The car engine hummed in the late afternoon heat. As the streets blurred by, his mind slipped backward in time. Five years ago, it had been a different job, a smaller apartment, and fewer responsibilities. And then Lina. She’d appeared in the office like sunlight that warmed his heart.
He’d been buried in invoices in the Accounts Department, aware of the laughter drifting in from Advertising. Lina had been the quiet center of that energy. She was quick to smile, quicker to listen. Everyone loved her calm manner, her ability to connect without even trying.