“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Rufus’s voice cuts through the quiet of the office, smooth and deliberate, as he steps fully into the room. He watches in satisfaction as your head whips around to meet his gaze. He leans casually against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, the corner of his mouth lifting in a subtle smirk. “Don’t tell me you forgot,” he continues in a playful drawl. “I believe it was I’m not a soldier, but he can own me too.”

Of course, he didn’t mean to overhear that; it was just unfortunate timing that he was walking by while you and your coworkers were in the break room. “So,” he asks again, a brow raised in amusement. “Did you?”