Chapter 3: Morning After Confusion

Alina sat stiffly in the backseat of the company shuttle van, her eyes fixed on the road as the retreat faded behind her like a memory she wasn’t ready to process. The rolling hills, the string lights, the lake — all of it had been a beautiful backdrop to what now felt like her worst judgment call in years.

She’d barely spoken a word during the morning session with Ryan’s team. He had been professional, crisp, and emotionally distant — almost to the point of coldness. He hadn’t even glanced her way, and for that, she was weirdly thankful. The last thing she wanted was a conversation, or worse, a confrontation.

Alina crossed her arms, fingers gripping her elbows. Her mind churned with fragments of the night — the firelight, his laughter, the lake, his kiss, his arms. That moment she whispered “Daniel” and felt completely at peace — only to realize hours later that her heart had trusted the wrong face.

She didn’t even have the courage to blame him. He hadn’t lied. He never said he was Daniel. She had jumped to conclusions, desperate to believe in some romantic narrative her mind had created. A smart, ambitious man meets a new hire. Sparks fly. It felt like something out of a book. But books had editors. Life didn’t.

What made it worse was that she hadn’t just made a mistake — she had dragged two men into the fallout. One of them, Daniel, didn’t even know yet. And the other? Ryan had looked at her like she’d ripped something out of him and then walked away without a word.

As the van slowed near the office building, Alina felt her stomach twist. This wasn’t over. They all worked under the same roof. Every hallway, meeting, and shared workspace would be a reminder. Her only hope was that maybe, just maybe, they could all pretend it never happened.

---

Back at her apartment that evening, Alina kicked off her heels, dropped her bag at the door, and collapsed onto the couch. The city buzzed outside her window, but inside, all was quiet — except for the spiraling thoughts.

She replayed the conversation in her head again and again.

> “Do you believe that people meet for a reason?”

“Because I don’t think tonight was random.”

Had he known? Had he been trying to warn her? Or had he been hoping she’d choose him even without the name?

Alina groaned and buried her face in a cushion. She wanted to scream, cry, rewind time — anything but sit in the messy reality she had created. She had broken her own rules. She never got involved with coworkers. She never blurred lines. And yet, the moment had felt so genuine, so real, that she had let her guard fall completely.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She stared at it, hesitant. A message from Priya lit up the screen.

Priya: Omg! I saw you in Ryan’s team today! He’s kinda hot, right? 😏 How was it?

Alina didn’t reply.

She couldn’t.

How could she explain that she had already crossed a line she couldn’t uncross? That she had confused her feelings and slept with the wrong man? That she now carried a secret so heavy it was crushing?

---

The next day at work, the elevator ride to the 17th floor felt like it lasted a year. Alina kept her head down, hoping to slip into her cubicle unnoticed. She had prepared herself for a day of silence — no jokes, no casual greetings, no eye contact with anyone named Ryan.

But as she rounded the corner into the shared office area, her heart stopped.

Ryan was already there.

He stood near the coffee machine, dressed in a tailored navy-blue suit that somehow made him look even taller, even more intimidating than usual. He held a mug in his hand, staring into it like it held the answers to something far deeper than caffeine.

He saw her.

Their eyes met.

And just like that, the breath she’d been holding escaped in a silent exhale.

He didn’t smile. Didn’t nod. He simply held her gaze for a second longer than was comfortable, then turned back to his coffee and walked away.

Alina’s face burned.

She rushed to her desk, sank into her chair, and opened her laptop with trembling fingers. The keys clacked as she typed nonsense into a spreadsheet just to look busy. Inside, her chest pulsed with shame, confusion, and something she hated admitting — heartbreak.

Why did she care?

Why did it hurt?

She barely knew him. One night. That was all. And yet, the way he looked at her now — like she was a stranger again — hurt more than it should have.

---

Later that afternoon, she got an email. Her heart sank.

Subject: Creative Review – You, Me, Daniel

From: Ryan Thomas

Time: 3:12 PM

> Alina,

Daniel and I need your insights on the MetroDrive campaign before Thursday’s client review. Let’s do a joint session tomorrow, 11 AM, Conference Room C. Hope that works.

- Ryan

The message was curt. Business-only. No tone. No emotion.

She typed a reply, short and polite.

> Noted. I’ll be there.

Then she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Tomorrow, the three of them would sit in the same room. She would have to pretend nothing happened. Ryan would pretend he didn’t care. And Daniel — sweet, unsuspecting Daniel — would be sitting in the middle of a storm he didn’t even know was coming.

Alina had always believed in clean slates, in fresh starts.

But this time, she didn’t know if she’d ever feel clean again.

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