over time

When Alexia awoke the next morning, she found herself on the small couch in the office. She had worked so late that she had simply fallen asleep at her desk, and someone had covered her with a blanket. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and stretching her aching muscles. She knew she had to get ready for work, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the office. She felt like a prisoner, trapped in this place by her own mistakes.

Slowly, she made her way to the small bathroom and changed into her spare clothes.

Alexia's co-workers were surprised to see her already at her desk when they came in for the day. "You're here early," said one of the women, setting her bag down at her desk. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, I just had some work to finish," Alexia said, her voice sounding tired. She forced a smile, but she knew it didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, you're an inspiration to us all," the woman said, giving Alexia a quick hug. "We should all be as dedicated as you!"

Alexia nodded, but inside she felt anything

Inside, Alexia felt anything but inspired. She felt trapped and alone, even though she was surrounded by people. She knew that she had to put on a brave face and get through the day, but it felt like an insurmountable task. She couldn't stop thinking about Elijah, and how things had gone so wrong between them.

As the day went on, Alexia tried to keep herself busy, but her thoughts kept drifting back to him. She kept replaying their last conversation in her head, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. But no matter how much she tried to make sense of it.

Elijah was working in his office when he happened to glance out the window. He saw Alexia sitting at her desk, her head down, her shoulders slumped. He felt a pang of guilt as he watched her, knowing that he was the reason for her sadness. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he knew that he had. He had been trying to forget about her, to move on, but it was clear that she hadn't been able to do the same.

He turned back to his work, trying to focus on the task at hand. But he couldn't get her out of his mind. He kept thinking