It was scorching in the city of Lagos. Mira sat at her desk, scrolling through her male colleague's Instagram, a small smile tugging at her lips. She'd been secretly crushing on him for weeks, though no one—least of all Anna—could know. Her fingers lingered a second too long on one picture, and her heart fluttered.
Anna leaned over. "What's the secret? Spill the beans."
Mira forced a brighter smile. "It's nothing. Just feeling good this afternoon."
Anna narrowed her eyes. "Hmm… I'm not convinced. Wait—don't tell me… you're crushing on the guy next door?"
Mira's cheeks flushed. "Anna, that's nonsense. He's not my type," she said quickly, pinching herself under the desk before excusing herself.
"Mira! Where are you going?" Anna called.
"Just submitting some documents. I'll be back soon," Mira replied, walking away, her pulse racing.
As she left, her thoughts spun. How long can I keep this from Anna? She almost caught me… I need to find a way to get Mr. Roman's attention, she sighed silently, a nervous excitement tingling in her stomach.
Moments later, Roman entered the office, greeting everyone with his usual charm. Mira straightened instinctively, walking past him with careful elegance—until she stumbled. Roman caught her just before she fell.
"I'm sorry, miss," he said, gathering the documents she'd dropped, offering a polite smile that made her stomach flip.
"I'm sorry too," Mira replied, her heart racing. She stole a quick glance at him, unable to hide her fluttering. Her fingers twitched as if betraying her secret crush.
Roman started to walk away, then paused. "Miss… may I know your name?"
Mira blushed, lowering her gaze. "I'm Mira. And you?"
"Roman. Nice to meet you," he said, then hesitated. "I'm heading out to cool off at midday. Would you like to join me for lunch?"
Mira's voice softened, almost against her will. "I'd like that."
"Great. I'll expect you at 2 p.m.," he replied smoothly.
They exchanged numbers, and back at her desk, Mira couldn't stop smiling. She finally admitted the truth to Anna… though deep down, a small voice warned her, His charm feels too perfect to be real.
Wow," Anna said, raising an eyebrow. "So… the mysterious Mr. Roman has noticed you. How does it feel to be the office heartthrob?"
Mira groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. "Anna! Don't embarrass me!"
Anna laughed, leaning closer. "Embarrass you? Me? Never. But honestly, Mira… I didn't know you had it in you. All this time, I thought you were hopeless with men."
Mira peeked through her fingers, cheeks burning. "I… I just—he's… different."
"Different?" Anna echoed mockingly, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Mira, darling, you're practically blushing like a schoolgirl. It's cute, though… but also a little pathetic."
Mira rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips. Anna continued, her tone teasing yet edged with jealousy. "I swear, if he turns out to be as charming as you say, I might have to fight you for him."
"Anna! That's ridiculous," Mira protested, but her heart was too full of excitement to argue seriously.
"Oh, please," Anna said, folding her arms. "I'm not the ridiculous one here. You're the one mooning over him like some hopeless romantic. And don't try to tell me you haven't noticed how good he looks. Admit it, Mira, you're head over heels."
Mira groaned again, covering her face, but a tiny laugh escaped. Deep down, the teasing only made her crush feel more thrilling. Anna leaned back, eyes gleaming with mock triumph. "Fine, I'll let you have your little fantasy… for now. But don't expect me to go easy if he actually falls for you."
Though Mira blushed furiously, she couldn't help but smile. Deep down, a small voice warned her, His charm feels too perfect to be real… but I can't stop thinking about him.
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