Side by Side
Amanda knocked lightly on Angela’s office door after the last bell rang, even though she’d been invited.
Angela looked up from her desk, where a chaotic pile of papers had taken over half the surface. She smiled wide and easy when she saw Amanda hovering there.
"You survived the day," Angela said, tossing her pen onto the desk.
Amanda stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Barely."
Angela gestured at the second chair pulled up beside her. "Come on. Help me pretend I'm actually getting grading done."
Amanda laughed and sank into the seat, pulling out her own battered folder from her bag. "Misery loves company."
"Especially when there are snacks involved," Angela said, fishing a bag of trail mix out of her drawer and tossing it onto the desk between them.
For a while, they worked in companionable silence.
Amanda tapped red pen against the corner of a worksheet. Angela muttered under her breath about illegible handwriting. Spork, who Angela had snuck into the office in a tote bag (claiming "emotional support animal" status), dozed peacefully under the desk.
It should have felt mundane.
Instead, Amanda felt… steady.
Like she could actually handle her life.
At one point, their hands brushed as they both reached for the trail mix, and Amanda’s heart stuttered so hard she almost dropped her pen.
Angela’s fingers lingered against hers for just a second longer than necessary.
Neither of them pulled away immediately.
Amanda glanced up and found Angela watching her, something unreadable flickering behind her easy smile.
"You okay?" Angela asked quietly, voice dipping low.
Amanda nodded, unable to find words.
Angela didn’t push.
She just shifted back in her seat, tossing a peanut into her mouth, letting the moment settle without breaking it.
They kept grading.
They kept stealing glances.
And when Amanda finally packed up to leave, Angela walked her to the door, their shoulders brushing in the narrow hallway.
Amanda turned to say goodbye, and for one breathless second, it felt like something else might happen—something bigger, closer, inevitable.
But Angela just smiled, soft and steady, and said, "See you tomorrow, Ms. Lehan-Canto."
Amanda smiled back, heart full.
"See you tomorrow, Ms. Giarratana."
And for now, that was enough.