The office felt heavier than usual that morning. The kind of heavy that didn't come from work or deadlines. Just the silence between people who didn't want to talk.
Marcus leaned back in his chair, watching Ethan from across the glass wall. His assistant sat at his desk, staring at his computer screen, but he wasn't really looking at it. The same line had been highlighted for almost five minutes.
That was new. Ethan was usually the most talkative person in the department. Always humming, always cracking jokes.
But today, he just looked... empty.
Marcus tried to focus on the campaign file in front of him, the one labeled 'Spring Project' in bright blue marker. It was supposed to launch in two weeks. Everything should've been final by now.
Except it wasn't.
Ethan hadn't sent the updated copy from the creative team. And Marcus couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed, because truthfully... his own head was somewhere else too.
He'd spent the entire morning thinking about Ryan. About his shy half-smile, his eyes, his lips.. Marcus missed everything about Ryan.
Marcus closed the file and sighed. If he couldn't focus, and Ethan couldn't focus, then they were in trouble.
He stood, straightened his jacket, and opened his office door. "Ethan. My office."
Ethan blinked, startled. "Uh, yeah. Coming."
He got up slowly and followed Marcus in, closing the door behind him.
"Sit," Marcus said.
Ethan dropped into the chair across from the desk. He looked like he hadn't slept. His hair was a mess, his shirt a little wrinkled.
"What's going on?" Marcus asked. "You've been off all morning."
Ethan stared at the floor. "It's nothing. I'll get it together."
"Try again." Marcus's voice softened. "You look like someone just died."
Ethan let out a shaky laugh that didn't sound like a laugh at all. "Might as well have."
Marcus frowned. "Is this about Luana?"
Ethan nodded, tension showing on his face. "....She broke up with me last night."
Marcus sat back, letting him talk.
"She said she 'needs space,' which is code for she's already seeing someone else. She didn't even deny it when I asked. Just said she didn't want to lie."
His voice cracked at the end, barely above a whisper. "It's pathetic, right? I thought she actually liked me."
Marcus shook his head. "That's not pathetic. It just means you cared."
Ethan gave a humorless laugh. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? Caring too much."
Marcus's eyes flicked toward the campaign notes on his desk, then back at Ethan. "You're allowed to feel like crap. Just don't stay there too long."
"You sound like a therapist," Ethan muttered.
"I'm just being a friend."
That made Ethan look up. "Wow you're actually pretty good at this, you know? The whole 'calm voice, wise words' thing."
Marcus smiled faintly. "Don't spread that around. I have a reputation for being cold."
Ethan snorted. "The Ice Prince giving emotional advice. The world might be ending."
Marcus chuckled quietly. For a moment, the tension eased.
But then Ethan leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Speaking of the world ending... you know Victoria's been fuming since you turned her down, right?"
Marcus raised a brow. "I noticed."
"She's been stomping around the office like someone stole her crown. Wouldn't surprise me if she's planning revenge. And if the rumor about you 'seeing someone' didn't come from her, I'll eat my own shoes."
Marcus exhaled slowly. "You think she'd risk sabotaging the campaign?"
Ethan shrugged. "You know how she is. If she can't have something, she burns it down. I'm just saying, keep an eye on her. She's all smiles in meetings, but underneath..." He made a cutting motion with his hand. "Sharp teeth."
Marcus rubbed his temple. "Perfect. Just what we need before a launch."
Ethan grinned weakly. "At least your love life is going better than mine."
Marcus hesitated. "That's debatable."
Ethan's grin faded. "Trouble in paradise?"
Marcus didn't answer right away. He wasn't sure what to say, mostly because he didn't know what this was yet. Ryan wasn't his boyfriend yet. They'd barely kissed. But it already felt like something that could ruin him if he wasn't careful.
"Let's just say it's... complicated," Marcus said finally.
Ethan leaned back. "Complicated how?"
Marcus picked up his pen and spun it slowly between his fingers. "He's different. He's not like anyone I've dated before. I don't want something casual this time."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "So you like him."
Marcus sighed. "More than I probably should."
"That's not a bad thing."
"I'm not sure," Marcus said quietly. "Sometimes it feels like he could just... walk away. Like he wouldn't think twice about it. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do."
Ethan tilted his head. "Maybe because you're usually the one in control. This time you're not."
Marcus looked at him. "You've been spending too much time watching dramas."
"Maybe," Ethan said with a small smile. "But that doesn't make me wrong."
Marcus couldn't help smiling back. "You're annoying when you're insightful."
"Yeah, but you love me for it."
"Don't push your luck."
Ethan actually laughed. A real one.
When it faded, he sighed. "Alright. Enough sad talk. You owe me a drink after work. I need to drown my heartbreak before I start quoting love songs at my desk."
Marcus hesitated. "You sure that's a good idea?"
"No. But you're coming anyway."
Marcus smirked. "Fine. One drink."
"Good." Ethan pointed at him. "And no ghosting. Please don't take revenge on me for last time."
"I'll be there," Marcus promised.
*******
The bar was half full that evening. Warm lighting. Low chatter. The kind of place where people came to forget about whatever was waiting for them in the morning.
Ethan was already there, two drinks in, waving from a booth near the back.
"About time!" he said as Marcus slid in across from him. "You're lucky I didn't start singing sad breakup songs without you."
Marcus smirked. "That would've gotten you kicked out."
"Exactly. So I waited." Ethan pushed a glass toward him. "Whiskey."
Marcus took a sip. Smooth. Strong. Burned just enough.
They talked. About work. About the campaign. About how stupid love was. Ethan got louder with each drink, swinging between laughter and self-pity.
"You know what the worst part is?" Ethan said after his third glass. "I really thought she'd be the one. Guess I was the side character in someone else's story."
Marcus shook his head. "You're not a side character. You're just... in the wrong chapter."
Ethan blinked. "That was poetic. Write that down before you forget."
Marcus chuckled. "Alright, I will."
Then Ethan's expression softened. "What kind of person is your guy? Ryan, right?"
Marcus hesitated. The question caught him off guard.
"He's hard to read. Quiet one second, sharp the next. You think you've got him figured out, then he looks at you and it's like he's seeing something you didn't mean to show…. But you know,.. he's just too cute"
He let out a small laugh. "Drives me insane, honestly. I can barely hold back when I'm beside him."
Ethan grinned. "hell yeah! you've been had."
Marcus took another sip. "Yeah."
Ethan leaned back, watching him with a knowing smile.
"You're screwed, man."
...…