The morning buzzed with footsteps echoing off the subway walls as Spencer descended the stairs, weaving through the early morning crowd with quiet apologies muttered each time he brushed a shoulder or clipped an elbow. He was already thirty minutes late, a rare enough occurrence to quicken his pulse. His gaze darted between the steps and his watch, his palm clutching his lukewarm coffee like a lifeline.

He was so focused on saving every second that he barely noticed the faces or the swirl of motion around him. But just as he saw the subway entrance, he felt a sharp, solid collision. His coffee spilled, the lid popping off and the lukewarm beverage cascading over him and the stranger in his path.

"Oh, my god—I'm so sorry!" He stammered, his eyes shifting from her soaked clothes to her shocked expression. She appeared to be in the same hurry as he was, her eyes widening at the mess they had made. "I was not paying attention at all. Here—" he searched in his bag for a handful of tissues, his voice really flustered. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your morning."