The morning light streamed through the office windows, casting long shadows across Elena's desk. She sat in her ergonomic chair, staring blankly at her computer screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard, yet unable to type a single coherent sentence. The numbers and words on the screen blurred together as her thoughts drifted, like waves crashing relentlessly against the same shore—Daniel.
She had barely slept the night before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. Felt him. Her mind replayed his touch, his voice, the way his lips had moved against hers with that all-too-familiar urgency. She had woken up more than once in a cold sweat, torn between guilt and an unshakable longing.
Now, at work, she was paying the price for her restlessness.
"Elena?"
She snapped out of her trance and looked up to see her colleague, Tessa, standing in front of her desk with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay? I called your name three times."
"Yeah, yeah," Elena said quickly, sitting up straighter and forcing a weak smile. "Just lost in thought."
Tessa narrowed her eyes. "You sure? You seemed kind of out of it during the morning briefing, too."
Elena hadn't even realized she had spaced out earlier. She vaguely recalled sitting in the conference room, nodding occasionally as their manager went over key points for an upcoming campaign, but the details? Completely lost on her.
"I'm fine," Elena lied, waving a dismissive hand. "Just a little tired."
"Well, snap out of it," Tessa teased. "You're usually the one keeping the rest of us on track. We can't afford to have our star performer zoning out on us now."
Elena forced a chuckle, but as soon as Tessa walked away, she exhaled deeply and rubbed her temples. She had to get herself together. If she let her emotions spill over into her work life, things would only get worse.
By the time the lunch break rolled around, she found herself in the breakroom, mechanically stirring her coffee while staring at the swirling liquid as if it held the answers to all her problems.
"You gonna drink that, or are you trying to hypnotize yourself?"
Elena looked up to see Ryan, another colleague, smirking as he reached for a coffee pod.
"Drink it," she replied, lifting the cup to her lips with a sigh.
"You seem off today," he observed, leaning against the counter. "Everything okay?"
Elena forced another smile. "Yeah, just—" she hesitated. "It's been a long week."
Ryan shrugged. "Well, if you need a distraction, we're all heading out for drinks tomorrow after work. You should come."
She considered it for a second before shaking her head. "I think I'll pass. Just need some rest."
"Suit yourself," he said with a wink before heading back to his desk.
The rest of the day crawled by at an agonizingly slow pace. Every email she read, every meeting she sat through, and every conversation she had felt like background noise compared to the storm raging inside her.
By the time the clock struck five, Elena was relieved to escape.
Mara's apartment smelled like vanilla and fresh linen, a comforting contrast to the mess in Elena's mind. She curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow while Mara handed her a glass of chilled white wine.
"So," Mara started, sitting across from her. "You want to tell me what's going on, or should I start guessing?"
Elena sighed, swirling the wine in her glass before taking a sip. "I just… I don't know, Mara. I feel like I'm losing control of myself."
Mara raised an eyebrow. "Control of what?"
"My thoughts. My emotions. Everything."
Mara tilted her head. "And by 'everything,' you mean Daniel?"
Elena exhaled sharply. "It's insane, right? I'm married. I love Nathan. And yet, I can't stop thinking about Daniel. It's like he's in my head, under my skin, and I don't know how to get him out."
Mara sipped her wine thoughtfully. "Well, considering your history with him, I don't think it's that insane. You two had a strong connection. Just because it ended doesn't mean it disappeared."
"But it should have disappeared!" Elena insisted, shaking her head. "I should have let him go completely. But after seeing him again… it's like everything we had came rushing back, and now I can't shake it."
Mara watched her carefully before saying, "Elena, have you considered therapy?"
Elena let out a humorless laugh. "Therapy?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you can't process these emotions on your own, maybe talking to someone would help you figure out why you still feel so drawn to him."
Elena shook her head immediately. "No. That's ridiculous. I don't need therapy. I just need to… to shake this off."
Mara crossed her arms. "You say that, but it sounds like this is already affecting you in ways you can't control. If it starts affecting your relationship with Nathan"
"It already is," Elena admitted in a whisper.
Mara's face softened. "Elena…"
Elena covered her face with her hands. "I can't focus. I can't even be fully present with Nathan without feeling like I'm somewhere else. With someone else. And I hate myself for it."
Mara reached over and squeezed her hand. "Then you need to do something about it."
Elena sighed, pulling her hand away. "I know. I just don't know what."
Mara didn't push her. Instead, she set down her wine glass and stretched. "Well, in the meantime, how about we get out of here? Clear your head a little?"
Elena looked at her questioningly.
"A drink or two, some good music—maybe even a little dancing?" Mara suggested with a playful smile.
Elena groaned but smiled weakly. "I don't know, Mara…"
"Oh, come on. You need this. Sitting around overthinking isn't going to help you. Let's go out, unwind, and push Daniel out of your head for a few hours."
Elena hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But just for a little while."
Mara grinned. "That's the spirit." She stood up and clapped her hands. "See you at 7?"
Elena smiled, though the weight in her chest remained. "Yes, yes, sure."
As she left Mara's apartment and got into her car, she tried to convince herself that maybe, just maybe, a night out would be enough to reset her thoughts.
But deep down, she knew that no amount of distraction could erase the way Daniel had made her feel. And that terrified her.