Tonight, I stayed at work later than usual. There was no one waiting for me at home—Mark had gone off to another concert, and the silence of the flat would only serve as a reminder of the growing distance in our relationship. So, I lingered at the office, sorting through archives and clearing emails until the quietness of the space became impossible to ignore. Most of my colleagues had already left, and even the overhead lights above their desks had been switched off.
The repetitive nature of my tasks was oddly lulling, as if time had paused. Suddenly, my computer screen flickered gently—a new message had arrived in the private chat. I rarely receive direct messages, especially at this hour, so I was immediately intrigued.
When I opened the window, a vibrant sunflower wearing black sunglasses stared back at me. The sender's name was nothing but a familiar code I'd seen in the group chat before but never deciphered: "bugSi49." I'd noticed bugSi49 before—brief, witty remarks sprinkled sparingly in the chaos of The Sofa.
The message was simple:
"Working late, are we?"
I smiled and replied:
"Looks like it's not the liveliest Friday for either of us."
After a brief pause, bugSi49 responded:
"Sometimes it's better to stay in the quiet than go home to empty walls."
Those words, so direct and unvarnished, struck a chord deep within me. It was as if this stranger had reached into my thoughts and captured the exact feeling, I was too afraid to admit to myself. I didn't know who was behind the sunflower icon, but in that moment, their message felt like a lifeline. It made the weight of the evening a little lighter.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Code
RomanceIn a world where the lines between reality and virtuality blur, a workplace chat becomes the unexpected spark of a forbidden yet inevitable love in *Broken Code*. Their messages reveal hidden desires, fears, and a fragile closeness that thrives behi...
