MARRIED TO MY CRUSH

Lena Matthews had been quietly nursing her crush on Ethan Turner for almost a year. Every day she'd see him in the office, and every day her heart did a little flip. Ethan worked in marketing while Lena was tucked away in the finance department, buried in spreadsheets and numbers. They worked on separate floors, had no reason to interact, and yet, every time she spotted him in the company café, her pulse raced.

Ethan was the kind of guy who made it impossible not to notice him. He was confident, tall, and annoyingly good-looking. His dark hair was always styled just right, his tailored suits fit him perfectly, and that smile-God, that smile-had melted Lena's heart more times than she cared to admit.

But there was one problem. He didn't even know she existed.

Lena had resigned herself to the fact that she was invisible to him, just another face in the crowd. And yet, every morning, when she made her way to the café for her daily dose of caffeine, she hoped-no, *prayed*-that today would be the day he'd notice her.

Today, however, was already shaping up to be a disaster. She'd overslept, missed her train, and had to practically run to the office. Her hair was still damp from her quick shower, and in her rush, she'd grabbed mismatched shoes-one black, one navy. To top it off, she had a massive stain on her blouse from the bagel she'd tried to eat while sprinting down the street.

Not exactly the way she wanted to look when she finally *did* speak to Ethan.

Pushing open the door to the café, Lena took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was here. Coffee. Just coffee. No expectations. No hope of bumping into Ethan. He was probably upstairs already, working on some big, important marketing deal, blissfully unaware that she even existed.

But then she saw him.

Ethan stood at the counter, casually scrolling through his phone while waiting for his order. Lena's breath caught in her throat. He was right there, looking as perfect as ever, completely unaware that he was the reason her heart was about to explode out of her chest.

This was it. Her moment. She could feel it.

Lena swallowed hard and forced herself to move forward. Her palms were sweaty, her heart hammering in her chest. She quickly rehearsed her lines in her head-something casual, something flirty but not *too* flirty.

"Hey, I think we work in the same building," she whispered under her breath, practicing. "No, no. How about, 'Morning, I see you around here a lot'? No, that sounds creepy. Ugh!"

As she debated her approach, the barista called Ethan's name. He picked up his coffee and turned to leave, and before Lena knew what she was doing, she stepped directly into his path.

It all happened so fast. One moment she was standing there, trying to look confident, and the next-*crash*.

Her coffee cup hit the floor, exploding like a grenade. Dark liquid splattered everywhere, including on Ethan's pristine shoes. The café went silent as everyone turned to stare at the source of the commotion.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Lena blurted, her voice an octave higher than normal. Her hands flew to her face as she watched in horror while the coffee dripped off Ethan's shoes.

Ethan looked down at his shoes, then up at her. For a split second, Lena was certain he was about to yell, or worse, give her that pitying look people reserved for clumsy idiots. Instead, he smiled. A soft, amused smile that made her stomach twist in knots.

"No problem. Happens to the best of us," Ethan said, bending down to pick up her now-empty cup.

Lena's face flushed a deep shade of red. "I-uh-I didn't mean to-uh-I can buy you new shoes? Or get them cleaned! Oh my God, I'm so clumsy. I swear I don't usually-"

He held up a hand to stop her, still smiling. "Really, it's fine. I promise, I've spilled worse on myself."

Lena's brain was struggling to catch up. Was this really happening? Was she actually talking to Ethan? And he wasn't mad?

"I'm Ethan, by the way," he said, offering her a hand.

She stared at his hand for a beat too long before finally shaking it. "Lena. I'm Lena. We work in the same building, I think."

Smooth. So smooth, Lena.

"Yeah, I think I've seen you around," he said, his smile never faltering. "So, what's your department?"

"Finance," Lena answered, trying her best not to sound too eager. "You're in marketing, right?"

"Yep," he replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "Big numbers and big ideas. Quite the combo."

Lena let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I'm more of a numbers girl myself. I don't do well with the 'big ideas' part."

Ethan chuckled. "We all have our strengths. So, Lena, aside from making a memorable first impression," he said, glancing down at his stained shoes, "what else do you do around here?"

Lena's heart was racing. Was he... was he flirting with her? No, that couldn't be. He was just being polite. Right?

"Oh, you know, the usual," she said, trying to play it cool. "Crunch numbers, balance budgets, spill coffee on unsuspecting coworkers. It's a full-time job."

Ethan laughed, and the sound of it sent a wave of warmth through her. "Well, you certainly made my morning more interesting."

Lena bit her lip, feeling both exhilarated and mortified. She couldn't believe she'd managed to have an actual conversation with him-after spilling coffee on him, no less.

"Let me at least get you a replacement coffee," Lena offered, desperate to make up for her clumsiness.

Ethan shook his head, his smile softening. "I appreciate it, but really, it's no big deal. Plus, I've got a meeting in a few minutes. Rain check?"

Rain check? Did that mean he actually wanted to talk to her again? Lena nodded, her heart doing cartwheels in her chest.

"Sure. Rain check."

As Ethan left the café, Lena stood there, still clutching her empty cup, trying to process what had just happened. She'd spilled coffee on him. He hadn't been angry. He'd smiled. He'd flirted. And now there was the promise of a "rain check."

Maybe-just maybe-she wasn't as invisible to him as she thought.

---

Lena spent the rest of the day floating on cloud nine. Her coworkers noticed her goofy smile, but she waved off their questions. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Ethan had smiled at her, the way he'd said her name. It had been the best-and worst-first impression she could've ever imagined, but somehow, it worked.

Later that afternoon, as she sat at her desk pretending to work, her phone buzzed. It was a message from a number she didn't recognize.

**Ethan**: So... when's our rain check?

Lena's heart skipped a beat.

Maybe her crush wasn't as hopeless as she'd thought.

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