As an ordinary genius

Ethan's first full week back at work started with a surprise: he was officially assigned as the co-lead for a new project. The announcement came during Monday morning's team meeting, with Maya making the reveal as if it were a casual update.

"Ethan will be working alongside Serena on the upcoming AI optimization project," Maya said with a smile. "We're confident the two of you will make a great team."

Ethan blinked, caught off guard. He glanced at Serena, who gave him a nod of encouragement.

"Uh, thank you for the opportunity," Ethan said, trying to mask his anxiety.

"Don't thank me yet," Maya said with a knowing smirk. "It's going to be a challenging one."

The project was focused on creating an AI-driven platform to optimize client workflows. It was ambitious, complex, and came with a tight deadline.

Ethan spent most of the day in meetings with Serena, mapping out the initial framework, dividing tasks, and brainstorming solutions.

"Okay," Serena said during one of their planning sessions, tapping her pen against her notepad. "You'll handle the backend algorithms, and I'll focus on the front-end integration. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Ethan said, nodding. "But we'll need to align on the data structure first. If the backend and front-end aren't speaking the same language, it'll be a mess."

"Good point," Serena said, jotting it down. "Let's schedule a sync-up after we draft our initial designs."

As the day went on, Ethan found himself slipping into a rhythm. The work was challenging, but he felt oddly energized by it.

That evening, as Ethan was settling into his tasks, his phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Felicity.

Felicity: Hey, I heard you got assigned to a big project. Congrats!

Ethan stared at the message, his heart skipping a beat. She hadn't reached out since graduation, and he'd been doing his best to avoid thinking about her.

He typed a response, then deleted it. Typed again. Deleted again. Finally, he settled on something neutral.

Ethan: Thanks. Just getting started, but it's exciting.

Her reply came quickly.

Felicity: I'm sure you'll do great. You've always been a hard worker.

Ethan frowned at his screen. Did she know about the confession during the party? Was she pretending it hadn't happened, or did she genuinely not care?

He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts aside. "Focus, Ethan," he muttered to himself.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Ethan threw himself into the project, determined to prove himself. But the work wasn't without its struggles.

"Why is this algorithm so stubborn?" Ethan groaned one afternoon, running his hands through his hair.

"Did you debug the loop parameters?" Serena asked, leaning over his desk.

"Yes, three times," Ethan said, exasperated. "It's like the system refuses to cooperate."

"Maybe it's trying to tell you something," Serena said with a smirk.

Ethan chuckled despite himself. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"You'll figure it out," Serena said, patting his shoulder. "You always do."

After work, Ethan often found himself wandering the city streets, trying to clear his mind. The project was challenging, but it was nothing compared to the unresolved feelings swirling inside him.

One night, he ended up at the same park bench where he and Felicity had sat after their first late-night conversation years ago. He stared up at the stars, feeling a mix of nostalgia and frustration.

"What am I doing?" he muttered. "She's out of my league, and I know it. So why can't I let this go?"

His phone buzzed again, breaking the silence. It was another message from Felicity.

Felicity: Hey, let me know if you ever need help with your project. I'd love to see what you're working on.

Ethan sighed. He knew he should reply, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he tucked his phone away and headed home, resolving to focus on work and nothing else.

The next morning, Ethan arrived at the office early, determined to crack the algorithm problem. He reviewed the code line by line, trying to spot what he'd missed.

After hours of trial and error, he finally found the issue—a minor syntax error buried deep in the code.

"Gotcha," he muttered, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

When Serena arrived, he showed her the fix.

"Nice work, Ethan," she said, genuinely impressed. "You're really stepping up on this project."

Her words gave him a small boost of confidence. Maybe he wasn't a genius like Felicity, but he was learning, growing, and proving his worth through hard work.

Despite his progress, Felicity's presence lingered in the back of his mind. Her messages, her encouragement—it was all too much and not enough at the same time.

As the week drew to a close, Ethan resolved to stay focused on his goals. He couldn't afford distractions, no matter how much his heart protested.