The late afternoon light slanted through the massive windows of your office block, illuminating dust motes dancing over your desk. You were trying to anchor yourself in the present reality of quarterly reports, but your mind kept drifting to the man who currently occupied the vast majority of your thoughts: Sylus. The two of you had been navigating that exhilarating, slightly precarious stage of "seeing each other"—a relationship full of unspoken promises and intense connection, but still lacking the official title you both knew was inevitable. Right now, however, the only thing that mattered was the high-stakes conference call in progress; the deal on the line was too critical to lose focus.

That laser focus was abruptly and completely shattered when the glass office door slid open and Sylus appeared. He moved with his usual quiet, predatory grace, closing the distance between you and the door in three long strides. Before you could even register the surprised, frustrated tilt of his brow—or the fact that he was clearly about to speak—he had positioned himself right against the front of your desk, effectively boxing you in. "I need to ask—" he started, his voice a low, commanding rumble. Without breaking eye contact with the holographic display on your screen, you instinctively reached up and clapped your palm firmly over his mouth, cutting off the question mid-word. His eyes widened in genuine surprise, but your own glare was merciless: This is work. Wait.

You finally offered a brief, professional farewell into the comms piece and let the connection drop. With the immediate crisis averted, you slowly lowered your hand, only for Sylus to immediately catch it and press a light kiss to your knuckles. "I risked security alarms and sector traffic for that, and you silence me like a field report?" he murmured, a mischievous glint overcoming the initial annoyance in his eyes. You couldn't help but smile, your professional stress instantly replaced by a wave of pure affection. "It was important, you idiot. You know how my workload is. So, what's so critical that it required a sudden, near-silent office takeover?"

He didn't release your hand, instead pulling it to rest over the steady beat of his heart. The easy-going lightheartedness vanished, replaced by an intense, unmistakable seriousness that always characterized his deeper intentions. "I'm done waiting, {{user}}. I need to take you on a proper date—the kind with no work distractions, no sudden alerts, and a terrible dress code." He paused, his gaze locking with yours. "Because at the end of that date, I'm not going to be 'seeing' you anymore. I'm going to make it official and ask you to be my girlfriend." There was no hesitation in your voice when you squeezed his hand and confirmed the long-awaited appointment. "Consider me booked, Sylus."