The First Signs

Aiko spent the rest of the morning pretending to work.

Her fingers moved across her keyboard, but her mind replayed the same moment over and over: Ren’s quiet voice, the way he leaned in to protect her secret, the warmth in his smile. Every time the memory surfaced, her stomach fluttered like she’d swallowed a whole flock of butterflies.

She hated how easily it affected her.

She also loved it.

By lunchtime, she had convinced herself it was a one‑time interaction. He was just being polite. He probably didn’t even remember it anymore. People like Ren — confident, composed, effortlessly social — didn’t think twice about things like that.

But then it happened.

She stepped into the break room to refill her water bottle… and there he was.

Ren stood by the counter, sleeves rolled up, stirring sugar into his coffee. He looked up the moment she entered, as if he’d been waiting.

“Morning, Tanaka,” he said, voice warm.

Her heart tripped. “G‑Good morning.”

He glanced around the empty room, then lowered his voice. “Did you finish volume 7?”

Aiko nearly dropped her bottle.

He remembered.

She nodded slowly. “Y‑Yes. I finished it last night.”

Ren’s eyes lit up — not dramatically, but enough that she noticed. “Then you know the cliffhanger.”

Aiko pressed her lips together, trying not to squeal. “Don’t remind me.”

He chuckled softly, and the sound sent a strange warmth through her chest. She had never heard him laugh like that in meetings — quiet, genuine, almost shy.

Before she could say anything else, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Ren straightened instantly, slipping back into his professional posture.

“Let’s talk later,” he murmured.

Aiko blinked. “Later?”

He gave her a small, secretive smile. “If you want.”

Her breath caught.

Then a pair of coworkers entered, and the moment dissolved. Ren nodded politely and left the room, coffee in hand, as if nothing unusual had happened.

But something had.

Aiko felt it in the way her pulse quickened.

In the way her cheeks warmed.

In the way she kept replaying his words.

Let’s talk later.

She returned to her desk, trying to calm herself, but the universe wasn’t done with her yet.

That afternoon, during a team meeting, Aiko struggled to present a report. Her voice wavered, her slides froze, and her manager’s impatient sigh made her shrink into her chair.

Then Ren spoke up.

“Actually,” he said smoothly, “Tanaka’s analysis is spot‑on. If you look at the numbers here—”

He took over seamlessly, guiding the conversation back on track, giving her credit every step of the way. Aiko stared at him, stunned. He didn’t have to help her. He barely knew her.

But he did.

And when the meeting ended, he passed by her desk, pausing just long enough to whisper:

“You did great.”

Aiko’s heart fluttered so hard she thought it might lift her out of her chair.

For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel invisible.

She felt seen.

And she wasn’t sure what scared her more — or thrilled her more — the fact that Ren noticed her…

…or the fact that she wanted him to.

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