“Nope.” I tilted the screen toward him. “It’s for work. This month’s feature—an article on catfishing, dating apps, online lies, and all the other fun digital disasters people call connection.”
He leaned back slightly, amusement flickering. “So, you’re what… undercover?”
“Something like that,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m not here looking for love. Just lies.”
He grinned, slow. “You sure you’re not looking for a little of both?”
My cheeks flamed. “Pretty sure.”
He hummed low, unconvinced. “Mm. Maybe I’ll reserve judgment until I read your expose.”
“You’ll have to buy a copy.”
He gave a mock gasp. “What, no insider preview? Harsh.”
“Integrity,” I said with a smirk. “Look it up.”
His laugh echoed softly through the stairwell, wrapping around the concrete like warmth. For a moment, everything felt lighter—less lonely.
It was just us and the hum of pipes and the quiet rhythm of our breathing.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a slightly squashed chocolate bar, held it up between two fingers. “Trade? You give me the phone before you break it, and I give you this.”
I hesitated, then handed it over. “You bribing me with sugar now?”
He smiled. “Desperate times.”
I took the chocolate, tearing off the wrapper. “You always carry emergency rations?”
“Only when I see someone who looks like they forgot sweetness exists.”
The words hit deeper than he knew.
He stood after a moment, brushing his hands against his jeans. His fingers moved fast something typed, a soft click and he handed it back.
“Now you’ve got my number,” he said. “In case you ever need someone to just listen and not fix things.”
He gave me that same soft, crooked smile. “Or laugh at these right jock straps that are sliding into your DMs”
I blinked down at my phone. Dane.
“I don’t know your name,” I said quietly, though I did now.
He paused at the door. “Yeah, you do.” A beat. “Dane. We went to school together. You probably don’t remember.”
My breath caught. I didn’t. Not fully. Did I? No, I did.. shit I’m not sure. Just fragments, maybe the kind of half-memories that feel like dreams you wake up from too soon.
He smiled again, smaller this time. “See you around, Penn.”
The door swung shut behind him, leaving the stairwell dim and still.
And I sat there, chocolate melting in my hand, his name glowing on my screen, and for the first time in months, the silence didn’t feel so heavy.
It felt like an invitation.
Walking back up the stairs after he leaves I whisper slightly Back to the real world and as I walk down towards my office pressing my hands on the door
Carrie’s there, perched on the edge of my desk like she owns the place.
