movie night? Just to talk. No pressure.”
And for reasons she didn’t want to admit to herself, she’d said yes.
Maybe she needed to see him again. Not to rekindle anything but to remind herself of what she escaped. To look him in the eye and not tremble.
She arrived at the office breathless, cheeks flushed. Her coworker, Marissa, gave her a sympathetic look as she slid into her seat.
“Rough morning?” she asked.
Paulina nodded. “Don’t ask.”
Work was already in full swing. Memos were being passed out, email notifications pinged nonstop, and the floor buzzed with talk of an upcoming PR campaign for a rising fantasy author. Paulina dove into editing early drafts of media releases, tweaking blurbs, flagging inconsistencies in a pitch packet, and restructuring a press Q&A.
It was tedious, fast-paced, and exactly what she needed.
Until the door opened.
And everything stilled.
Paulina didn’t look up at first. She heard Marissa whisper, “Oh my God,” followed by a long, exaggerated inhale from the cubicle behind her.
“Who is that?” someone murmured.
Then Mr. Davidson’s voice rang out firm and cheerful.
“Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?”
Paulina finally turned her head.
And her breath caught.
He stood beside Mr. Davidson like he belonged there, like the room bowed around him.
He was tall, at least 6 '2 with broad shoulders and a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. His dark hair was neatly swept back, not a strand out of place. His jaw was cut like stone, and his sharp cheekbones only intensified the mystery in his gaze. His skin was a rich golden tone, and his piercing eyes, unreadable, were the kind that made you forget your own name.
He looked like he had stepped out of a high-fashion magazine or descended from Mount Olympus itself. A Greek god in a business suit.
Paulina’s stomach tightened.
Mr. Davidson smiled. “Everyone, this is Yoo Ji Hyeok, our newest senior strategist in Publishing Relations. He’ll be joining our department part-time while collaborating with our executive team on outreach and high-profile author development.”
Paulina swallowed hard.
Ji Hyeok.
That name echoed in her bones.
Yoo Ji Hyeok gave a polite nod, scanning the room. Then his eyes landed on her.
And paused.
For a second, Paulina couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
His gaze didn’t just see her, it pierced her. Measured her. As if he already knew something about her, she didn’t know herself.
Then his lips curved.
A small smile. Controlled. Curious.
Paulina looked away quickly, heart slamming against her ribs.
What was that?
Why did he look at her like that?
She reached for her water bottle to distract herself, hands trembling slightly.
- Writer
