MY CEO

It Was Just a Message-That Was All it Was

"I would’ve preferred nothing. Nothing is easier to ignore than almost."

Monday Morning

The familiar hum of fluorescent lights and the soft tapping of keyboards filled the open office floor like background noise in a film Ethan couldn’t escape from. He sat at his desk, fingers poised over the keys, not moving. He had reread the same sentence in an email draft five times, and not one word seemed right.

Adrian’s door was open, just enough. Ethan could see the silhouette of his chair, the soft flicker of movement when he adjusted himself. But no glances. No pauses. No acknowledgment.

Nothing.

Ethan hadn’t expected a smile. He hadn’t even expected warmth. But after that message—"Have a restful weekend"—he had expected something. A flicker of recognition. A nod. Anything.

Instead, Adrian was acting like nothing had ever happened, did something even happen. And maybe it hadn’t. Maybe Ethan had read too much into a late-night message that felt personal. Maybe it was just a polite gesture from a busy CEO to a nervous intern.

Still, something inside Ethan curled inward, defensive and aching.

He tried to work. Tried to force himself to move past it. But even the routine tasks felt heavier now, like the oxygen in the office had thinned. Every glance around the office, every sound of shifting chairs or clicking heels, only reminded him of the man behind the frosted glass—the one who once said something soft, something that Ethan stupidly stored in the back of his heart like a fragile artifact.

He spent the rest of Monday trying to forget how carefully he had read that one message.

Mid-Morning: The Coffee Room

Ethan retreated to the breakroom, the warmth of office coffee cup his only comfort. He stirred in silence, trying to steady his breathing. The weekend hadn’t helped. If anything, it made things worse.

Footsteps behind him. He didn’t have to look to know it was Adrian.

There was a time—a few weeks ago, maybe even days—when his presence would send butterflies fluttering in Ethan’s stomach.

Now, it just hurts.

Adrian didn’t speak. He didn’t glance. He simply filled his glass with water, turned, and walked out without a single word.

Ethan stood there, coffee forgotten, wondering if it had all just been in his head. What is wrong with me? It was just a message? Why did I read meaning into it? Why did I think something was going on, why did I feel the way I did after the message, and why do I feel this way now? Ethan stood there lost in his own thoughts, asking questions he didn't have the answer to. Finally, Ethan was snapped back into reality by a colleague. Ethan, are you OK, Sammy asked.

Ethan; yes i'm fne

Sammy, Are you sure?

Ethan; yes, just a little tired

Sammy: OK, I will be leaving now.

Ethan; alright.

Tuesday Afternoon: The Meeting

The re-branding campaign meeting started like any other. Ethan was one of the support staff for the presentation, tasked with formatting the slides, verifying analytics, and ensuring everything flowed. He’d stayed up past midnight the night before, double-checking.

Or so he thought.

Midway through the presentation, one of the clients’ senior representatives narrowed her eyes on the screen.

“These Q3 numbers don’t match our records,” she said, looking confused. “Where did these come from?”

Adrian looked up. Not at the screen. Not at the client.

At Ethan.

“Mr. Reyes?” he said, his voice low but sharp.

Ethan swallowed. “I used the file in the shared folder—the one marked final.”

Adrian didn’t blink. “That file was updated yesterday morning.”

A pause. A deadly one.

“Did you not check the timestamp before inserting it into the deck?”

Ethan felt every pair of eyes on him. “I must’ve missed it,” he murmured.

Adrian’s voice, though still quiet, cut like a blade. “That’s not acceptable. We verify all client-facing data. Especially before a strategy meeting.”

“I… I understand,” Ethan said, his cheeks burning.

“Clearly, you don’t.” Adrian didn’t yell. He didn’t need to. The weight of his disapproval was enough to silence the entire room.

Ethan nodded stiffly. The rest of the meeting blurred. His ears rang with white noise, and his chest felt tight with humiliation. He didn’t hear another word until it was over.

Later That Day: Cracks

Alex found him slumped on the apartment couch, un-moving.

“You look like roadkill.”

“I feel like roadkill,” Ethan replied without lifting his head.

“Adrian?”

A groan.

“What happened now?”

“He tore me down. In a meeting. In front of everyone,” Ethan turned his head slightly. “And the worst part? He was right. I did screw up.”

Alex frowned and sat beside him. “Yeah, okay. But did he have to do it like that?”

“It was cold. Like he didn’t even know me.” But he doesn't know me. I'm just the stupid one who read meaning into a nice message.

“Alex, he’s a grown man pretending nothing ever happened between you. That’s not professionalism. That’s avoidance."

Ethan sighed, but nothing happened!!!! Alex, it was just a message telling me to rest well. Nothing too special“. I keep replaying that message in my head. Like maybe there was something there. "Maybe I didn’t imagine it.” But it looks like I imagined it all.

“You didn’t imagine it,” Alex said softly. “But he’s making damn sure you doubt it now.” Because who sends an intern a direct message saying; Eat well.

Ethan; Alex, What should I do?

Alex; Ethan just forget about everything and start on a clean slate.

Wednesday: Ice

Adrian barely acknowledged him. The air between them was glacial.

Ethan submitted the corrected slide deck before 9 a.m. He never received a response. Jenna sent the revised version to the client.

Adrian said nothing.

Ethan passed him twice in the hall that day. Both times, Adrian walked past without even looking.

It wasn’t professional distance. It was an erasure.

The silence became deafening and killing

Thursday: The Spiral

Ethan stood by the office window, staring out at the city. Behind him, the room buzzed with energy. Adrian was chatting with someone near the door.

Laughing.

The sound of it used to be rare.

Now it just echoed like static.

When their eyes met—just for a second—Ethan held his breath.

Adrian looked away.

Back at his phone. Back to laughter.

Back to pretending Ethan didn’t exist.

Ethan blinked away the sting in his eyes.

Thursday Evening: Alex’s Question

“Do you like your boss?” Alex asked suddenly, as they sat on the apartment balcony.

Ethan choked on his soda. “What?”

Alex shrugged. “I’m just saying. The way you are losing yourself over a message and him avoiding you, so do you like him?

Ethan; Signed. I don't know if I like Alex. I just know I don't like him avoiding me or portending like I don't exist.

Alex: So you are saying his sudden behavior upsets you, even though you guys are nothing to each other, just a CEO and an intern.

Alex continued:" Ethan, as a friend, I think you should forget about anything you had in your head about that message. It's best for you since he has decided to pretend or act like he didn't send you a direct message.

Ethan signed , and sipped his drink without a. Knowing deep down Alex was right.

Friday: Silence is Louder

At 4:58 p.m., Ethan’s email pinged. A message from Adrian:

"Ensure all revisions are submitted before 10 a.m. Monday. Please coordinate with Jenna moving forward."

No sign-off. No warmth. Not even a "thanks."

And definitely not rest well.

Ethan stared at it, then slowly closed his laptop.

It was just a message.

That’s all it had ever been.