Ethan’s Perspective
Monday: A Conversation He Didn’t Expect
Ethan wasn’t paying much attention to the break room chatter, until he heard Leo’s voice.
“Morning, Watanabe. How’s the recovery from your big basketball debut?”
Ethan glanced up from his coffee. Ada had just walked in, rolling her eyes at Leo’s smirk.
“I touched the ball twice, and one of those times was when I got hit in the face.”
Leo chuckled, “Yeah, but your defense was solid. Almost took my friend out of the game permanently.”
Ethan stilled.
It was subtle, a fraction of a second where his posture shifted, where his fingers tightened around his coffee cup before he forced them to relax.
Leo and Ada had hung out over the weekend.
It shouldn’t have mattered. Leo flirted with everyone. Leo flirted with Ada. That wasn’t new.
But something about it made Ethan pause.
“You two hang out over the weekend?” Priya’s voice cut in as she entered, looking between them with an expression Ethan couldn’t quite read.
“Ran into each other,” Leo answered smoothly. “Spoon Girl here crashed my game.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d choose to be there,” Ada shot back.
Ethan exhaled, so small it was barely noticeable. But something about the way Leo looked at Ada stuck with him.
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Not just teasing.
Something else.
“Anyway,” Ethan said, setting his coffee down with a little more force than necessary, “Hannah’s waiting.”
Leo grinned lazily. “See you in the trenches, Spoon Girl.”
Ethan left, keeping his steps measured.
Wednesday: The Moment That Lingers
Ethan had been working when he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.
Leo.
Leaning over Ada’s desk. Close. Too close.
Ethan didn’t mean to watch. But he did.
Leo’s voice was quieter than usual, his posture just slightly different from his usual slouching ease. He wasn’t just messing with her. There was something deliberate about it.
And then Ada looked up.
Leo wasn’t smiling. Not in his usual way.
And Ada…she wasn’t brushing him off.
Ethan’s grip on his pen tightened. Because he knew what this was.
He was sure Leo didn’t. Not yet. But Ethan saw always saw the patterns before he did.
Leo wasn’t just flirting anymore. That realization settled into Ethan’s ribs, heavier than he expected.
He had assumed he had plenty of time.
To figure out what he wanted.
To figure out her.
But now?
Leo was moving. And Ethan wasn’t sure if he had already fallen behind.
Friday: The Rooftop Bar Shift
The evening had been fine. Normal. Until the conversation turned to basketball.
“I still can’t believe Ada nearly took out my friend,” Leo said, grinning. “Might have to recruit her full-time.”
Ethan swirled his drink idly, and the words slipped out before he really had time to think about it. “You seem awfully invested in Ada’s basketball career.”
Leo turned to him, and for a fraction of a second, something passed between them.
Not playful. Not light.
Something else.
Leo cocked his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curling up. “Maybe I just like seeing her outside of work.”
Ethan’s fingers tightened around his glass.It was subtle, but he felt the shift.
Leo had just sent him a message.Ethan had received it.
He took a slow sip of his drink, watching Ada out of the corner of his eye.
She was talking to Priya, unaware of the silent exchange happening across the table. But Priya wasn’t unaware.
She tilted her head slightly, amusement flickering in her gaze like she was watching something unfold in real time.
Ethan set his glass down. Damn it.
End-of-Day Thoughts
Later that night, Ethan sat at his desk, the glow of his monitor casting sharp shadows against the walls.
He should have been focused on work.
But his mind kept circling back.
Leo.
Ada.
The moment at her desk.
The rooftop conversation.
The way Leo was looking at her differently now.
Ethan tapped his fingers once against the desk, exhaled slowly.
If Leo was moving, then Ethan had a choice to make.
Because if he played—he played to win.
