I’m in my mid-30s and work in a corporate office job. A few years ago, shortly before the pandemic, a new assistant joined our team. She was a quiet, fresh-out-of-college Asian girl (a pic of her is below). I didn’t really think anything of her at first – she was very good at her job but not particularly noticeable. She was tiny, with long black hair, and wore big glasses, loose fitting clothing, and never any makeup. And she very much had “don’t take up space” energy. In other words, she was the kind of person who always tried to keep herself to the background.
All that changed at the beginning of this year when we returned to the office full time. She started stopping by my office to chat all the time. I knew she lived alone and guessed she must have been lonely during the pandemic, but I also got the hint that she had a crush on me, which was why she singled me out in particular. And before I knew it I found myself attracted to her too. She went out of her way to downplay it, but she was actually pretty cute when you took the time to notice her. We hung out after work a few times. One day she shocked me by asking if I wanted to get a drink – it was known around the office that she didn’t drink alcohol. But we went to a bar and she tasted the first beer of her life. She would experience many more firsts with me over the next few months.