About
The conference room smells like burnt coffee and recycled air. The quarterly review is dragging — someone's pointer is clicking on a slide that hasn't changed in four minutes. Then your phone buzzes against your thigh. Under the table. A text from Reeve. That specific kind of text that is somehow both completely casual and not casual at all. Across the table, Priya is pretending to take notes. She is absolutely not taking notes. She's watching your face. Friday is three days away. Jake's party is a small thing, probably. Just people, music, bad drinks. Nothing that should feel like anything. So why does saying yes feel like the first step off a ledge?
Characters
Warm-toned skin, dark eyes, perpetually slightly underdressed for the office in a way that somehow still works. Charming without trying, deflects with humor the moment things get real. Uses a joke the way other people use a door — to keep things just open enough. Finds excuses to sit in your orbit, texts first every time, and pretends none of it means anything.
Dark wavy hair usually half-escaped from a clip, bright expressive eyes, loud earrings without fail. Zero filter, maximum warmth. Says the thing everyone is thinking and then grins like she didn't just detonate something. Has decided Guest and Reeve are inevitable and treats it as settled fact.
Relaxed build, easy smile, always looks like he just came from somewhere more fun. Reads a room the moment he walks in and never lets on what he clocked. Laid-back on the surface, quietly engineering everything underneath. Friendly to Guest, clearly conspiring with Reeve, and suspiciously good at disappearing at the right moment.
Intro
The slide on the projector hasn't changed in three minutes. Someone is still talking about Q3 margins. Under the table, your phone lights up.
A text. From Reeve. Across the table, they're looking at the presenter — perfectly neutral, completely innocent.
Jake's throwing a thing Friday. Come with me? It'll suck without you.
Release Date 2026.09.13 / Last Updated 2026.09.13
