She could only see his eyes, but it was so obvious he was smiling. They were twinkling ruthlessly; the soft gray surrounding his pupils somehow the most vibrant thing in the room. The gentle murmur of the lobby had completely faded from her reality as the beat of her own heart pummeled away at her chest. His beard hair was curling coyly around the edges of his powder blue medical mask, like an invitation to peek underneath. It was maddening. As he slid his glasses up along the bridge of his nose, a jolt of lightning made its way down her spine.

She relished in the slow pour of the water cooler, basking in the nearness of his presence as water filled her cup in a slow, steady stream. He was leaning coolly in the doorway, waiting to use the copier. Every few moments, he would glance over and twinkle some more in her direction. She realized she’d have to leave the room to quench her thirst; one pull of the mask down off of her face would instantly expose the affection of her untamed smile to the entire lobby. No, if their workplace romance was ever going to leave the building, they would have to play things cool. The masks, it seemed, could actually play to their advantage. It was a chance to take their love to the skies in secret, evading all the questions and prying eyes. Having stalled just long enough, she walked off with a subtle sway in her hips and thought to herself, “no way six feet will keep us apart.”