You are my secret

The Rumor starter pack

By 9:07 a.m., I could already tell something was… off.

It wasn’t the coffee machine being broken (though that was its own tragedy). It wasn’t the printer acting like it had a personal vendetta against me.

It was the looks.

Not direct stares — those were easy to spot.

This was the subtle kind: glances passed between coworkers, quick smiles when I walked by, people suddenly lowering their voices mid-conversation like they were in a spy drama.

“Morning,” I said to Marlene from HR as I passed her desk.

“Morning,” she replied sweetly, then added in a whisper, “You and Mr. Ward looked cozy in the elevator yesterday.”

I stopped in my tracks. “How—”

“Janet saw you two step out together. She said you were smiling.”

I blinked. “Janet was on a different floor.”

“Yeah, but apparently she was walking past right as you got out,” Marlene said, sipping her tea like she was reporting live from a royal wedding. “And you know how fast news spreads around here.”

Great. My five-minute elevator ride had already been turned into a workplace fairy tale.

By lunchtime, the whispers had grown legs and were running laps around the office.

One person claimed I’d been called into the CEO’s office “multiple times this week.”

Another swore they’d seen us having “a private conversation” in the lobby (translation: we were walking in the same direction).

Someone in accounting said I was “on the fast track to a promotion” — tone implying the promotion came with perks.

I wanted to print out a giant sign that said NOTHING IS HAPPENING and tape it to my forehead.

Unfortunately, Kellen did nothing to help the situation.

At exactly 3:15 p.m., he appeared in the marketing department like it was the most normal thing in the world and leaned against my desk.

“Miss Rivers,” he said, ignoring every pair of eyes glued to us. “Could you stop by my office before you leave today?”

Marlene’s jaw actually dropped.

I managed a calm “Of course,” but inside, I was already picturing the wildfire of gossip this would set off.

As soon as he walked away, three different people appeared at my desk like vultures circling.

“What’s going on?” whispered Kim from design.

“Is this… a thing?” asked Dev from social media, eyes wide.

“You can tell us,” Marlene added, like we were in some reality TV confessional.

I smiled tightly. “It’s called work. You should try it sometime.”

But deep down, I had to admit… the gossip wasn’t entirely wrong.

Because no matter how much I told myself otherwise, there was something happening.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted it to stop.