Jessica noticed the glance and lifted a brow, giving him a look that said she’d clocked it.
Harley raised a brow. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jessica waved him off. “Whatever. I’m going back to work.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “What are you even doing hanging around here this early?”
“Because I can,” Jessica shot back, already stepping away. She glanced at me once. “Lunch later, okay? Don’t disappear.”
I gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Jessica finally walked away, leaving a space between us that suddenly felt quieter than it should have.
Harley lingered for a moment, then moved closer, stopping beside my desk without sitting. He kept a respectful distance, but his presence was unmistakable.
“Coffee?” he asked.
I looked up. “Later.”
He studied me for a moment longer than necessary. “You usually already have coffee by now.”
“Routines aren’t mandatory,” I replied calmly, turning back to my screen.
“Hm.”
He didn’t leave right away.
“You look... different,” he said after a beat.
His tone was even, not teasing. “Dull.”
I turned to him sharply. “Excuse me?”
“Dull,” he repeated calmly. “And not work-tired.”
I let out a short breath. “Harley, mind your—”
“—business?” he finished for me, not defensive. “I know. And usually, I do. But I’ve been watching you long enough to know this isn’t just lack of sleep.”
I straightened in my chair. “I’m fine, Harley.”
He met my gaze evenly. Not pushing, but not backing down either. “No,” he said quietly. “You’re not.”
The words landed too precisely. Too close to something I wasn’t ready to name, not even to myself. I forced my expression to stay neutral. “I appreciate the concern,” I said. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know,” he nodded. “And I’m not asking it to be. I’m just saying... it shows.”
A pause followed.
“I’m going to get coffee,” he said at last, stepping back. “I’ll grab one for you too. Whether you drink it or not is up to you.”
Before I could refuse, he had already turned and walked away.
I exhaled slowly, my thoughts drifting to Adrian—to the distance he’d put between us after our argument—and to the subtle, undeniable shift in Harley’s behavior lately. But I didn’t need more complications, I just needed rest.
Timekept moving, even though it didn’t feel like it.
One report finished. Then another. A brief wrap-up meeting. A handful of emails answered on autopilot. I couldn’tremember when morning slipped into noon, or when Jessica appeared beside my desk again.
