Zane quickly nced over the plot. Even though he''d never read a romanceic before, he seemed pretty sure this one could do even better. He tapped his fingers lightly on theputer, saying nothing. I watched his serious expression and asked, "What''s up? Is it not good?"


    "No," Zane said, shaking his head. "It''s actually really good."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"


    If it was so good, then why was he looking so serious?


    Zane turned to me and said, "Take your time with thisic. Once the first volume is ready, we''ll drop the animated series and the print version at the same time.


    "Thepany''s gonna roll out a big promotional campaign. We''re aiming to make youric the top seller of the year."


    Upon seeing how confident he was, I couldn''t really exin why, but I trusted him. A smile crept onto my face. "Alright."


    He ran his fingers through my hair. His usually icy eyes were full of warmth now.


    Zane''s voice was calm as he said, "As for the next steps, I''ll have Eric take care of it. We''ve got a lot of new projectsing in, and even the old ones are picking up.


    "I don''t need to be involved in every little thing, but I still need to stay on top of it. I might not have as much time to spend with you."


    I nodded. "It''s fine. I''ve got my own work to focus on, too."


    Zane pulled me into a hug. "That''s why I value every second we get together. I always feel like I missed out on so much before, and now that we''re finally together, I just want to make up for all that lost time." I hugged him back and gave him a soft pat on the back.


    I used to think women were the sentimental ones in rtionships. But after I started dating Zane, I realized it wasn''t about gender at all.


    It was just what would happen when we really love someone. Even if we were together every single day, it still wouldn''t feel like enough.


    Zane continued, "Before, it felt like


    the weight of the whole Huxham Corporation was on my shoulders like I was responsible for everyone''s livelihood. I couldn''t afford to mess up, or they''d all be out of work.


    "It was a huge burden. But now, with you by my side, it feels like that weight''s been lifted. Even though I''m busier than ever, all I feel is relief."


    He almost felt like it wasn''t enough,


    and he still wanted to find more time


    to do whatever he could for his girlfriend. Zane brushed his cheek against my neck, a hint ofughter in his voice as he asked. "Isn''t that kind of strange?"


    "It is," I said, giving his back a gentle pat. "But you really should take breaks sometimes. If you push yourself too hard, won''t that defeat the whole point?" Reluctantly, Zane pulled away from me. "I''ll keep that in mind."


    I nodded and made a soft sound of agreement.


    "Alright, I''m heading back to work," Zane said.


    I couldn''t help butugh at the way he looked at me. We were in the same office. Did he really need to act like we were saying goodbye for days?


    Still, I didn''t bring it up. "Go ahead. I''ve got work to get back to, too."


    ...


    Bet


    After a long stretch of overtime, Sasha''s project was finally wrapping


    up. Everyone had some breapping


    room and could actually take a short break once in a while.


    She lowered her office chair all the way back, almost t, and gotfy, ready to sneak in a little rest.


    "Sasha!" The second she heard her name, Sasha immediately thought she''d messed something up and was about to get an earful from her supervisor.


    She freaked out for a second, but then she pulled herself together and jumped up. "Yes, I''m here!"


    "There''s someone downstairs asking for you."