Beneath the Lies

When the elevator doors opened, I didn't expect to see him holding a bouquet.

I also didn't expect the flowers to be for someone else.

For a second, the world just... stopped. The hum of the office lobby, the chatter from the reception desk, even the soft music piping through the ceiling, all of it blurred into a dull buzz behind my ribs. 

There he was, standing under the pale light of the elevator, his tie slightly crooked like it always used to be when I'd fix it before meetings.

Same storm-grey eyes, same easy smile. A different girl was waiting for him in the hallway.

He looked surprised maybe even a little nervous but not the kind of nervous that comes from running into your ex. 

No, it was the hopeful kind. The kind that belongs to someone who's about to say I love you to a new person for the first time.

I wanted to say something, anything. "Hi," maybe. Or 

"You look good." Or even "You still owe me a coffee and three apologies.

" But the words stuck somewhere between my chest and my pride. So I just nodded, forced a smile, and stepped aside.

He passed me with a polite "Hey," like we were strangers who'd only ever shared a cab, not a life. The scent of his cologne trailed after him clean, warm, heartbreak wrapped in sandalwood.

I waited until the doors closed again before I let myself breathe.

The elevator doors sealed shut with a soft click, and I caught my reflection in the mirrored panel smudged eyeliner, fake composure, and eyes that still remembered too much.

"Rough morning?" the receptionist, Maya, asked without looking up from her computer.

"You could say that." I adjusted the strap of my bag, forcing a light laugh that didn't sound like mine. "Just ran into... a ghost."

Maya's eyebrows lifted, but I didn't explain. She didn't need to know that my ghost wore a navy suit and carried flowers that weren't for me.

By the time I reached my office, my hands were shaking. I told myself it was the caffeine, not the memories. Not the way his name...Evan still felt like a bruise I kept pressing just to see if it hurt.

I opened my laptop, trying to drown the morning in emails and deadlines. It almost worked until the intercom buzzed.

"Harper? There's a new client here for the marketing consult. Should I send him in?"

"Sure," I said, too quickly. "Send him in."

The door opened, and for the second time that morning, my heart forgot how to beat.

Evan stood there. No bouquet this time just that same careful smile.

"I guess we're working together," he said softly. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Neither did I.