Leo’s perspective

  Date: April 11, 2025

  Friday: The First Real Move

  Leo didn’t do things without a reason.

  So when he dropped a coffee onto Ada’s desk, he wasn’t just being nice.

  He was making a move.

  She had been a little distant lately. A little flustered. By Ethan.

  Leo had noticed.

  And Leo didn’t lose.

  He leaned against her desk, watching as she blinked at the cup, then at him.

  “…Okay. What’s happening?”

  She looked the same as always.

  Except she didn’t.

  Her hair was up, but barely—half of it had already slipped loose, strands falling around her face in a way that looked careless, soft. The kind of thing that would drive a guy insane if he let it.

  Leo didn’t let it.

  He just shrugged, playing it cool. “What do you mean?”

  Ada folded her arms, giving him a look. “You don’t just do things. You’re a menace. This is suspicious.”

  Leo grinned. “Can’t a guy do something nice for his favorite coworker?”

  And then—

  “Favorite?”

  Leo turned slightly, keeping his expression neutral, but his focus sharpened.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  He had expected this.

  Maybe not so soon, maybe not so direct, but he had expected it.

  Because Ethan wasn’t as unreadable as he thought he was.

  Leo had seen it—the way Ethan looked at Ada.

  But what he hadn’t figured out yet was whether Ada was looking back.

  Leo smirked, turning back to her. “See? Even Ethan agrees.”

  Ethan exhaled, voice even. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Leo tilted his head, his grin widening slightly. “Doesn’t matter what you meant.”

  Ada was staring between them now, wide-eyed.

  Ethan just hummed. “Right. Just checking.”

  And then—just like that—he went back to work.

  Leo watched him for half a second longer than necessary.

  He had expected more.

  A reaction. Something he could mock.

  Something he could use to one-up Ethan in front of Ada.

  Instead, Ethan had brushed it off.

  And that?

  That annoyed him.

  Monday: The Retaliation

  Leo didn’t like uncertainty.

  So when Ethan didn’t react the way he expected, Leo decided to make sure Ada did.

  It was after lunch when he found her again, casually falling into step beside her as they walked back to their desks.

  “Tell me something, Spoon Girl.”

  Ada sighed, her hair bouncing slightly with each step, her scent, something light, kind of sweet, lingering in the air between them.

  “I hate when you say that,” she muttered.

  Leo smirked. “I know. That’s why I do it.”

  She rolled her eyes, but there was something different in her face, the way she glanced at him, then away, like she was bracing herself.

  He liked that.

  She was expecting him to push.

  And she was already reacting.

  “What do you want?”

  Leo slid his hands into his pockets, keeping his voice casual. “You and Ethan.”

  He felt, rather than saw, the way she tensed.

  “Excuse me?”

  Leo kept walking, not looking at her, letting his words settle. “You’re around him a lot.”

  Ada blinked. “We work together,” she said flatly.

  Leo finally glanced at her.

  Messy hair. A stubborn set to her mouth. Eyes that flicked to his, sharp and assessing, like she was trying to read him.

  “Sure.”

  He said it just the right way. Light. Easy. Like he didn’t believe a word of it.

  And it worked.

  Ada scowled. “What are you even implying?”

  Leo chuckled. “Nothing. Just an observation.”

  And before she could argue—

  He reached out and flicked her ID badge.

  And then, something shifted.

  It wasn’t supposed to be anything. Just a small thing. A tease. A way to keep her attention on him.

  But then he was suddenly closer than he meant to be.

  Close enough to see the way her lips parted slightly in surprise.

  Close enough to see the way her breath hitched.

  Close enough that if he reached out, he could—

  Leo clenched his jaw.

  His hand flexed slightly before he shoved it back into his pocket.

  He could touch her if he wanted to.

  He could slide his fingers under her chin, tilt her face up to his.

  He could see if the way she was looking at him right now, eyes wide, pulse stuttering—meant what he thought it did.

  For one reckless second, he wanted to.

  But he didn’t.

  Instead, he just smirked.

  “Try not to get distracted, yeah?”

  And then he walked off.

  Like he hadn’t just almost done something stupid.

  Tuesday: Something unseen

  Leo hadn’t seen whatever had happened between Ada and Ethan that morning.

  But he had noticed something was off.

  Something in the way Ada seemed quieter.

  Something in the way Ethan seemed more certain.

  And that?

  That didn’t sit right with Leo.

  Because he played the game.

  He controlled the pace.

  And yet—

  Ethan was moving.

  Leo just didn’t know how fast.

  Wednesday: Games

  Leo called her Spoon Girl multiple times that day.

  Loudly.

  At her desk. In the hallway. During lunch.

  And each time—

  He made sure Ethan heard.

  Because Leo wasn’t just teasing anymore.

  The lines were drawn, and Ethan should stay in his lane.

  Because Leo wasn’t entirely sure what was happening here—what exactly they were doing, what exactly Ada was to him, he did know one thing:

  Everything was a game and Leo always won.

  He just planned to keep the prize this time.