[Nathaniel's POV]
[After Clara goes back to Lab 7]
Nathaniel hadn't expected the simple break-time quiet of the hallway to hit him as hard as it did. He stepped out of the elevator with a folder tucked under his arm, mentally sorting through a list of tasks he needed to finish before the end of the day. It was routine. Predictable. Steady.
Then Clara walked into view.
Just a few steps ahead, coming toward Lab 7. Phone already slipped away, expression smoothed back into that calm, focused look she'd perfected over the last two months. The same expression she used when she didn't want anyone to know what she was thinking. Especially him.
Their eyes met for a fleeting second. Reflex, memory, something left over from when the two of them moved more comfortably around each other, made him straighten.
She nodded politely, the same nod one coworker might give another in the hallway.
