Section 1: The Enemy
Maya had hated Oliver Chen since the moment he’d stolen her promotion at the architecture firm. Well, technically the senior partners had given it to him, but she was certain he’d undermined her during the pitch meeting with his smug comments about “innovative vision” and “fresh perspectives.”
Now they were forced to co-lead the Riverside Development project, the firm’s most important commission in years. Their first joint meeting had devolved into an argument about whether the design should prioritize green space or commercial viability. Oliver had rolled his eyes at her sustainability metrics. She’d called his revenue projections “soulless.”
“This is never going to work,” Maya muttered, watching Oliver’s perfectly styled hair catch the afternoon light as he sketched modifications to her designs without asking.
“Then maybe try compromising for once,” he said, not looking up.
She wanted to throw her coffee at him.
Section 2: The Breaking Point
The crisis came three weeks later. Maya had worked through the weekend on renderings that balanced both their visions—open courtyards with commercial spaces, solar panels integrated into aesthetically pleasing rooflines. She’d been proud of the synthesis, certain it would satisfy Oliver’s practical concerns and her environmental standards.
He’d barely glanced at them before pointing out a structural inefficiency in the northwest corner.
“You know what?” Maya slammed her laptop shut. “You’re impossible to work with. Everything has to be your way, your vision, your—”
“My way? You haven’t listened to a single suggestion I’ve made! You act like caring about budget and client needs makes me some kind of corporate sellout.”
“Because you don’t care about anything except looking good to the partners!”
Oliver’s jaw tightened. “Is that really what you think? That I don’t care?”
Something in his voice made her pause. He looked genuinely hurt, his usual confidence cracked.
Something in his voice made her pause. He looked genuinely hurt, his usual confidence cracked.
“I…” Maya faltered. “I don’t know what I think anymore.”
He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “I stayed up until 3 AM last night redesigning the eastern facade. I wanted to prove that your vertical garden concept could work structurally. But I was too proud to show you before I’d solved every problem.”
Maya stared at him. “You… worked on my garden idea?”
“It’s brilliant. Impractical as hell, but brilliant.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “I might have been jealous that I didn’t think of it first.”
She felt something shift in her chest. “The promotion,” she said quietly. “I’ve been angry about that for six months.”
“I know. And I’ve been trying to prove I deserved it ever since.” Oliver met her eyes. “But honestly? You should have gotten it. Your Singapore presentation was better than mine. I just had more face time with the partners.”
Section 3: The Resolution
The admission hung between them, honest and raw.
“I’ve been awful to you,” Maya said.
“We’ve been awful to each other.” He pulled up a chair beside her instead of across from her. “Can we start over? Actually collaborate instead of compete?”
She looked at the structural diagrams he’d stayed up all night working on, saw how carefully he’d reinforced every beam to support her vision. Something warm bloomed beneath her ribs.
“I’d like that.”
They worked side by side until evening, their usual arguments transforming into actual discussions. Maya noticed things she’d been too angry to see before: how Oliver bit his pen when concentrating, how his eyes lit up when solving a problem, how he brought her coffee without asking, remembering that she took it black.
When their hands brushed reaching for the same pencil, neither pulled away immediately.
“Maya,” Oliver said softly, his fingers curling around hers. “I think I’ve been channeling a lot of feelings into our rivalry.”
Her heart raced. “What kind of feelings?”
“The kind that make me want to stop arguing with you and start kissing you instead.”
She smiled, closing the distance between them. “Well, we’ve gotten pretty good at doing things together.”
Their kiss was everything their collaboration should have been from the start: balanced, passionate, perfectly synchronized. When they finally pulled apart, Oliver grinned.
“Think the partners will approve of this merger?”
“Definitely our best joint project yet,” Maya agreed, pulling him back for another kiss.