Her careful professional calibration felt like a system in flux, each interaction with Daniel creating micro-adjustments in parameters she’d thought were fixed. Some kind of failure in my emotional firewall, she thought, watching him navigate the conference room with that quiet certainty that seemed to realign her internal compass.

Sophia observed this wordless dance over the rim of her coffee cup, her eyes bright with barely contained amusement. The way they moved around each other now, anticipating needs before they were voiced - it was like watching two planets slowly aligning after years in separate orbits - approaching eclipse. She hid her smile behind another sip of coffee, wondering if they even realized how synchronized they’d become.

Daniel returned with the exact folder Juniper needed, placing it beside her with unconscious precision. Neither of them seemed to notice anything unusual about the exchange, but Sophia caught the way Juniper’s fingers lingered a fraction longer than necessary when she reached for the brief, how Daniel’s hand remained on the table a moment after letting go - their own private gravitational well…