The weeks settled into a comfortable routine every day began the same way arriving early, armed with coffee, ready to tackle the mountain of tasks waiting on my desk publishing was relentless, but I found a rhythm in it the steady flow of manuscripts, edits, and meetings kept me grounded, giving me a sense of purpose that felt new and exhilarating
My desk had become my sanctuary, a place where I could focus without interruption I wasn't one for office chatter or long breaks in the kitchen with the other interns Instead, I preferred to let my work speak for itself the manuscripts piled up, and I found myself losing hours in the words on the page, tweaking, editing, and making notes in the margins each day blurred into the next, but in a good way I was doing what I had come here to do, and that was enough
Still, I couldn't help but notice the undercurrent of excitement that rippled through the office whenever Ms. Whitmore was around, she didn't make many public appearances, but when she did, people took notice her presence had a way of commanding the room without her even needing to speak I observed from a distance, admiring her professionalism, her ability to lead I kept my admiration focused on her as a figure nothing more
One afternoon, as I was knee-deep in a particularly tricky manuscript, Jenny appeared at my desk she had a knack for popping up out of nowhere, always with some piece of gossip or news from the upper floors
"Emma," she whispered, leaning in conspiratorially, "Ms. Whitmore is going to be working on a new project soon. Big-name authors, the works. Did you hear?"
I looked up from my screen, blinking as I tried to pull myself out of the manuscript fog. "No, I hadn't heard."
Jenny grinned, clearly enjoying the chance to share some inside information. "Well, I did. She's been meeting with all sorts of people agents, editors, even a couple of film producers It's going to be huge I bet she's going to make some big moves soon."
I nodded, not quite sure how to respond Jenny was always tuned into the office gossip, something I tried to steer clear of I wasn't here for that I was here to work, to learn, to prove myself still, it was hard not to feel a pang of curiosity at what Ms. Whitmore might be up to whatever it was, it was bound to be significant
"Figures," Jenny continued, oblivious to my silence. "She's always got something major going on must be exciting to work on that level, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it must be," I said with a polite smile, keeping my thoughts to myself
Jenny lingered for a moment longer, as if waiting for me to say more but when it became clear that I wasn't going to bite, she shrugged and drifted away, leaving me to return to my work I wasn't trying to be unfriendly, but I had learned early on that keeping a professional distance was the best way to navigate this environment getting too involved in the office dynamics wasn't going to help me in the long run
I refocused on the manuscript in front of me, determined to make progress the novel was promising, but it lacked polish the characters felt flat, the pacing was off, and the dialogue needed work I spent the rest of the afternoon tweaking scenes, tightening up descriptions, and making suggestions in the margins It was slow going, but by the time the office started to empty out, I felt like I had made some headway
As I began to gather my things, I noticed that Ms. Whitmore's office light was still on through the glass, I could see her at her desk, fully engrossed in whatever she was working on she had a reputation for being one of the last to leave, always going the extra mile to ensure everything was perfect It was a level of dedication I admired, even if I couldn't quite understand how she managed to keep up the pace
But I didn't linger I wasn't ready for that kind of attention not yet, and maybe not ever Ms. Whitmore had her world, and I had mine the fact that our worlds occasionally overlapped was just a coincidence, nothing more
As I stepped out into the cool evening air, I let the office fade behind me my focus was on tomorrow, on the work still waiting for me I wasn't here to get caught up in anything else just the job and that was how I intended to keep it
YOU ARE READING
The Space Between Us
Romance"If you wanted to feel my touch, you only had to say," her voice was a sultry whisper, her fingers brushing against my heated skin My breath hitched as her lips hovered near her ear, "All this tension, Emma don't pretend you're not drawn to me." Emm...
