Proximity
951 Words
(Ivanna POV)
I barely slept after the figure at my window. By the time the sun rose, I had convinced myself it must have been a shadow. A trick of my exhausted mind. Or someone walking past the building. I lived on the fourth floor, but maybe the balcony below mine created some optical illusion. Anything was better than imagining the alternative.
Still, I kept the curtains closed the entire morning.
By the time I stepped into Kovaar Global again, my nerves were stretched thin. I forced myself to breathe through them. Coffee in one hand. Laptop bag in the other. Head held high. No one here needed to know that I spent half the night gripping my phone like a lifeline.
My desk came into view, and so did the person leaning casually against it.
Elena Kovaar.
She looked like she belonged in a lifestyle magazine. Soft curls, tailored blazer, delicate necklace that caught the light. But what struck me most was her expression. Gentle. Warm. Exactly what I needed this morning but did not dare hope for.
"There you are. I was beginning to think you got lost" she said.
I blinked. "You were waiting for me?"
"Yes. I wanted to steal you for breakfast."
My mind blanked. "Breakfast. With you."
"Yes" she laughed. "You are allowed to eat before noon in this place. Follow me."
I grabbed my things, letting her guide me to a quieter lounge tucked behind the main café. Sunlight poured across marble floors. A waiter immediately appeared, offering a menu that looked more like a boutique brunch list.
"Pick anything you want" Elena said as she settled gracefully into a chair. "The croissants here are so good they should be illegal."
Her kindness was disarming. I kept waiting for some hidden agenda. A test. A warning disguised as friendliness. Instead, she asked about London. About my family. About the move. And not in the corporate way. In the human way.
"I hope you know you can come to me if things ever get overwhelming. Kovaar Global can be a lot" she said while breaking apart a pastry.
Her sincerity caught something inside me. I had not felt genuine warmth in a very long time.
"Thank you" I said softly. "I mean that."
She paused. Studied me with those sharp but kind eyes.
"I have a feeling you are carrying more than you show."
My stomach tightened.
Not that. Not here. Not now.
So I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. "New job nerves. Nothing more."
Elena did not push. She nodded slowly, as if she understood that some truths needed time.
We talked about art next. Books. Music. She had opinions about everything but in the most charming way. By the time I followed her back upstairs, my shoulders had loosened for the first time in days.
A friend. It felt strange to think it. Stranger to feel it.
***
The rest of the day was a blur of tasks, updates, and meetings. At one point, I realized I had skipped lunch entirely, my stomach tightening in protest. The vending machine became my savior. A granola bar was not glamorous, but it kept me alive.
Around three, I felt his presence before I saw him.
Arin.
He rounded the corner with that confident stride of his, holding a file as if it weighed nothing. His suit today was charcoal grey. Crisp. Sharp. As if tailored directly onto him. His hair had the faintest wave in front, softened from perfection after hours of movement.
Our eyes met.
I felt it everywhere.
"Miss Volkov" he greeted, voice smooth but clipped.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"You are settling in."
It was not a question. More like an observation he was evaluating in his mind.
"Yes" I said. "Everyone has been helpful."
"Especially my sister, it seems."
There was no sarcasm in his tone, but something unreadable rested beneath the surface. He stepped closer. Not invading. But close enough that I felt the space between us shift.
"She has taken an interest in you" he continued.
"I am grateful. She has been very kind."
"You looked… comfortable with her."
It almost sounded like a question this time.
"She makes it easy to feel that way."
His jaw flexed. A small movement, almost unnoticeable, but I saw it.
I saw everything with him.
"Good" he said quietly. "Comfort is not something most people experience quickly here."
Before I could reply, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen once, annoyance flickering across his face.
"I will see you at the operations meeting tomorrow."
"Of course."
He walked past me, but halfway down the hall, he hesitated. Just for a second. As if he wanted to say something else. Then he continued without another word.
I did not breathe until he disappeared around the corner.
***
By the time I got home that night, exhaustion wrapped itself around me like a blanket. I ate pasta straight from the pot because I was too tired to dirty another dish. I promised myself a real dinner tomorrow.
I showered, changed into soft pajamas, and crawled into bed with a sigh. For a moment, it felt normal. Ordinary. Almost safe.
My phone buzzed.
I sat up slowly, dread twisting beneath my ribs.
Not another message. Please.
But the screen lit up with a name I did not expect.
Elena.
Are you awake.
I texted back.
Yes. Everything alright.
Her reply came quickly.
Can you talk. It is important.
My heart dropped.
She never texted like that. Never tense. Never out of rhythm.
I typed back with shaky fingers.
What happened.
Her answer came instantly.
It is about Arin.
Everything inside me froze.
- Writer
