**The next day**
Sophia sat at her desk working on the open-plan office of a small creative agency . Her coworker Nadia leaned over the divider with her usual too-loud whisper.
"You're glowing."
Sophia blinked up from her screen. "What?"
Nadia grinned. "Don't lie to me. You went on a date last night, didn't you?"
Sophia flushed. "It wasn't a date."
"That's exactly what someone who went on a date would say."
Before Sophia could argue, her phone buzzed on the desk. Her eyes darted to the screen.
Ethan
Nadia's eyes followed hers and widened. "Oh my God. Wait. The Ethan? The CEO?"
Sophia grabbed her phone and stood up quickly. "Bathroom break. Not a date. Shut up."
Nadia laughed as Sophia power-walked down the hallway.
Once inside the privacy of the bathroom, she stared at the message.
|Lunch? I know a quiet place. Unless you're avoiding me now.|
She bit her lip, fingers hovering over the screen. Her heart pounded.
|I'm not avoiding you.| she typed, then paused before sending it.
Ethan:
|Where?|