Chapter 8: Confessions in Quiet Corners
The city had the smell of rain and car exhaust when Mia and I returned.
There was something grounding in that—the way the sidewalks felt familiar underfoot, the soft hum of electric buses gliding past.
But even the noise couldn't drown out the storm that now lived in me.
At work, everything looked the same—keyboards tapping, filtered coffee scent in the air, fluorescent lights slightly flickering like always. But something was different.
I was different.
I had just stepped out of the elevator, heart still somewhere in the weekend, when I bumped into Jonas in the hallway near the small meeting room with the crooked blinds.
He smiled. That soft, crooked smile that tugged something loose inside me.
"Welcome back," he said.
I opened my mouth to answer, but what slipped out was not what I expected.
A breath, a whisper.
"I missed you."
He stilled.
My eyes widened, heat rushing to my face. "I mean—not like—I just—"
Jonas moved closer, slowly, as if giving me space to back away. I didn't.
His hand reached up, gently tilting my chin up with two fingers. His eyes, stormy blue today, searched mine.
"Lina," he said softly, barely audible.
I held my breath.
Then his hands slid lightly to my waist, pulling me gently toward him.
Our bodies met like puzzle pieces—tentative, trembling.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that," he whispered, forehead leaning against mine.
My lips parted to answer, but he silenced me with the most delicate of kisses.
A brushing of lips—like silk. My mouth suddenly felt dry, parched for him.
My breath hitched.
I leaned into him, arms slipping around his neck as he deepened the kiss.
Still gentle, still patient—like he was listening to every flicker of my breath, every stutter of my pulse.
It was like breathing for the first time.
Then—crash!
The janitor's cart slammed into the copier behind us.
We jumped apart just as an apologetic old man muttered something about "those damned corners."
A mop flopped dramatically onto the floor beside us.
Jonas chuckled. I covered my mouth, shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Well, that killed the mood," I said.
"Not really," he replied, smirking. "Just… pressed pause."
As we turned the corner, still smiling, we heard another sound.
A slow clap.
Sabrina.
Leaning against the doorway of the adjacent conference room, arms crossed, smug expression painted perfectly across her sharp features.
"Oh wow. Touching. Really. Lina the silent seductress finally makes her move."
I tensed. Jonas placed a hand lightly on my lower back.
"You know," she continued, voice rising, "some of us actually have to work for recognition. Not just flutter our eyelashes."
My jaw clenched.
"You're such a—"
"Careful," Jonas cut in, voice calm but firm. "You're on thin ice."
Sabrina scoffed. "Don't worry. HR will be hearing about this. Office romances are such fun scandals."
She disappeared into her office like a storm cloud.
I sighed, leaning into Jonas's side. "Well, that escalated."
He grinned. "Next time, let's find a better hiding spot."