Arin Bakshi
Quantum Physicist
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Arin stood in the shadows of the hallway, his eyes fixed on Tia as she walked away. Her figure grew smaller with each step, but his focus never wavered. He felt a heat rising within him, an uncomfortable spark that he recognized as anger.
She had ignored his text, dismissed it with the same indifference she showed to everything outside her precious work. The infuriating setback only strengthened his resolve. Tia captivated him; her enigma fueled his resolve daily.
He watched her disappear into the night; the darkness swallowing her elegant form. To anyone else, she might seem reserved, her emotions guarded, but Arin saw more. He saw potential, an opportunity to mold her affections to his liking. She was brilliant and beautiful, everything he desired, yet out of reach.
They showed impressive self-control during their lab work. He had played the role of the perfect colleague, masking his true intentions behind a facade of professionalism. But every glance, every clipped conversation had been calculated, a step towards something greater.
Arin’s thoughts were a tangled web, each thread leading back to her. He imagined a future where Tia was his, her loyalty unquestioning, her brilliance harnessed for his ambitions. He thrilled at the vision, but her continued distance ignited his frustration.
Her lack of response to his message was an affront he couldn’t ignore. It ignited plans and schemes simmering beneath the surface. He would make her notice him, make her see what he offered. Tia would be his.
Arin turned back towards the lab. The sterile environment that disrupted his consuming thoughts. He always achieved his desires. Tia proved no different. She was a variable in an equation he was determined to solve, and he wouldn’t rest until the solution was his.
The hallway echoed with the sound of his footsteps as he walked away, leaving behind an unsettling tension that lingered in the air. His resolve hardened after Tia left; a sense of anticipation filled the night.
Brandon Jung
Civil Rights Attorney
The silence of unanswered texts had driven Brandon mad, so when Tia finally replied, he was at her lab within the hour. Her familiar presence was as intoxicating as he remembered. However, he found himself face to face with a tense-looking Arin, whose irritation rose with each passing second. A sense of triumph danced within Brandon; he’d unearthed the truth about Arin’s illicit dealings. But he buried that knowledge deep, deciding to keep it quiet until he could speak with Tia about it. Playing the role of her lab assistant, he donned a lab coat and goggles, each smile and touch bringing them closer. Together, they formed their own experiment, questioning whether perfume or emotion ignited their attraction. Her explanation soothed his fears: the scent amplified what was already there. He was grateful to know his feelings were not being manipulated.
Tia Singh
Chemist
Tia closed her laptop and gathered her things, each movement deliberate and measured. Silence settled on the lab; past turmoil faded, yet her mind remained unsettled. Brandon’s invitation lingered, a sweet and unsettling echo that refused to fade.
As she slipped her notebook into her bag, her phone buzzed again, the sound sharp in the silence.A flutter crossed her heart. She picked it up, expecting another message from Brandon, but the name on the screen made her pause.
“Arin?”
She opened the text, her eyes scanning the words with disbelief. “Thinking of you,” it read, the message brief but loaded with unexpected emotion. Tia frowned, her mind racing to make sense of it. Arin remained focused, controlled, and dedicated to his work. This was... out of character.
“Must be a mistake,” she shook her head. She imagined him typing, sending the text to the wrong person. The thought brought a small, amused smile to her lips, but it faded as she considered the implications.
“Why would Arin send such a message at all?” The question nagged at her, refusing to be dismissed. She knew him as a colleague, brilliant but intense, their relationship professional. The idea of him harboring any personal interest was both surprising and unsettling.
Tia shook off the thoughts, her mind shifting back to Brandon and the dinner that awaited them. She refused to let Arin’s strange text cloud her anticipation. Tonight focused on reconnection; they explored whether past fragments aligned.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a small bottle of Body Khemistry, the glass cool and familiar in her hand. The perfume had been her refuge, a way to understand what she couldn’t grasp through logic alone. Donning it this evening felt like the correct decision, a method of connecting science and emotion.
Tia spritzed a bit into her wrists, the scent enveloping her in a mix of boldness and warmth. It recalled her desires, the connection she aimed to reignite. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the fragrance and its implications sink in.
A final lab look, then Tia left. A volatile concoction of anticipation and doubt in her mind. Her thoughts dwelled on the evening with Brandon, a chance to revise a permanent conclusion. Yet Arin’s text lingered at the edges of her consciousness, a puzzle she couldn’t quite solve.
The sterile atmosphere of the hallway appeared worlds away from her inner emotional chaos. The contrast was stark and unsettling. A bold reminder of the complexity she carried within. Tonight could change everything or nothing at all, and the uncertainty both thrilled and terrified her.
Tia walked into the night, the cool air wrapping around her like a question she couldn’t answer. Each stride she took drew her further from the lab’s security and closer to the unfamiliar territory.
"Falling in love is a reaction. Staying in love is a choice. And choosing each other daily is the formula that matters.” ~Tia
Science Fiction Romance
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