Date: April 5, 2025

  So.

  Friday night was a thing that happened.

  Nothing significant, obviously.

  Except for the part where I’m still thinking about it two days later.

  Monday: Leo’s ‘Normal’ Act (Too Normal)

  After everything that happened at the bar, I expected some kind of awkwardness.

  Instead, Leo was—well, Leo.

  He strolled into the office Monday morning with that effortlessly easy confidence, like he hadn’t just made me feel things I didn’t even know I could feel.

  “Morning, Spoon Girl,” he said, settling into his chair like nothing had changed.

  I blinked. “You’re… acting normal.”

  “I’m always normal,” Leo said, clearly enjoying my confusion. “Why? You want me to start acting weird?”

  I shook my head, trying to play it cool, but something about his too normal demeanor didn’t sit right.

  Had I imagined the way he looked at me?

  I tried not to dwell on it. Instead, I turned to Ethan, who was unusually quiet—hands hovering over his keyboard like he was thinking too hard about something.

  “You okay?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Ethan glanced at me for a second, then nodded without a word.

  He was on edge. That much was obvious. But whether it was because of Leo’s act or something else, I couldn’t tell.

  And honestly? I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  Wednesday: Priya Sees It All

  Of course, Priya would be the one to notice.

  “I’m just saying,” she started, half-amused, “you seem awfully distracted around Leo lately.”

  I froze. “What?”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Priya raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying this. “You know, I’ve been watching. I see how you’re looking at him—all innocent—like you’re not completely aware of the fact that something’s changed.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, desperately trying to sound confused instead of caught.

  Priya just smirked. “Your brain’s in a loop. Too busy trying not to admit you’re noticing how he’s been a bit… off.”

  I shook my head. “You’re insane.”

  She wasn’t even looking at me anymore. Just leaning back in her chair, casually scrolling through emails like she hadn’t just derailed my entire day.

  “Sure,” she said. “I’ll let you figure it out yourself, then.”

  9:00 p.m. — Just Me and My Laptop (Or So I Thought)

  I was hunched over my laptop, typing furiously. The deadline for the client update was looming, and there was still a bug that had been driving me insane for hours.

  I could feel my frustration rising, my fingers tightening over the keyboard.

  And that’s when Leo slid into the chair next to mine, breaking my concentration.

  “You’ve got the look,” he said, sounding way too amused for someone who had no idea what I was dealing with.

  “The look?” I muttered, barely looking up. “You mean the ‘I’m about to throw this laptop out the window’ look?”

  Leo chuckled, but there was a strange softness to it. “You don’t throw computers. You fix things. That’s what you do.”

  I finally turned to look at him, trying to keep my frustration in check. The warm glow of the desk lamp hit his face, and for a moment, I actually stopped thinking.

  He was so close. His eyes were just… there. Watching me. Like he really saw me in a way that made my pulse falter for no good reason.

  Leo blinked, leaning in slightly. “Ada?”

  For a second, I didn’t answer.

  His usual cocky confidence was slightly downplayed, just enough to make me second-guess what I was seeing.

  My hands stilled on the keyboard.

  For a moment, I forgot the code bug entirely—my heart hammered in ways code never could.

  I barely heard him say, “I’ll help you with the code.”

  His hand brushed mine—just a fleeting touch, but it sent a jolt through me that I wasn’t expecting.

  I pulled back too quickly. “I got it. Thanks.”

  But Leo stayed there for a second, hands resting on his lap, his expression shifting slightly—like he’d just realized something was off between us.

  He cleared his throat. “Sure.”

  He stood up, but the weird silence lingered as he walked away.

  11:00 p.m. — Ethan Walks In

  The silence was interrupted only by the soft click of keys as I kept working.

  I couldn’t shake the tension in my chest—I knew something had shifted.

  I couldn’t put my finger on it. Okay, maybe I could, but “it” felt like a big red button with a sign taped to it that said “DO NOT TOUCH”, so of course, there would be no way in hell I would “put my finger on it”.

  And then Ethan appeared at my desk, his presence like a quiet storm.

  “You good?” he asked, his voice lower than usual.

  I blinked, caught off guard. “Yeah, just… a few more tweaks.”

  Ethan didn’t move, just stood there looking at me for a second before glancing over at Leo’s empty desk.

  “So… Leo left?”

  I nodded, not sure where this conversation was going. “Yeah.”

  Ethan didn’t say anything for a while, just kept staring at me, like he was analyzing every detail of the situation—of me.

  Then, without breaking his gaze, he said, “You know, Leo’s usually pretty laid back, but he’s been acting… different around you.”

  I froze.

  “Different?” I repeated, forcing casualness into my voice. “In what way?”

  Ethan looked at me, eyes sharpening for just a second, before he shrugged. “I don’t know. Just… never mind.”

  I didn’t have time to process his words before he turned and walked off, leaving me to overthink all of it.

  Evening Reflections

  I didn’t want to think about what Ethan meant.

  I didn’t want to think about why Leo was acting so normal it feels unnatural.

  And I definitely didn’t want to think about how I could still feel that moment from Thursday lingering in my chest.

  But one thing is for sure:

  I could not ignore this anymore.

  Monday’s going to come too soon—and I’m not sure I’m ready for the questions I’m finally forced to ask.

  Until next time,

  Ada W.