Three

1. Late Night Prelude

"Do you want some?"

You slightly jump as Rob's voice shattered the silence in the room. You look up to him and see his masked face, his hand holding out a paper bag. You say your thanks politely and you reach in, your hand exploring the bag. You take out a piece of what's inside and nod to him. He then returns to his seat, but not before his other hand lightly brushes your shoulder. It sends a million sparks all over your spine.

Dammit. You're at work. Focus.

You chastise yourself for having indecent thoughts and go back to work.

Ever since you saw Robert, a.k.a. Rob, you've always been attracted to him. He is handsome, tall and lanky - exactly your type. Okay, he wasn't super handsome, but there was something in the way that he talked that sounded so erotic to you. Every time you hear him speak, your body responds in such an indecent way that you always have to remind yourself that he was married.

And so are you.

But just because you were trapped in a loveless marriage doesn't mean he was as well, and to make matters worse, his wife also worked in the same company. She is a nice and sweet gal, so you try your best to keep your hands to yourself and not let your rabid imagination get the best of you.

But every time you find yourself alone in a room with him, you can't help but feel something in the space between you two.

Like this morning. You arrived earlier than usual, and so did he. You greeted each other and he joked about coming to work early, to which you gave a small hearty laugh. After that, there was silence. It was a strange, deafening silence. It could just be your imagination, but the air strangely felt thick with sexual tension. You found yourself stealing glances at him, but he didn't seem to be affected by what's affecting you. To break the weird silence, he spoke and offered food. But that shoulder tap? That seemed... unnecessary and strange. You know it's not any kind of gesture, so what had compelled him to do it?

Now you're just overthinking. WORK.

You curse yourself again and try with all your might to focus on your computer screen. But his voice rings across the room once more, and it compels you to look at him and interact.

"Is your internet connection okay?"

You tell him it's okay on your end, but you realize you have your own connection. He says it's spotty on his end, so you give him your password. He thanks you and you go back to work. Or at least try to.

You sense him stand up again and is now gingerly walking towards your cubicle. Your heart beats faster, but you try to calm yourself. "You can't connect ba?" you ask. You discuss your password a little, and he notices your screen so you talk about work. He sits beside you and places a hand on your shoulder nonchalantly. It lingers there while he talks to you. You inhale a little deeper, praying to God he doesn't notice, and you find yourself getting drunk on his scent. Another thing you find irresistibly attractive about Rob is he smells good. It was perfume, yes; but it suited him so damn well. You have had musings of shoving him to a random wall and making out there and then whenever he would pass by, but of course you'd never do that. Romance was out of the question in this company, let alone infidelity to one's spouse. It would cause such a scandal. Also, what gave you the right to actually do that to a person you barely knew? You don't even know if he's attracted to you too. So if you pounce on him, it's like asking for a sexual harrasment case.

Rob's chuckle brings you back to reality, and you imitate him. You look at the clock, then glance at the door, wondering where everyone else was. You realize his hand is still on your shoulder, and when you move your gaze back to your laptop, it feels like he has moved closer to you. You take a deep breath, feeling the warmth of his hand, and you feel him move it slightly from your shoulder to your back, ever so slowly. You notice you're now breathing faster, and your hand trembles as it rests on your mouse. He whispers your name, and it sounds so delicious in his mouth. His lips feel dangerously close to your ear, to the point that you can feel his warm breath on your neck, and you can't help but close your eyes as your lips part-

The door opens and suddenly his hand is gone, and both of you look at the source. A co-worker just arrived and suddenly, the air changes. You greet the person happily, mildly surprised at how fast Robu has already fled your side and is now back at his post. While they discussed the game last night, you are left with a million thoughts all starting with two words.

What if?