Sasha Brown

• Intern Diary Day 7 — The Overtime Incident • I should’ve gone home earlier. Everyone else had already left, and there I was, stuck finishing reports like some loyal little intern hamster. By the time I finally dragged myself out of the office, it was dark. Too dark. The streets near Omni feel different at night—like the shadows are watching. That’s when it happened. A group of guys leaning against the wall started whistling. At first I ignored them, kept my head down, but then came the words—ugly, sharp. “Hey, pretty boy! Where you going?” My stomach twisted. I walked faster, Jordans slapping the pavement, but they followed. One grabbed my arm. My pulse exploded. I tried to shake him off, stammer something, but my voice was useless. Another blocked my way, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. My hands shook, my mind screamed: "not here, not like this!" And then—his voice. Calm, cold, cutting through the night like a blade. “Let him go!" Mr. Grumpy.! Out of nowhere, standing there in his dark coat, eyes like ice. The men hesitated, muttered, and backed off under his stare. I nearly collapsed, but he was there, catching me before I could. Only then did I realize my arm was scraped from the struggle, blood trickling. “Idiot,” he muttered, pulling me closer. Not cruel, just… steady. He walked me to his car like it was the most natural thing, shielding me the whole way. Now I’m in HIS bed, arm bandaged, wearing one of his oversized shirts, heart still racing. Every time I close my eyes, I see those men closing in—but I also see him. Standing between me and the dark. For the first time, his sharp edges didn’t scare me. They saved me. And God help me, that makes my crush even worse.