8. He is with another woman

The bar was louder than I expected for a Saturday night. Warm lights hung low over the booths, with faint music hummed in the background and people's loud laugh everywhere. Claire led the way, weaving between tables until she found a small high-top near the window.

“Alright, drinks first. Then we can complain about work,” she said with a grin, sliding onto the barstool.

I sank into the seat opposite her, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The weight of the week was finally catching up to me, but for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe. No lab reports. No Olivia. No Daniel’s sharp comments about typos.

Claire flagged down the bartender and leaned in. “A cider please, and...one double whiskey,  with lemonade.” She glanced at me with a smirk. “You have whiskey every time. We’re celebrating you surviving another week of your job.”

I laughed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You make it sound like I barely made it out alive.”

“Well, you did look like you were in a defense mode every time you talked to him.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

Claire gave me a pointed look. “Mags. You flinched when last time someone mentioned the same name as him when we went out for lunch.”

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped when the bartender slid the drinks in front of us. Claire held hers up, and I followed suit.

“To making it through another week,” she said.

“To not quitting,” I added, and we clinked glasses.

The first sip burned in the best way, and I could already feel the tension in my shoulders start to ease. Claire leaned back in her chair, swirling the ice in her glass thoughtfully.

“You know, you’ve been different since you started this job.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“I don’t know. More serious. I mean, you’ve always been hardworking, but now it’s like you’re carrying something heavy.” She paused, narrowing her eyes, “Is it just the job, or is it… Daniel?”

I nearly choked on my drink. “Claire.”

“What?” she said innocently, with her eyebrows rasing up, “I’m just saying—he’s good looking. And you’ve mentioned his name more than anyone else at work.”

“Well, ok, look, I mentioned Olivia, Liam, Eva, Lucia, Dan,...all of them too.”

“Yeah, but with Daniel, there’s a different tone.”

I shook my head, trying to hide the flush creeping up my neck. “You are so dramatic.”

Claire laughed but let it go. The conversation shifted to lighter topics—her chaotic shifts at the bookshop, and how she dealed with annoying customers—and I was grateful for the distraction.

Until I saw him.

Across the room, leaning casually against the bar, was Daniel. His sleeves were rolled up, and he looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. He was with another woman that I've never seen before. Was that his girlfriend? She laughed at something he said, lightly touching his arm, and I felt my stomach flip in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

Claire caught my stare instantly. She followed my gaze and then froze.

“Wait. Is that—” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “—is that your boss?”

“Oh god,” I muttered, sinking lower into my seat. I tried to keep my head lower to avoid being seen.

Claire leaned closer to get a better look. “Okay, hold on. Why didn’t you tell me he looked like that?”

I groaned. “No, don't. Claire, sit down.”

“Oh come on. You said he was strict. You did not say he was that hot.”

I rolled my eyes. “Because I’m not looking at him like that.”

Claire smirked but kept watching him. “Maybe you should.”

I was praying Daniel wouldn’t notice us, but Claire suddenly straightened and by the time he was just turning around to look for seats.

“Claire!” I hissed, kicking her under the table. “Why would you do that?”

“Relax, relax. Not a big deal.”

Daniel’s eyes flicked over, locking onto mine. His gaze lingered just long enough to make my stomach twist. He said something to the woman, and to my horror, he started walking toward us.

“Oh my god, I hate you,” I whispered, "you'd better be careful when we get home today."

Claire grinned behind her glass, as if she was watching the best drama in the world. “This is already the best part of my week.”

Daniel stopped at the edge of our table, his hands tucked into his pockets. His eyes shifted briefly to Claire, then back to me.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, his tone was softer than ever was at work.

“We’re celebrating,” Claire answered before I could. “Maggie survived under you.”

Daniel’s lips twitched slightly. “She talked about me like that? I'm not that hard on her.”

“She flinched at lunch when someone said your name.”

I buried my face in my hands. “Ignore her, she was just getting drunk like usual and I think it's time to go home.”

Daniel chuckled. “Glad to see you out of the lab. Enjoy your weekend.”

He started to turn away, but the woman lingered behind for a beat. She smiled politely at Claire, then at me.

As soon as they were out of sight, Claire leaned in with wide eyes.

“Oh. My. God.”

I shook my head, lifting a middle finger.

“Did you see the way he looked at you?”

I laughed despite myself. “He was being polite.”

“Uh-huh. I’ve never seen a boss look polite like that. And the woman—did you see her? I swear she gave you the tiniest death glare.”

“Stop,” I said, though my stomach was still doing nervous flips, "She must be his girlfriend."

Claire grinned over her glass. “You never know. Time will tell.”

I glanced over at the bar where Daniel was now leaning back against the counter, his focus already somewhere else. But even after the second drink, I couldn't shake the image of her hand on his arm.