A Different Morning
A Different Morning
Hazel’s POV
Monday morning felt... different.
I couldn’t explain why.
Maybe it was because every time I remembered Saturday night, I smiled without meaning to.
The dance.
His compliment.
The way he’d placed his jacket around my shoulders.
Or the way he’d smiled when I finally called him Ethan.
I shook my head as I stepped out of the elevator.
“Focus, Hazel.”
“You’re at work.”
The executive floor was unusually quiet.
I unlocked my office and immediately began reviewing Ethan’s calendar.
Eight meetings.
Two conference calls.
Lunch with international investors.
A video conference with London.
It was going to be another busy day.
At exactly 7:30 a.m., the elevator doors opened.
Right on time.
Ethan stepped out carrying his briefcase.
The moment our eyes met, we both paused.
For half a second...
Neither of us knew whether to acknowledge Saturday night or pretend it had never happened.
I smiled first.
“Good morning... Ethan.”
The name came naturally this time.
His expression softened.
“Good morning, Hazel.”
There it was again.
No “Ms. Brooks.”
Just Hazel.
A small warmth spread through my chest.
Somehow...
The office didn’t feel quite as formal anymore.
----
Ethan’s POV
She looked happy.
Not the polite smile she wore for clients.
A genuine one.
The kind that reached her green eyes.
I found myself returning it before I even realized what I was doing.
Claire walked past at exactly the wrong moment.
She looked from Hazel...
To me...
Then raised one eyebrow.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
She said nothing.
But the amused smile on her face suggested she was making mental notes.
I decided to ignore it.
“Hazel.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll need the Henderson contract before ten.”
“It’s already on your desk.”
I looked toward my office.
Sure enough...
The folder sat precisely where it should.
Color-coded.
Flagged.
Ready for review.
“I also summarized the changes requested by legal.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“Anything else?”
I considered my schedule.
“No.”
Then, after a brief pause...
“Actually...”
She waited.
“Did you get home safely Saturday night?”
The question escaped before I had a chance to reconsider.
Her smile softened.
“I did.”
“And you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad.”
Such a simple exchange.
Yet somehow...
It felt strangely personal.
----
Hazel’s POV
Around ten-thirty, I carried a stack of documents into Ethan’s office.
He was standing by the window with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Sunlight streamed across the room, highlighting the dark brown of his hair.
He looked up as I entered.
“Morning meeting finished?”
“Just now.”
I handed him the contracts.
He accepted them.
As he flipped through the pages, one loose document slipped free and drifted toward the floor.
“I’ve got it.”
We both reached for it at the same time.
Our hands brushed.
Just for an instant.
I looked up.
So did he.
Neither of us moved.
The office suddenly felt very quiet.
“Why is my heart beating so fast?”
His brown eyes met mine, steady as always, but there was something different in them now.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
As if he had noticed the same thing I had.
A gentle knock broke the moment.
Claire opened the door without realizing what she’d interrupted.
“Oh.”
She looked from him...
To me...
Then back again.
“I...”
Her lips twitched.
“The board meeting starts in five minutes.”
Ethan stepped back first.
“Thank you, Claire.”
She nodded far too innocently before disappearing again.
The silence lingered.
“I should...”
I gestured toward the door.
“Yes.”
He cleared his throat.
“The meeting.”
I smiled, unable to hide a hint of embarrassment.
“The meeting.”
As I left the office, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Behind me, Ethan quietly looked down at the document still in his hand.
Only then did he realize...
He hadn’t read a single word on the page.
For the first time in years, something had managed to distract Ethan Blackwood from work.
And that something had bright green eyes, copper-red hair, freckles across her cheeks... and a smile that was becoming increasingly difficult to forget.
----
Ethan’s POV
The board meeting should have had my complete attention.
Normally, it always did.
Olivia was presenting the quarterly financial report, Daniel was outlining the progress of the London expansion, and every executive around the table waited for my feedback.
I listened.
I asked questions.
I made decisions.
Outwardly, nothing had changed.
But every now and then...
My gaze drifted toward the far end of the table.
Hazel sat beside Claire, quietly taking notes.
She wasn’t simply writing down what people said.
She was organizing the discussion as it happened.
Creating headings.
Highlighting deadlines.
Connecting related projects with small arrows in the margins.
She worked with the same quiet concentration she brought to everything.
“She’s remarkable.”
The thought appeared before I could stop it.
And that realization unsettled me more than I cared to admit.
----
Hazel’s POV
The meeting finally ended just after noon.
As the executives gathered their folders, Olivia walked beside me toward the hallway.
“You’ve settled in quickly.”
“I’ve had good teachers.”
She smiled knowingly.
“Ethan?”
I nodded.
“He’s patient.”
Olivia laughed.
“I don’t think anyone has ever described him that way.”
“Really?”
“He has high standards.”
“So do I.”
Olivia looked at me for a moment before smiling again.
“That explains why the two of you work so well together.”
Before I could answer, Ethan joined us.
“Olivia.”
She nodded politely.
“Ethan.”
He looked at me.
“Hazel, would you come with me?”
“Of course.”
----
Ethan’s POV
We walked in comfortable silence toward my office.
She didn’t rush to fill every quiet moment.
That was... rare.
Once inside, I closed the door.
“I wanted to thank you.”
She looked surprised.
“For what?”
“The board packets.”
“Oh.”
“They made the meeting more efficient.”
“I’m glad.”
She smiled modestly.
“I only reorganized the information.”
“Exactly.”
I leaned lightly against my desk.
“Do you know why most meetings waste time?”
She tilted her head.
“Too many opinions?”
“A lack of preparation.”
She nodded.
“You eliminated that.”
Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
“You don’t have to keep complimenting me.”
“Why not?”
“Because...”
She laughed softly.
“I’ll start expecting it.”
For a moment...
I simply looked at her.
“You deserve recognition when you’ve earned it.”
Her smile faded into something gentler.
No one had ever told her that enough.
It was obvious.
“I appreciate hearing it.”
She spoke so quietly I almost missed the words.
----
Hazel’s POV
That afternoon passed quickly.
Emails.
Schedules.
Phone calls.
By five o’clock, my desk was finally clear.
I stretched my shoulders and sighed with relief.
“You look tired.”
I looked up.
Ethan stood in my doorway, jacket draped over one arm.
“I’m fine.”
He crossed his arms.
“That wasn’t an answer.”
I laughed.
“I suppose I’m a little tired.”
“You’ve been here since before seven.”
“So have you.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“I’m used to it.”
“So am I.”
He gave me a look that clearly said I don’t believe you.
“I’ll survive.”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he surprised me.
“Have dinner with me.”
My eyes widened.
The words hung between us.
He immediately realized how they sounded.
“As colleagues,” he clarified.
“We’ve both worked late.”
“The restaurant downstairs is still open.”
“We can discuss tomorrow’s schedule.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
He looked almost... flustered.
Which was something I had never imagined Ethan Blackwood could be.
“I’d like that.”
Relief flickered across his face before his usual calm expression returned.
“Good.”
“I’ll meet you in five minutes.”
----
Ethan’s POV
The restaurant inside Blackwood Tower was nearly empty.
Most of the dinner crowd hadn’t arrived yet.
That suited me perfectly.
We chose a quiet table by the window overlooking the city.
For the first few minutes, the conversation stayed on familiar ground.
Upcoming meetings.
The London project.
Travel plans.
Then our meals arrived.
For the first time since we’d sat down...
Neither of us mentioned work.
Hazel looked out at the skyline.
“I used to dream about this city.”
“You aren’t from New York?”
She shook her head.
“A small town in Vermont.”
“What brought you here?”
“A scholarship.”
She smiled softly.
“I wanted to prove I could build a life on my own.”
I nodded.
“I understand.”
She looked at me curiously.
“You do?”
“I left home at eighteen.”
“For the Army.”
There was a thoughtful silence.
“What was it like?”
I looked out at the lights beyond the glass.
“Hard.”
“Worth it.”
“I learned discipline.”
“I learned responsibility.”
Then I smiled faintly.
“And I learned I make terrible coffee.”
Hazel laughed so hard that a few nearby diners glanced our way.
She covered her mouth, trying to stop laughing.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s just...”
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“For some reason...”
“I never imagined Ethan Blackwood admitting he couldn’t do something.”
I found myself laughing too.
A genuine, unguarded laugh.
The kind I hadn’t shared in years.
For a brief moment, titles disappeared.
There was no CEO.
No assistant.
Only Ethan and Hazel.
Two people sharing dinner after a long day.
Neither of them realized that somewhere between coffee, long meetings, and quiet conversations...
Friendship had quietly begun transforming into something deeper.
Something neither of them was ready to name.
Yet neither of them could ignore anymore.
----
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