You’re rushing inside to get to your cubicle/office/workspace. You’re late which is a real problem where you work. Plus, you’ve been trying to impress the higher ups lately and are currently failing miserably. And as if that wasn’t enough, you have to sneeze.
Maybe it’s the dust you’re kicking up, maybe the pollen, a strong perfume, or that damn cleaner the janitor uses. There’s a cold going around the office. Could be that too. Whatever the cause, your nose has declared war. And it tickles so bad. Poor you.
You’re trying not to sneeze. You just need to make it to your desk. You try to rub away the sensation which only makes things worse. Your eyes flutter and your oh so sensitive nose protests dramatically. Before you can do anything else, you run right into someone’s chest.
Now, you’re not impolite. You know basic manners. You always cover. But you weren’t expecting to sneeze. And you weren’t expecting to come in contact with a chest. And you definitely weren’t expecting to sneeze against that very nice chest but here you are.
A hand settles gently between your shoulder blades. You can’t tell if it’s a startled hand or a protective one. Maybe a mix of both. Then your head bobs forward helplessly as you stifle the best you can. Poor thing. You really don’t mean to; it just can’t be helped. (Un)fortunately, you draw in another breath and stifle again with more intensity.
Another sneeze comes and you try very hard to suppress it. Who knows if you succeed? Well… a good guess might be the owner to the chest you just used as a tissue.
You jump away from them, deeply apologetic, and suddenly realize it’s your work crush/ boss/ ex/ rival/ (whatever you want). You apologize even more frantically and they smirk or roll their eyes but bless you regardless. Maybe they even offer you their handkerchief or a tissue.
You swear you’ve never been more embarrassed in your life. You’ve just sneezed on someone very attractive and very intimidating, but it was very hot.
And now you’ve got to figure out away to move on with your day without becoming even more late.