Episode 7:Aftermath
1014 Words
The announcement hit the office like a lightning bolt.
“Ava Monroe, Senior Campaign Director.”
The email pinged across inboxes before Ava even returned to her desk. Within minutes, Slack threads lit up, speculation buzzed through breakroom whispers, and eyes followed her everywhere she walked.
Some were impressed. Others… not so much.
She felt the difference instantly. Meetings that once held tension now held weight. Coworkers measured their words more carefully. Junior staff smiled a little too eagerly.
Power had a scent, and everyone could smell it on her.
She hated it.
Ava closed her office door, just to breathe. She wasn’t used to walls,not like this. She thrived in motion, in action. Leadership had always been a goal, but now that she had it, it felt heavier than expected.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
She turned. Drew leaned against the doorframe, his usual swagger dialed down to a calm professionalism she hadn’t seen since day one.
He didn’t wait for permission to walk in.
“You’ve officially become The One To Beat,” he said, holding out a sleek folder. “Q3 rollout timeline. Updated with creative team requests.”
She took it silently.
He lingered.
“No snide comment today?” she asked.
He smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Figured I’d try something radical. Like professionalism.”
Ava arched a brow. “Doesn’t suit you.”
“I know,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “But you do.”
Something twisted in her chest. She forced herself to stay seated, to remain the picture of composure.
“We’re not doing this,” she said quietly.
“Doing what?”
“This... whatever this is. I’m your boss now.”
Drew tilted his head, voice low. “Since when has that stopped you from wanting to win?”
She stood, folder still in hand. “This isn’t a game, Carter. I don’t have time to flirt my way through upper management.”
“Who said anything about flirting?”
Their eyes locked. The silence stretched, heavy and hot.
Then she stepped back, spine straight. “I suggest you remember who’s running this campaign now.”
He nodded once. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten.”
And then,just like that,he was gone.
The air felt too thin in his absence. The silence, too loud.
Later that afternoon, she overheard two analysts whispering in the hallway.
“Did you hear about Ava and Drew? I heard they used to hook up.”
“Please. He’s way too cocky for her. She’d eat him alive.”
“She already did. That’s why she got the promotion.”
Ava shut her office door a little harder than necessary.
She wasn’t angry.
She was done letting whispers define her success.
But somewhere deep down, buried beneath her resolve and ambition, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way Drew had looked at her.
Not as competition.
Not as a threat.
But as something else entirely.
Something more dangerous.
By the end of the week, Ava realized winning came with a price.
She was invited to more meetings, some of which felt more like tests than strategy sessions. The CEO now looped her into executive briefings, asking for input in front of department heads twice her age. It should’ve felt empowering.
Instead, it felt like standing on a glass platform, waiting for the first crack.
Even worse, the team she'd once collaborated with as a peer now looked at her through a different lens. Her inbox was fuller, her feedback more closely scrutinized. Jokes in meetings paused when she entered. Every decision she made had a ripple.
And Drew?
He’d gone… quiet.
He did his job, and he did it well. No more playful jabs. No sarcastic asides. No lingering in the hallway after meetings. On paper, it was exactly what she needed.
But Ava knew better.
This wasn't detachment. It was self-protection.
He was giving her space. Or he was shutting her out.
Either way, it left an ache she hadn’t expected.
That Friday, Ava stayed late, going over the first campaign approvals. The office was mostly empty—except for the faint sound of music echoing from the creative bullpen. She followed it, curious.
There he was.
Drew sat at a long table covered in sketches and mockups, earbuds in, sleeves rolled up, deep in focus. He didn’t hear her approach.
She watched him work for a moment, unsure why she hadn’t just walked away.
“You never stop,” she finally said.
Drew looked up, surprised. He pulled one earbud out.
“I could say the same for you.”
She walked closer, glancing at the polished concept boards in front of him.
“These are good.”
“Better than ‘safe,’ right?” he asked, tone gentle,not mocking.
She met his gaze. “I never meant that you weren’t creative. I was trying to protect the project.”
“I know,” he said softly.
Something shifted between them again,subtle, but undeniable.
“I miss when this was easier,” she admitted, not looking at him.
“Before the title?” he asked.
“No. Before the stakes.”
He studied her face for a long moment. “You’re allowed to win, Ava. You earned it.”
“I’m just not sure I can hold it.”
Drew stood, walking toward her slowly. “You don’t have to hold it alone.”
She didn’t answer. Didn’t move.
He stopped just close enough that she could feel the heat of him. His voice dropped.
“You’re stronger than anyone in that C-suite, and you scare the hell out of them. That’s not a weakness.”
She looked up at him, breath catching.
“Why are you being kind to me?” she whispered.
“Because underneath all that armor, you’re human. And you deserve to be seen.”
He didn’t kiss her.
He didn’t touch her.
But in that moment, Ava felt the pull like gravity.
And for the first time since the promotion, she didn’t feel alone.
- Writer
