My Boss
495 Words
Adrian’s office was terrifyingly quiet.
The moment Zayn stepped inside, the heavy doors closed behind him with a soft click that somehow made his nerves worse.
Everything about the room screamed power.
Dark shelves lined the walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city. The scent of expensive cologne and coffee lingered faintly in the air.
And right in the center of it all sat Adrian Cole.
Watching him.
Zayn swallowed carefully before taking the seat across from the desk.
“Relax,” Adrian said coldly.
Which, unfortunately, only made him more nervous.
“Yes, sir.”
Adrian’s gaze remained fixed on him for a few seconds too long before he finally opened the file in front of him.
“Your academic records are impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve worked two jobs before this.”
“Yes.”
“Why leave them?”
Zayn straightened slightly. “They paid enough to survive. Not enough to grow.”
A pause.
Adrian looked up slowly.
Interesting answer.
“What makes you think you can survive here?” Adrian asked calmly. “Most people can’t.”
Zayn felt the intimidation behind the question immediately.
But instead of shrinking, he held Adrian’s gaze.
“With respect, sir…” he said carefully, “pressure only scares people who doubt themselves.”
Silence.
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.
“And you don’t doubt yourself?”
“I do,” Zayn admitted honestly. “But I don’t let it stop me.”
That answer did something unexpected.
Adrian stared at him quietly, eyes darker now, studying him like he was trying to figure something out.
Zayn was composed.
Too composed.
Not arrogant.
Not desperate.
Just… confident in a way Adrian wasn’t used to seeing.
Most applicants trembled under pressure.
Zayn pushed back against it gently instead.
And somehow, that made him even more distracting.
Adrian’s eyes flickered briefly toward Zayn’s mouth again as he spoke.
Smooth voice.
Pretty lips.
Calm expression despite the tension in the room.
Adrian’s jaw tightened instantly.
Focus.
“What would you do,” Adrian asked slowly, “if I became difficult to work with?”
Zayn smiled faintly.
“I’d still do my job properly.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“No,” Zayn replied softly. “I just don’t think difficult people are impossible people.”
That answer hit harder than it should have.
For the first time in a very long time, Adrian felt genuinely thrown off during an interview.
Something about Zayn’s calmness unsettled him.
The way he spoke.
The way he looked at him without fear.
The way Adrian suddenly couldn’t stop noticing every small detail about him.
Adrian looked away abruptly, clearing his throat before standing from his chair.
“We’re done for today.”
Zayn blinked in confusion. “That’s it?”
“For now.”
The answer came too quickly.
Because Adrian needed distance.
Immediately.
Before the dangerous attraction growing inside him became obvious.
- Writer
