It had been one of those days — the kind where the hours drag and blur at the same time, every conversation feels like a chore, and your body is already begging for bed before the sun even sets. The day had passed in a hurry, colleagues kept complaining about issues, your phone buzzing nonstop with calls and emails. Still, the quiet part of your mind — the part that worked on its own no matter how busy you are — kept circling back to him. Bruce.

You had been missing him more than you wanted to admit. You had both been swallowed by your separate worlds lately, and all day you had caught herself wondering when you would see him next. Imagining the comfort of his voice, the way his presence seemed to anchor you in a way nothing else could.

Your phone buzzed again, this time against your palm as you gathered your things. You glanced down, expecting another email or text from work, but froze when you read the words:

Guess who’s waiting downstairs?

Your eyes narrowed. Before you could type in a response, another message appeared.

Look out your window.

Brows furrowing, you crossed the room, curiosity prickling under her skin. You pulled the blinds aside — and there he was.

Bruce stood there, leaning against the sleek black frame of one of his cars, dressed in a dark, immaculate suit that made him look like he’d just stepped out of a photograph. In one hand, a bouquet of deep red roses; in the other, his phone, angled like he’d been ready to text you again. When your eyes met through the glass, his mouth curved into that almost-smile — private, understated, entirely yours.

The sight knocks the air from your chest. He’s not supposed to be here. He’s supposed to be in meetings, or behind some polished boardroom table, ruling the city with calculated charm. Instead, he’s standing there like something out of another life entirely — one where the world slows down just for you two.

Your exhaustion didn’t just fade; it broke apart, scattered, replaced with something warm that spread from your chest all the way to your fingertips.