Still Choosing You
Book 1 Chapter 3 — Scene 5: ONE MORE REPORT
By five thirty, most of the office had started preparing to leave.
Not everyone.
But enough that the change was noticeable.
The energy shifted first.
Conversations became lighter.
People packed bags.
Water bottles disappeared into backpacks.
Someone shut down a monitor.
Someone else said goodbye before heading toward the lifts.
The day was ending.
At least for most people.
Daniel looked at the clock in the corner of his screen.
5:37 PM.
His inbox still held several unread messages.
The project work itself was nearly done.
The reporting wasn't.
He clicked into the new template again.
The spreadsheet filled his monitor.
Rows.
Columns.
Sections.
Boxes waiting to be completed.
He had already entered most of the information.
Not because it was difficult.
Because it took time.
The work existed in different places.
Emails.
Project trackers.
Meeting notes.
Customer tickets.
Now everything had to be gathered into one report.
His phone vibrated once beside the keyboard.
A message from Emma.
Are you on the way home?
Daniel read it.
Then glanced back at the spreadsheet.
The question deserved a simple answer.
He typed.
Still working.
May be a little late.
A few seconds passed.
Then her reply appeared.
Okay.
The message looked small on the screen.
Daniel put the phone down and returned to the spreadsheet.
The exchange felt ordinary.
Nothing about it seemed important.
He continued typing.
Across the office, chairs rolled backward.
People stood.
Laughter appeared from one corner.
Someone wished everyone a good evening.
A few desks away, Marcus shut his laptop.
“You still here?”
Daniel looked up.
“Need to finish this.”
Marcus glanced toward the monitor.
“The report?”
“Yeah.”
Marcus made a face.
“Good luck.”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“You done already?”
“Mostly.”
“Mostly?”
“Good enough mostly.”
Daniel laughed quietly.
Marcus picked up his bag.
“See you tomorrow.”
“See you.”
The office became quieter after he left.
Not immediately.
Gradually.
One desk empty.
Then another.
Then another.
The rows of workstations seemed larger as people disappeared from them.
Daniel returned to the report.
One section led to another.
A summary required supporting details.
Supporting details required explanations.
Explanations required verification.
Nothing difficult.
Only more.
He clicked through project records.
Checked dates.
Compared task lists.
Entered comments.
The clock changed again.
6:12 PM.
The office lights remained bright.
Outside the windows, daylight had begun fading.
The city beyond the glass looked softer now.
Buildings reflected the last pieces of evening.
Daniel rubbed one hand across the back of his neck.
Then continued working.
A notification appeared.
New guidance document attached.
He opened it.
Another set of recommendations.
Additional reporting examples.
Clarification notes.
He stared at the document for a second.
Not annoyed.
Only surprised.
The process seemed to grow each time he looked at it.
He closed the document and returned to the spreadsheet.
A few desks away, someone was still working.
Another employee stood near the printer collecting papers.
A manager walked past carrying a laptop.
The office wasn't empty.
Not yet.
But it was heading there.
Daniel focused on the screen.
Rows of information filled the monitor.
The report had become the last task between him and home.
That should have made it simple.
Instead, each completed section seemed to reveal another unfinished one.
The clock changed again.
6:41 PM.
He noticed because the office had become unusually quiet.
The printer had stopped.
The phones had stopped ringing.
Most of the conversations were gone.
Only keyboard sounds remained.
Daniel leaned back slightly.
His eyes drifted across the office.
Entire rows of desks sat empty now.
Monitors dark.
Chairs pushed in.
Coffee mugs abandoned until tomorrow.
The workday had ended for most people.
For a moment, he simply looked around.
The office felt different when it emptied.
Larger.
Colder.
Less temporary.
The glow from computer screens became more visible.
The silence became more noticeable.
Daniel looked toward the windows.
The sky outside had darkened completely.
He blinked once.
Then looked at the clock again.
6:43 PM.
Later than he expected.
His phone remained on the desk beside him.
No new messages.
Emma had only replied:
Okay.
Nothing else.
He appreciated that.
No pressure.
No complaints.
Just understanding.
Daniel returned to the report.
Another section.
Another explanation.
Another entry.
The work itself wasn't urgent.
The deadline wasn't tonight.
Yet he found himself continuing.
The sooner he understood the process, the easier future reports would be.
At least that was what he told himself.
The office grew quieter still.
A cleaning trolley appeared briefly at the far end of the floor.
Someone switched off lights in an unused meeting room.
The evening settled around the building.
Daniel continued typing.
The spreadsheet filled slowly.
One box after another.
One section after another.
One report after another.
When he finally paused again, the office around him had become mostly dark.
Only the occupied work areas remained illuminated.
Small islands of light surrounded by empty desks.
Daniel stared at the screen for a moment.
Then checked the time.
7:08 PM.
The number surprised him.
Not because it was especially late.
Because he hadn't noticed the time passing.
He looked across the office.
Most desks sat empty now.
Most monitors were dark.
Most chairs were pushed neatly beneath the tables.
The day had ended without him realizing it.
He rubbed his eyes once and looked back at the spreadsheet.
The report still wasn't finished.
The office had nearly emptied.
The evening had already arrived.
And he was still working.
Scene-by-scene release. Continue only when the next scene is ready.