The days blurred into nights at Hawkstone Technologies, and the project deadline loomed like a shadow over the team. The once faint tension between Arjun and Olivia had thickened into something unspoken but undeniable. Every shared glance, every accidental touch, every late-night brainstorming session—it was all there, simmering beneath the surface.

Yet Olivia remained a fortress.

Her walls, built high from past heartbreak, seemed unyielding. Arjun noticed how she kept their conversations strictly about work, how she corrected him sharply in meetings if he veered even slightly off-topic. To the outside world, Olivia was calm and composed. But Arjun saw the cracks — the way her hand sometimes lingered a moment too long when she passed him a file, the slight hitch in her breath when their shoulders brushed.

He was starting to wonder how much longer they could pretend.

It was another long evening, and the office had mostly emptied. Arjun and Olivia were holed up in a small glass-walled meeting room, reviewing the client pitch deck. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed softly, and the city skyline twinkled in the distance.

Arjun rubbed the back of his neck, exhaustion creeping into his voice. “I think slide fourteen could use a better transition. Feels a bit abrupt.”

Olivia didn’t look up from her laptop. “Noted. I’ll fix it.”

Silence.

Minutes ticked by, the air heavy with everything unsaid.

Finally, Arjun broke the quiet. “Olivia…”

She didn’t respond.

“Olivia.”

This time, she glanced at him, her gaze guarded. “What?”

He leaned back in his chair, studying her. “Are we going to talk about what’s happening between us?”

Her posture stiffened. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Really?” Arjun’s voice was calm, but firm. “Because last night — when we were going over the design mockups — you looked at me like—”

“Like what?” she snapped, slamming her laptop shut.

“Like I wasn’t just your coworker,” Arjun said softly.

For a moment, there was only silence. The kind that stretches too long, filled with all the things you want to say but can’t.

Olivia finally spoke, her voice a whisper. “We have a job to do, Arjun. That’s all there is.”

He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “You’re really good at this, you know? Pretending.”

Her eyes flashed with something — anger, maybe fear. “I’m not pretending anything.”

Arjun leaned forward, his voice gentle now. “Then tell me… what are you so afraid of?”

Before she could answer, a knock at the glass wall startled them both.

It was Ethan.

Olivia's ex.

Arjun recognized him instantly from the stories Olivia had shared during that late-night café confession. Tall, effortlessly charming, dressed in a designer suit — he looked like someone who belonged in sleek boardrooms and expensive restaurants.

“Hey, Olivia,” Ethan said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Her voice was tight. “Ethan… what are you doing here?”

“Client dinner,” he replied casually, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Turns out my company’s partnering with Hawkstone for the new launch.”

Arjun’s jaw clenched.

Olivia’s expression was carefully neutral, but Arjun saw the way her fingers curled slightly at her side — a subtle sign of tension.

“Looks like we’ll be working together again,” Ethan added with a sly grin.

Before Olivia could respond, Arjun stood up, his tone polite but firm. “We were actually in the middle of something.”

Ethan gave him a once-over, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “And you are?”

“Arjun Mehta,” he said, offering a hand. “Project co-lead with Olivia.”

Ethan shook his hand with a little too much force, the kind of handshake meant to establish dominance. “Ah, co-lead. Must be exciting, working so closely with Olivia.”

Arjun smiled tightly. “It is.”

The tension in the room was suffocating.

“Anyway,” Ethan said, turning back to Olivia, “we should catch up sometime. It’s been a while.”

Olivia’s voice was like ice. “I’m busy, Ethan.”

But he just chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll make time.”

With a final smirk, Ethan strolled away, leaving silence in his wake.

Arjun stared at Olivia. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she sat down, opened her laptop again, and stared blankly at the screen.

“Olivia…” Arjun’s voice was softer now.

Her mask cracked, just a little. “He’s… nothing. It’s fine.”

But it wasn’t fine. Arjun could see it — the flicker of old pain behind her eyes.

He wanted to tell her that Ethan didn’t deserve a place in her thoughts. That whatever grip he once had on her heart was gone. But Olivia wasn’t ready to hear that — not yet.

So instead, Arjun settled back in his chair and said quietly, “We’ll finish this together. You don’t have to face anything alone.”

For the briefest moment, Olivia’s hand brushed against his on the table. She didn’t pull away immediately.

The cracks in her walls were growing.

And Arjun was determined to step through them — if she let him.