Arabella's alarm buzzed at exactly 6:30 a.m., and she slipped out of bed with practiced efficiency. The pale morning light filtered through her curtains as she dressed in a crisp white blouse and charcoal pencil skirt—office attire that felt both empowering and constricting. In her kitchen, she prepared a simple breakfast: two slices of wholegrain toast lightly smeared with avocado, and a steaming cup of milk with a hint of honey. Between sips, her thoughts wandered to flustered moments with Damon. She also thought about how she didn't encounter him yesterday even once, and the feeling was not good. She shook her head and tried to talk herself out of this. 'I shouldn't let him affect my emotions too much. I don't even know why he behaves like that me. If this is all a game to him, then what? So, I should not let my thoughts wander to him', she thought.
By 7:45, she was on the bus. She gripped the overhead rail and watched city streets slide by, reminding herself to focus on the day's tasks. The crisp morning air seeped in whenever the doors opened, and she inhaled deeply, steeling herself for whatever the office might bring.
---
At 8:30, Arabella settled into her desk on the eighth floor. The glow of dual monitors reflected in her glasses as she dove into the morning's assignment: debugging a stubborn segment of code where a last-minute feature had introduced a compatibility issue. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, tracing logic branches and running test scripts. Time slipped away until her stomach rumbled, reminding her it was nearly lunch.
---
"Arii!" Lydia's bright voice cut through the hum of keyboards just as Arabella gathered her things.Then, they walked side by side to the cafeteria.
Lydia settled opposite Arabella, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she gushed about her boyfriend. "He's so sweet. He surprised me with tickets to the customer-conference gala tonight."
Arabella offered a polite smile, balanced the salad on her tray, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. When Lydia paused for a breath, she plucked at her napkin and asked, gently but with a teasing glint, "What about you, Ms. Arii? Anyone special on your radar?"
Arabella's heart jumped. She met Lydia's gaze, cheeks warming as she embarrassedly admitted,"I… I haven't really dated," she admitted, voice low. "Between my final year projects in University and moving here, I didn't really have time, I didn't even have many friends."
Lydia reached across the table, patted her hand. "Well, don't worry. Any man would be lucky to have our beautiful, brilliant Arabella." She winked, and Arabella felt a faint blush spread across her cheeks. The compliment was kind, but fleeting. She smiled faintly.
They ate in companionable silence after that, Lydia sharing occasional anecdotes about her relationship and Arabella nodding along, while somewhere in mid of the conversation, her thoughts drifted back to the office—back to that teasing boss.
---
After lunch, Arabella returned to her desk, washed down a quick cup of water, and dove right back into code. She refactored functions, wrote detailed comments, and sent snippets off to Mr. Caldwell for preliminary review. Brief interruptions came from colleagues requesting clarification on data schemas, which she answered succinctly before returning to her main task: integrating the new encryption protocol.
Around 3:30 p.m., a tiny wave of fatigue washed over her. She thought, 'Coffee would help' and rose from her seat while gathering her purse, careful not to draw undue attention. As she left her desk, Mr. Caldwell met midway, and praised about her work, "Good work, Ms.Arabella. Keep me posted with the project."
---
She entered the coffee room on her floor. Arabella stepped inside, the doors sliding closed behind her with a soft whoosh. She selected her favorite chipped white mug and measured two scoops of dark roast into the filter—a precise ritual she'd honed to steady her nerves.
Just as the kettle hissed to life, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the screen: 'Yaasi'.
She picked it up and walked to the side as she answered, "Hey, Yaasii."
"Hey, girl! How is life treating you at the big Company, huh? You don't even remember me now.", she lamented.
Arabella said, " It's not like that. Just got settled and working on a new project, that's why."
Yaasi said," Okay, how about we meet this weekend."
Arabella paused, tucking her hair behind one ear and remembered Adrian saying to meet someday.
"Hey, are you there? Aru?"
Arabella responded,"I am here. Yeah, let's meet this weekend."
"Okay, Don't leave me hanging!" Yaasi teased.
"I won't," Arabella promised, ending the call.
She poured the hot water over the grounds, inhaling the rich aroma. As she stirred in a splash of milk, she allowed herself a small, private smile. A warm cup in her hands always seemed to calm her.
She set her mug on the counter and was just about to turn when she spotted him: Damon Kingsley, leaning in the doorway with effortless poise. His tailored suit and loosened tie contrasted with the steam curling around him. His dark hair was slightly tousled at the nape, and his eyes fixed on her with that familiar, teasing gleam.
"Taking a break, Pearls?" His voice was smooth, carrying just enough amusement to make her pulse quicken.
She froze, spoon mid-stir. The space in the room felt suddenly too small. "Good afternoon, Mr. Kingsley," she managed, voice slightly trembling.
He looked at her up and down and suddenly said,"You look beautiful, Pearls"
Arabella was startled by the the sudden complement and looked at him thinking, 'Did he really just said that?'
Just as her eyes met his intense ones, she averted her eyes with a blush deepening her cheeks.
He stepped forward, the click of his polished shoes on the linoleum ringing in the quiet room. "Hmm.. You made coffee, but didn't invite me." he said, one eyebrow rising. "Now, that's not very good, right?"
Arabella's mouth went dry. Invite him? She shook her head, looking down at her mug, and then looked up at him. She did not know how to respond to that. 'Was she supposed to invite him for Coffee,.. Like how? He is her boss. Should she just go and say Mr. Damon, let's go for a coffee? That seems ridiculous, No? She can't do that', she thought and subconsciously shook her head.
Damon kept looking at her as she seemed to be thinging something and quirked his brow and said,"Hmm?" His hand reached past her, brushing her forearm as he reached her mug and lifted it. The touch sent a spark through her. He took the cup to his mouth, inhaled the coffee aroma, then sipped.
Arabella was too stunned by all this to react. Her mouth opened as she watched him taking sips from her cup of coffee.
"Delicious as ever.", Damon complimented.
Arabella blinked and stammered,"Mr. Kingsley.. T-That's my coffee."
Damon set the cup down gently and said,"Now Pearls, I just drank from it. So, I think you can't have it." he said, leaning in so she could smell his cologne—cedarwood and something faintly sweet—"So, you'll have to brew another for yourself. This is mine or would you still want this cup even if I drank from this? If you do, I don't mind sharing with you, Pearls."
Her cheeks heated, and she looked at him, words caught in her throat. Then, she shook her head and said,"I-I'll brew another cup for myself."
He smiled, that slow, knowing curve of his lips. "Good. Off you go."
With that, he turned and strode out, leaving Arabella alone among the gentle hum of the kettle. She exhaled, her hands trembling as she reached for a fresh filter to start anew.
---
By 4:30 p.m., Arabella returned to her station, mug in hand, heart still fluttering from her encounter with Damon. She sat and took a steadying sip, letting the caffeine warm her. Around her, the soft tapping of keys blended into a soothing rhythm. While the teasing exchange from earlier continued replaying in her mind in a loop.
And just questioned herself,"Am i dreaming or did it really happen?"