I should've known something was wrong the second I saw the flier in the breakroom.
*"Quarterly Team Building Retreat! Casual attire, games, free lunch, and fun with coworkers!"*
Fun with coworkers was a lie. It was always a lie. I was halfway through pretending to read an email when Sarah leaned over the cubicle wall like an overexcited meerkat.
"Did you see it?" she whispered.
"You mean the mandatory field trip for adults?"
"You mean the day we get to wear jeans to work and embarrass James in public? Yes. I live for this."
"You're deranged."
"You're just bitter because you haven't had sex since your breakup."
I stared at her, horrified. "First of all, rude. Second of all, *true*. Third, maybe this retreat is what I need."
She grinned. "God bless corporate chaos."
***
Three hours later, I was standing in the middle of a park wearing sneakers and a company T-shirt, staring down the world's most unnecessary obstacle course. James was on the red team. I, naturally, was on blue. And because the universe had a sense of humor, Theo was our team captain.
"Alright, Blue Team," Theo said, clapping his hands. "We're here to win, but more importantly, not to die. Hydrate, stretch, and for the love of God, no lawsuits."
I raised a hand. "If I trip and faceplant, will you sue me for damaging company property?"
He smirked. "Only if it's entertaining enough to go viral."
James made a snide comment from across the field, something about how team Blue should "get ready to lose." I flipped him off discreetly. Theo didn't.
He just turned and said, "Talk less, run faster, Arton."
I *might* have clapped.
***
It happened during the three-legged race. Of course it did.
"Who thought this was a good idea?" I hissed as Theo tied our ankles together.
"HR," he said, deadpan. "They're monsters."
"Your stride is twice mine."
"You'll adapt."
"You'll carry me."
"Also an option."
We lined up. James and Jennifer were beside us. He gave me a smug little smirk. Jennifer waved. I smiled back like I wasn't thinking about tripping them both mid-run. Then the whistle blew. Turns out, Theo was great at synchronized movement. Unfortunately, I was not. Halfway through, I tripped over a rogue pinecone. I braced for impact, but instead of faceplanting, Theo caught me. One arm around my waist. The other hand gripping mine. It was unnecessarily intimate for a work event. Or maybe it was just the way he looked at me as he steadied me.
"You okay?" he asked, breath warm against my cheek.
I nodded. "I've never been more embarrassed."
"Good. Then we're bonding."
***
We lost the race. James gloated. Theo shrugged it off. Later, while grabbing drinks from the cooler, I bumped into him again.
"You know," I said, sipping my soda, "for a company president, you're suspiciously good at catching clumsy women."
He gave me a slow smile. "Just the one."
"And you keep showing up when I need help."
He leaned against the table, voice low. "Maybe that's not an accident."
I opened my mouth to reply, but Sarah came flying over with a cupcake in one hand and a water balloon in the other.
"Lovebirds, break it up. You're embarrassing the single people."
I blinked. "You're literally holding a cupcake and a weapon."
"Exactly. I'm balanced. You two are hormonal."
Theo laughed, but his eyes stayed on me. And I couldn't help wondering—if this was just the beginning of our "team-building," what would come next?